A great set of pipes might be essential to the success of a singer or performer. But what about leak-free pipes in your home? We’re all about stress free homeownership. I suppose you are thinking that’s an oxymoron…and in many households, perhaps it is. While this blog post may not lower your blood pressure or increase your average life span, it WILL make the issue of a leaking pipe not so big a deal. In fact, it is likely that you won’t have to bother your plumber at all. Less stress = yes. Here’s how.
Six steps you should take when a pipe springs a leak
1. Keep calm
Stay cool and simply shut off the water supply to the leaking pipe. This may be at the fixture supply valve in front of the leak, or at the main water supply valve itself. Shutting off the water will stop the water flow and give you time to think. Take a moment to plot out your course of action before you grab the phonebook.
2. Find the leak
Determine where the leak originated. Is it a pinhole leak or has a pipe split or cracked? How many areas are damaged? If you can’t initially spot the leak, turn the water back on for a minute and run a dry paper towel along the edge of the suspect area. Remove the paper towel periodically and patiently watch the surface. If signs of wet spots appear, you have narrowed down the location of the leak.
3. Mark it up
Once you have located the area of the leak, dry it and clearly mark it (or them) with a pencil or marker. These marks will serve as useful guides when you move on to sealing the leak.
4. Sand it down
Use sandpaper to sand down the leak area. Remember to clean the pipes after you have completely sanded them. You want to make sure the pipes do not have any debris or grit on them from the sanding. If you have copper water lines, they should be shiny in appearance. If you have PVC piping, it should look roughed up from the sanding.
5. Grab some epoxy
Apply an epoxy repair product. We recommend PC-Plumbing™ – it is a hand moldable putty epoxy designed for quick emergency-type repairs. Cut, mix and apply according to instructions. PC-Plumbing allows a working time of about 3 minutes and cures for service in 60 minutes.
6. Finish it up
For a smooth, finished surface, hand rub with wet finger or cloth prior to cure. Denatured alcohol is excellent for smoothing, shaping, and forming of putty epoxy. PC-Plumbing™ cures well even at cold temperatures (40°F). PC-Plumbing™ is supplied in premeasured sticks.
There you have it – a low-stress, DIY quick fix to a leaking pipe using some super charged putty epoxy by Protective Coating Company. Don’t forget to turn your water back on!