Pipe repair

We will talk about the overhaul of the pipeline in another section, and now we will focus on the elimination of local damage and preventive measures to protect the pipes. In general, pipe repair is the most serious of those that can occur in your apartment. In this regard, from the very beginning, we must warn you about the difficulties of self-repairing pipes and their connections. If, as a rule, it is still possible to use water and a drain if one or another part of the plumbing equipment is damaged, then in this case this is a rarity. If any of the pipes is damaged, at least one water point stops functioning normally. For example, a siphon began to leak under the kitchen sink – that’s all, until the drain is repaired – you don’t open the tap, you won’t wash the dishes, only drinking water can be carefully drawn. If the pipe that supplies water to the toilet bowl is damaged, you will have to constantly have a bucket at hand filled with water for flushing.

The biggest trouble happens when the pipes or radiators of the heating system are damaged, when, in addition to all the troubles associated with the breakthrough of pipes, the arctic cold gradually takes over your apartment … Do you remember how many types of pipes there are in modern conditions. Each of them has its own characteristics and in the repair, which cannot be ignored. In the repair of pipes, it also matters what kind of pipe it is, what task it performs. For example, you can fix a leak in a cracked plastic siphon or even a metal drain pipe. If hot heating water starts to flow, no, cement will not help here, and the material does not play a role here either. We’ll have to turn off the heating and weld the pipe or battery, and possibly change it. The force of the supply pressure is too great. But let’s go back to the first option, when you can close up the drain plumbing device in the most simple way, without serious effort and in a short period of time..

A great way, wonderful and not yet known to everyone. The secrets of plumbing are carefully guarded by professionals, but they sometimes share some of them. So, cement. But not only. Also (don’t be alarmed, please) you will also need tights. And not necessarily “Levante” or “Grace”. On the contrary, the simpler the better. Here beauty is different. Reliability. You ask your grandmother, wife, mother-in-law for good, but already unnecessary nylon pantyhose – those with a hole. They are kindly provided to you. Take a few medium handfuls of ordinary or – better – white cement and dilute it with a little water until it is a fairly thin slurry. Thoroughly soak the tights in the solution so that the solution saturates them through and through, and, squeezing them a little, carefully wrap them around the leaking place. It goes without saying that the water should be shut off at this moment. You may have seen hockey players wind duct tape around the hook of a stick. It is the same here – tightly and overlapping, without leaving the slightest gap, gradually wind your insulating material over the place of damage. Start winding from a distance of 15-20 cm from the place of leakage and, having passed it in two or three layers, also wrap the pipe along its further length, also 20 centimeters.

After that, you need to let the pipe dry completely, which will take you at least 12 hours, and preferably a day. You can’t use it for a spillway. Therefore, it is best to do such repairs in the evening, having previously collected a sufficient supply of water in buckets and pans. A pipe repaired in this way can serve you for more than a dozen years, believe me. If possible, try to paint the winding area with oil paint, this will further strengthen your plumbing. Of course, we do not recommend that you make such repairs at the pipe joints. Let us explain why. If you need to disassemble the pipeline for some other reason, then you are unlikely to be able to do this without damaging the threads or other components of the pipes. It is difficult to beat off the nylon-cement coating without damaging the pipe. Fortunately, if you are going to change the entire pipeline. And if – only one component? Some kind of local connection? Do not try to eliminate in this way a leak in a pipe under constant water pressure: the seal will inevitably break through, it is not designed for the pressure supplying water to our apartments, such a repair is only good for draining. Drain pipes are not subject to strong pressure, so you can be sure of the reliability of the nylon-cement patch. And yet, despite these caveats, this simple method is very, very good, especially since the damage for which it can be useful occurs quite often..

Another, more common and perfect way is to seal the sockets of cast iron pipes with asbestos cement. The principle of repair is the same, only asbestos fiber mixed with Portland cement plays the role of nylon. Necessary clarification: the brand of cement should not be lower than 400th. In addition, you need to know: the sealing of the sockets begins with the preliminary application of a hemp tarred bundle of such a thickness to the place of the pipe connections, so that it is sure to be enough to close the gap in the socket. We will consider in more detail the technology of this process in the section: “Features of overhaul”.

For this kind of repair, special expanding cement and even sulfur can be used. In all the examples given, you should pay attention to the fact that the basic embedding material very quickly loses its properties as a result of drying. Therefore, we recommend that you prepare it immediately before use. A wonderful way to “treat” a hole in a metal pipe is as follows. First, you shut off the water. After that, arm yourself with a hammer and center punch for punching metal and with gentle, precise blows, expand the tiny hole so that a steel bolt of a suitable diameter can be screwed into it. The hole can be widened with a drill. Take a non-electric hand drill and punch a straight hole, then tap into the hole with a tap and screw the bolt deep enough with a wrench or adjustable wrench. If conditions permit, do not be too lazy to additionally cover the repair site with an even layer of oil paint or a suitable paint and varnish material. We would prefer conventional welding to the existing method of repairing pipes using glass cloth impregnated with epoxy adhesive. However, it is possible to weld a pipe at home on your own only if you have the latest imported equipment, our welding devices are still far from ideal. Everything would be fine, but the welding machine is very heavy, so difficulties with welding so often arise – who should carry it? Where from? Etc. All this raises questions that we cannot find an answer to, so we will focus on a simpler problem..

How to repair a pipe without using a welding machine? Let’s make a reservation right away: in some cases, such repairs without welding will be temporary, this must be borne in mind. The whole point is again in the force of pressure to which individual sections of the plumbing system are exposed. So, in place of the leakage of the cast-iron pipe, you can impose a kind of bandage made of technical rubber, fiberglass, wrapped in an even piece of thin and bending metal. The band is fastened with a thick wire, which must be twisted with pliers, and then with a metal tool, for example, a 100 mm nail only with a blunt point, inserted into the gap in the wire bundle. Turning the metal gate to one side, pull the metal plates evenly and firmly. It is necessary to do this in two or three places along the length of the plate..

Another way to compress the metal plate is by using hoops with bolts, which perfectly tighten the installed bandage. Upon completion of tightening, remove the wire or hoops with bolts: they have done their job. How the repaired pipe will look like can be seen in fig. 1.

Fig. 1. Bandage on a metal pipe:
1 – pipe; 2 – fiberglass; 3 – sheet rubber; 4 – metal band.

Another option for the same repair method is to install a steel clamp with a rubber gasket under it on the damaged place (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. A clamp at the place of damage to the metal pipe:
1 – nut; 2 – bolt or screw; 3 – crimp metal sheet; 4 – rubber gasket; 5 – defective pipe.

Clamping, as with any pipe repair, should be carried out with blocked water. Otherwise, the water under pressure will press on the still loose clamp or band, which will certainly prevent their tight installation. In some cases, when it is not possible to carry out more serious repairs, it is permissible to eliminate the leak with a piece of technical rubber and a metal bracket (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Metal bracket for attaching the rubber pad.

After blocking the water with a valve, put a rubber gasket over the leak, place a bracket on top and tighten it well with a bolt. With the help of glue and fiberglass, the metal pipe is repaired as follows (Fig. 4). At the place of damage (a section of one of the pipes or at the junction of two pipes), a fiberglass tape impregnated with epoxy glue is applied. Epoxy glue is applied with a spatula, with light pressing of the glue into the material so that it is well saturated with it.

Fig. 4. Application to the damaged surface of glass fabric impregnated with epoxy adhesive:
1 – pipe; 2 – fiberglass; k – place of glue application.

The width of the fiberglass tape must correspond to the diameter of the pipe being repaired. A necessary measure is to prepare the damaged surface for repair: using a metal brush, you need to clean the pipe from rust and all sorts of foreign bodies, then, as is usual when gluing, you need to treat the surface with acetone to degrease it. This is often neglected, but in vain. Some people think the glue will do the trick anyway. This is mistake. The surface to be glued must be completely clean – only in this case the full effect can be achieved. Just as when applying a rubber bandage, the fiberglass is fastened on top with a metal tape. Please note that with this type of repair, the drying process is longer – at room temperature it will take at least two days. If, when repairing metal pipes, you most often find yourself depending on utilities (unfortunately, this is the case), then with plastic pipes it is much easier. Here you don’t even have to bother fiddling with numerous glues or methods of making it. Thanks to the development of trade in everyday goods, you can always find the part you need from the plastic water supply system in the store and easily replace the damaged pipe with a new one. This is the most reliable, convenient and, oddly enough, the cheapest way to repair. Saving energy and nerves is more expensive than the money saved.

The very replacement of a damaged plastic part with a new one is a simple undertaking. However, remember: when buying, you should pay attention to the conditionality of the pipe you are purchasing: size, thread, even cuts at the ends of the pipe, and so on. For a short-term repair of a leaky siphon, you can use a sticky plastic tape, applying it to the place of damage with an overlap. But you can repair plastic pipes yourself. The safest, in our opinion, is repair by gluing. A distinctive feature and advantage in this case is that you do not need any auxiliary materials: the glue does everything by itself. After drying, a glue seam remains at the place of application, which ensures complete tightness of the plastic joint. Given the complexity of making homemade glue, we send you to the household goods stores: they will not disappoint you there. It is even easier to repair the damage with home welding. This is very simple, although it requires some caution..

Welding occurs as a result of touching the repaired places with a well-heated knife or a large nail. Under the influence of heat, the plastic edges begin, alas, to melt and fill the resulting hole. Keeping in mind the fire safety measures, at home you can even weld two plastic parts or parts of one damaged pipe to each other, holding them over the fire of a gas burner. It is also advisable not to hesitate here: the plastic cools quickly, forms uneven layers, which interferes with high-quality pipe welding.

One of the proven and reliable ways to locally join pipes that are not under high atmospheric pressure is to bond them with epoxy resin. This recipe is only suitable for those cases where the end of one pipe is wider than the opening of the other. In the opening of the pipe with the wider end, the resin is applied evenly to a depth of several centimeters, after which a second pipe is inserted into it. It is advisable to fix the bonding site for the next day using a wire, a metal clamp or in another way. For all plumbing work related to gluing the surface, such fixation is necessary to ensure the strength of the adhesive bond.Otherwise, if there is the slightest gap between the glued parts, they will move away from each other together with the glue. Here the parts are no longer pressed against each other, but are connected by a fragile and stretched glue pad, which quickly collapses.

In modern conditions, the repair of plumbing and other plumbing systems is largely reduced to preventive measures. This helps to prevent emergencies. These measures mainly concern metal, especially cast iron, pipes. They need a primer with varnish mixed in various proportions with red lead. One part of natural drying oil is mixed with three parts of red lead equal in weight and with three parts of red lead. The composition is applied to the surface of the pipes, as they dry, they are painted. Cold water pipes can be coated with various paints or enamel, but “hot” pipes can and should be covered only with special paint. The same as heating batteries. Other paint will soon flake off and fly off the surface when exposed to high temperatures..

But don’t think we mean oil paint. Not at all. You will need rosin varnish. We will talk about this later. Freezing of pipes is very dangerous. This applies to the case when at a low, subzero air temperature, cold water remains in the pipes and freezes there, as a result of which the pipes are bursting with ice from the inside, in most cases they undergo corrosive processes, defects are formed in them, and then holes. In the conditions of a city apartment, little depends on us here, utilities themselves take care of draining water from pipes, but you should know for sure, at least just in case: water in pipes that remain in the cold must be drained, it is in them must not be. And if you are faced with frozen pipes, know that they can be defrosted with a cloth dampened with very warm, even hot water (Fig. 5). It is necessary to wrap the pipe with a rag, having previously opened the tap, so that the water, starting to melt, finds a way out, and does not press on the walls of the pipe, creating the risk of rupture.

Fig. 5. Defrosting the pipe with hot water.

In a slightly different way, you can do this: again, open the tap, wrap the pipe with soft rags that allow moisture to pass through well enough, and pour hot water from a watering can or kettle on the wrapped pipe with a gentle stream, keeping the pipe hot. This is a more convenient and efficient way. In the end, next to the frozen pipe, you can place a medium-sized heating device – a home air heater, but of low power. Only in this case, be careful, observing all safety measures, both in relation to the electrical conductivity of water, and fire prevention.

All preventive measures in the heating system of an apartment must be carried out in the warm season, that is, precisely when there is no water in them. To prime and paint pipes in which water is already flowing means doing work of obviously low quality: after all, the primer and paint cannot dry out completely, evenly. The same applies to all water pipes: they can be painted only during the period when they do not contain water. In the event that you have to deal with the laying of the pipeline yourself, you must immediately take measures to protect it. A good tool for this is a mixture of cement and casein glue, and 3 parts of cement are taken for 3 parts of glue. This coating is especially important for pipes that are exposed to the cold. After the casein protective layer is dry, oil it and then coat with oil paint. This will protect your pipeline from corrosion damage for decades. As in any other case, before applying the casein mixture to the pipe surface, it must be cleaned of dirt and rust..

It is advisable to have in stock locknuts, couplings and other accessories for connecting pipe parts. It should be remembered that the components and the pipes themselves, made of the same metal, are best combined. Let’s put it this way: you will practically insure yourself against unpleasant surprises associated with the repair of pipes, if you do not allow the formation of rust on them, you will prime and paint them in a timely manner, change the water-leaking fittings and prevent pipeline clogging. The latter is achieved by basic hygiene measures. For example, with a low pressure of water, it is recommended to pour 1-2 buckets of hot (but not boiling water!) Water into the toilet, rinse the drain under the sink in the kitchen with it, periodically free the unscrewing siphon cap located at the very bottom of the siphon “knee” from dirt deposits. Don’t be lazy to touch the pipes in your bathrooms. If wet mucus is found on them, which occurs with increased condensation, wipe the pipes clean, clean off the peeling paint, turn off the water, dry the surface, prime and paint.

For pipes with cold water, it is recommended to use a bandage wrapping (just a few layers) as an anti-condensation agent. Be aware that the elimination of unpleasant drops on pipes and sanitary devices – a consequence of condensation – is also facilitated by the normal operation of the ventilation system. Bring the feather from the pillow to the air vent and see if it tilts towards the hood. If not, then it needs cleaning.