How to Temporarily Repair a Leaky Pipe

It’s Saturday night. A pipe in your bathroom has just sprung a leak, and you have water spraying the bathroom. You can get a hold of a plumber, but it will take a while for them to get there. You might even have to wait until Monday morning. In the meantime, what do you do? You can’t just let water spray all over the room. That would make a huge mess, and you might end up with even more damage.

There are some steps that you can take to temporarily fix a leaking pipe. These steps are not intended to be a permanent repair; they will just buy you some time until you can undertake permanent repairs.

How to handle a leak depends on the type of leak and its location. Here is how to temporarily repair a leaky pipe.

    1. 1. If the leak is located at a threaded joint, use a wrench to tighten the joint. If this doesn’t completely stop the leak, it might at least slow the leak down. Take note that certain older types of plumbing must be welded. If the pipe doesn’t have threads or if you see signs of welding, leave it alone. You will need a professional plumber to handle this.
    1. 2. If the pipe appears to have a small hole, you can plug the hole using a pencil. Sharpen a pencil, and stick the tip into the hole in the pipe. Then break the tip of the pencil off, leaving the tip lodged in the hole. Then wrap the pencil tip and pipe with duct tape. Wrap the duct tape around several times. This should fill the hole and seal it off until a professional can arrive to make permanent repairs.
    1. 3. You can also use epoxy putty (like Mighty Putty) to fill small holes or cracks. Follow the directions on the package of epoxy putty. Usually you have to break off a piece of the putty and mold it in your hands to activate it. Then you press it down over the area of the pipe where the crack or hole is located. It will set and harden, preventing water from leaking out. The pencil and duct tape method is more fun, though.
    1. 4. If you have a larger hole or crack in your pipes, you can fix it using a garden hose and some clamps. Just cut a piece of garden hose (it doesn’t have to be new). The section that you cut should be at least two inches longer than the crack or hole in the pipe. Cut the hose lengthwise, and wrap it around the pipe. Then use the hose clamps to hold it shut. Place the clamps on each end, and put one in the middle.
  1. 5. Now that you have made a temporary repair, stop using the plumbing in that area until permanent repairs have been made. If you still have some minor leaking, place a bucket to catch any spillage.

These steps can help you to temporarily deal with a pipe leak until permanent repairs can be made.

If you have a leaky pipe or other plumbing emergency, call Scott English Plumbing.

We offer 24 hour emergency service. This means that we are available to take your call anytime.

We promise that if you have a plumbing emergency, we will be there within an hour to repair it. We don’t want you to have to go days without functional plumbing while you wait for repairs.

Just call Scott English Plumbing, and we’ll be there right away to get your home back to normal.

More info on Pipe Leak Detection | Sewer Pipe Repair

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