T&T: PVC Drain Leak

[Albin43SDtr]

"Lo All,

>In my business we use literally thousands and thousands of feet of PVC pipe
>each year.  We solvent-weld all the joints with heavy-bodied PVC cement.
>There are a number of "fixes" available that you can use...epoxy putty,
>water-resistant PVC glue etc. but they are all Band-Aids.  ... Randy

I have to agree with Randy on this. The mating surfaces are usually 
so contaminated with crud that the glue cannot penetrate under the 
fittings and weld anything together, so the joint is only sealed 
externally. Boat flex and vibration can break external seals quite 
easily. Of course, not all external seals fail, so there are some 
success stories, but I prefer more positive assurance of success.

When repairing leaks in PVC pipes where there is insufficient room to 
remove a glued connection and properly install another, I have used 
one of the following two repair methods.

1. Cut out the leaky joint and install a PVC union. (Extreme care 
must be used to get the exact fit necessary.)  These use O-rings to 
seal between the two halves so you don't need a whole lot of space to 
work in and are quite easily tightened or disassembled when needed. 
The pipes must be able to move laterally to install the joint 
components. A little fore/aft pipe movement is also necessary. If a 
"T" is involved, just install a new "T" adjacent to the union. The 
union gives the space needed to work in.

2. If the pipe is held rigidly in place so that you cannot offset it 
to install a union, use a slip-joint made of neoprene and SS hose 
clamps. (Some longer slip-joints are made of PVC, with neoprene 
seals.) Again, if a  "T" is involved, just properly install a new "T" 
adjacent to the slip joint, which gives the space needed to work in. 
I would not use this method if the pipe carried any appreciable water 
pressure or was at or below the waterline. While slip couplings are 
usually rated for "city water" pressures, I have seen where a 
coupling slipped off of the PVC pipe (smooth and non-ribbed) that had 
not been roughed up and where the pipe could move sufficiently to 
allow the coupling to slip off (or, more probably, be pushed off by 
the water pressure).

Make sure the pipe is properly secured after installation of either 
method to avoid stress in the joints.

I have used both methods a couple of times on boats, and to my 
knowledge, neither method gave any further trouble. I have used both 
methods several more times in other applications, such as on my dock, 
and have had no trouble with those, either.

Randy probably has a few more good methods that could be used.

Good luck!


Take care and be safe.

Wayne
Celestial
Albin43 Sundeck
Panama City, FL area