Case Study: Homeowner DIY Repair of 25mm Lead Water Pipe Leaking Inside House Wall

Case Study Data

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Site
Domestic property
Location
United Kingdom
Repair Type
No pressure pipe repair
Defect
Leaking 25mm lead water supply pipe inside wall

Products Used

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Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Self-amalgamating repair tape which fuses to form a solid rubber band capable of sealing leaking lead pipes

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Composite repair wrap reinforced the repair by forming a rock hard, impact resistant sleeve around the pipe

SylWrap Universal Pipe Repair Kit
Wrap & Seal and SylWrap HD can be purchased together in the Universal Pipe Repair Kit

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

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Homes constructed in the United Kingdom before the 1970s were often built with lead water pipes. Lead was particularly popular for pipework within walls, being malleable enough to shape into long lengths and durable enough to withstand containment.

A homeowner in the south of England noticed discolouration to a white wall close to a window during winter. They are initially put it down to condensation and damp from the window.

But when summer arrived and the wall remained wet, they became suspicious of a potential leak. The drywall was removed to access the cavity, where they found a 25mm lead pipe running vertically which was weeping water.

Long-term, the homeowner planned to remove the lead pipe because of the associated health risks. But whilst waiting for that to happen, they needed to repair the pipe inside the wall to prevent further water damage.

Water supply through the pipe could be turned off via the property’s external stopcock. Sealing an offline leak would normally mean using a SylWrap Standard Pipe Repair Kit.

However, the softness of lead means epoxy putty struggles to adhere cohesively to it. Sylmasta therefore always recommend the SylWrap Universal Pipe Repair Kit for sealing lead pipes even when there is no pressure.

The Universal Kit comes with Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape, which can repair lead because it is made from self-amalgamating silicone and bonds to itself more than the substrate.

Despite the space constraints inside the wall, Wrap & Seal was successfully stretched by the maximum three times its length as it was wrapped around the leak area. This enabled it to fuse into a solid rubber band, exerting pressure over the leak to contain pipe content.

The repair was then overwrapped with a SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage. The water activated resin turned the bandage rock-hard within minutes. It formed an impact resistant protective shell around the pipe for a reinforced repair.

Completing the application took under 20 minutes. Water supply to the house was turned back on and the lead pipe inspected regularly over the next two days for any sign of leakage. It remained bone dry, indicating a successful repair