Case Study: Crack Filled & Disguised in Soil Vent Pipe to Fix Previous Failed Repair

Case Study Data

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Site
Domestic property
Location
United Kingdom
Repair Type
No pressure pipe repair
Defect
Crack in a soil vent pipe

Products Used

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Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty Stick
Epoxy putty which seals leaks in pipes and can also be easily shaped and moulded to replicate fake fittings like sleeve joints

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

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The soil vent pipe was fixed to the wall next to a door into the property. As well as leaking, the crack and surrounding damage were so unsightly that they naturally drew the eye of anyone coming in and out of the house.

Sylmasta formulated a repair for the homeowner which not only sealed the leak, but also perfectly disguised the fact there was any damage to the pipe at all by using Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty to create an imitation joint.

The homeowner had initially wanted to use Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty because they believed it better suited to the pipe material. However, Sylmasta recommended AB Original instead for two reasons.

First, because it set white like the pipe. Second, because its two-hour work time compared with the five minutes of Superfast Steel offered longer to mould and shape the putty without worrying about it curing off before application is complete. This was particularly important for hiding the repair.

The pipe was leaking through a previous failed attempt at sealing it. The homeowner ground out as much of the original repair as possible before making a wider groove either side of the crack.

This made a larger repair area which was much easier to fill with AB Original. It also provided the epoxy putty a better key to bond with, improving adhesion between the pipe and AB Original.

Chunks of AB Original were cut from the 200g epoxy putty stick and kneaded by hand. Whilst soft, the putty was packed as tightly as possible into the crack and groove to seal it.

Once the groove had been totally filled, more AB Original was mixed and formed into a neat band. This band was placed around the diameter of the vent stack, covering the repair area to resemble a pipe joint. It was smoothed with a little water and left to cure.

When AB Original reached maximum properties after 24 hours, it left a ring of epoxy putty permanently bonded to the pipe which perfectly replicated the appearance of a sleeve joint.

Anyone now entering the home via the door would be none the wiser the soil vent pipe had been leaking and looked so unattractive before repair. They would just assume the stack was held together by a fitting.