Case Study: Domestic Malleable Iron Water Pipe Repair in a Restricted Space

Case Study Data

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Site
Domestic property
Location
United Kingdom
Repair Type
Live leak pipe repair
Defect
Small hole in 20mm malleable iron water pipe

Products Used

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Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Self-amalgamating silicone tape which fuses to form a solid rubber band for high-pressure, live leak repairs

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

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The malleable iron pipe had developed a small hole facing towards a brick wall in an outside area of a domestic property in the UK. Water was escaping at around 3 bar pressure and flow through the leaking section of pipe could not be isolated.

Because this was a live leak repair, epoxy putty was ruled out as a sealing material. Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape would therefore have to be used, making the repair particularly challenging due to the restricted space on two sides of the pipe.

Between the pipe and the back wall behind, there was around only 30mm clearance. Approximately 150mm of space existed between the pipe and the ground. Clearly, there was not going to be enough room for the user making the repair to stretch the Wrap & Seal by three times its length whilst it was wrapped, as would have normally been the case.

The tape was anchored 50mm to the right of the leak and held tightly against the pipe by property owner carrying out the repair, using their thumb. They then stretched the tape as far towards them as space would allow with their other hand, before pulling it under the pipe and up through the restricted space between the pipe and the back wall.

As the first wrap around was completed, the tape was stretched half the width across the Wrap & Seal still being held down to the pipe with the thumb. This anchored the tape firmly to the pipe.

The wrapping process continued in this manner, with the tape being stretched as much as possible into the space away from the wall before the user looped it under the pipe and up through the gap at the back.

Despite the fact that it was not possible to stretch the tape by its maximum 300 percent, the self-amalgamating silicone still fused effectively to form a solid rubber band over the leak. The 3 bar pressure was easily held by the repair.

Once the end of the tape was reached, the pipe was dried off. No more water could be felt escaping, indicating that the repair had been a success.

The property owner was delighted to have been able to carry out a safe DIY pipe repair in spite of the initial challenges that seemed to come with the application, and at a fraction of the cost of hiring a plumber.

Wrap & Seal has WRAS approval, meaning it is certified as safe to British standards to use on pipes which carry drinking water.