Case Study: Plastic Pipe Joint Leaking Through Weakened Solvent Cement Repair

Case Study Data

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Site
Domestic property
Location
United Kingdom
Repair Type
No pressure pipe repair
Defect
Plastic pipe joint leaking because of solvent cement failure

Products Used

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Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty Stick
Epoxy putty with high wet surface adhesion and longer work time for more careful application without worry of premature curing

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Composite repair bandage sets rock hard to reinforce and strengthen repairs by creating a rock-hard protective shell

Case Study PDF

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Plastic Pipe Joint Leak Repair Case Study Details

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The plastic pipe was located in a confined loft space in the roof of the house which could only be reached through a small hole in the ceiling.

Solvent cement bonding two sections of pipe together had weakened and failed, allowing water to escape and saturate the surrounding wooden floor as a result.

When solvent cement joints fail, the most common repair method is cutting out and replacing the leaking section. This was not an option for the homeowner, however, because of the lack of room to access the pipe inside the loft and the joint being located next to a 90-degree elbow.

Epoxy putty as an alternative to cutting out failed solvent cement pipe joint

The homeowner contacted Sylmasta for pipe repair advice. We recommended using Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty to encompass the leaking joint all the way around its diameter with a watertight material containing pipe content.

AB Original was chosen for its wet surface adhesion properties and its extended two-hour work time. It gave the homeowner longer to mix, shape and apply the epoxy putty without worry of it curing off before application was completed. Which would have been the case with a faster-setting epoxy putty like Superfast Aqua PW.

The homeowner mixed AB Original until it was a streak free, uniform white colour. They formed the mixed putty into a long sausage and wrapped it around the joint, pressing and smoothing it firmly down onto the surface of the pipe using a little water as they went.

AB Original easily formed a permanent bond with the plastic. This process was repeated several times using three AB Original sausages until the entire joint was completely covered.

It left the leak area surrounded by a ring of epoxy putty, sealing the joint and addressing the failure of the solvent cement.

Reinforcement with SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage

After applying AB Original, the homeowner reinforced the repair by overwrapping with SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage. SylWrap HD was activated with water and wrapped around the joint whilst AB Original remained slightly tacky and soft.

SylWrap HD forced the putty as tightly as possible against the joint for an even more effective seal. The bandage cured within minutes to create a rock-hard, impact resistant sleeve strengthening the repair.

The homeowner completed the application in under 45 minutes. AB Original and SylWrap HD provided a quick, easy repair method compared with trying to remove and replace the leaking section of plastic pipe in such a small work area.