Case Study: Repair of Hairline Crack Around Diameter of Porcelain Toilet Soil Pipe

Case Study Data

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Site
Bathroom
Location
United Kingdom
Repair Type
Leak repair
Defect
Hairline crack in porcelain soil pipe

Products Used

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Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Self-amalgamating silicone repair tape which formed a watertight rubber ring to encompass and seal the pipe

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

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The porcelain soil pipe connected the bowl of the toilet with the sewer pipe behind. The increasingly unstable bathroom floor meant that whenever anyone sat on the toilet, it tilted forward and pulled the pipe away from its fixed connection to the back wall.

Eventually, the stress being put on the pipe by the frequent movement of the toilet caused a hairline crack to appear around the entire diameter, through which water dripped whenever the toilet was flushed. This had the potential to make the floor even more unstable.

The homeowner was planning a full bathroom renovation to address the floor issue, which would include replacing the toilet. They therefore wanted a quick, easy and cost-effective DIY method to repair the porcelain soil pipe until sad renovation took place.

There were several challenges with the repair. The crack was too thin to force epoxy putty into and was located on a bend in a difficult position, close to the back wall and with minimal space between the pipe and floor.

The continued movement of the toilet also had to be taken into account. Any repair needed to offer a degree of flexibility, as rigidly fixing the pipe back in place would leave the potential for cracks to develop elsewhere.

Sylmasta recommended encompassing as much of the pipe as possible with Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape to create a watertight rubber ring bonded to the porcelain. This would seal the leak, allow the pipe an element of movement to reduce stress, and prevent water escaping from any other cracks which developed elsewhere in the porcelain.

Wrap & Seal is made from self-amalgamating silicone which fuses to itself to form a solid rubber band as it is wrapped around a pipe. One 50mm x 4m tape was enough to cover the leak and the surrounding area susceptible to future cracks.

Despite the space constraints between the back wall, the floor and the toilet bowl, the homeowner was able to stretch the tape to three times its length whist wrapping, creating maximum tension.

The tape easily fused, fully sealing the leak and preventing any more water escaping when the toilet was flushed. Completing the porcelain soil pipe repair took less than 15 minutes and cost under £30, including delivery of the Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape.