Replies

1. 
   PaulBinCT | Oct 18, 2004 08:35pm | #1

   While the "correct" answer is undoubtedy to take it apart and redo it, I have had some luck in drains either using Lexel sealant, or flooding the joint with cement if taking it apart isn't a realistic option.

2. 
   csnow | Oct 18, 2004 08:48pm | #2

   Sometimes you can flood a DWV joint with cement and stop it.

   Has to be clean and dry.  Dry is the hard part.  If you can get water to stop flowing completely (no drips), you may be able to speed dry the joint with a hair dryer.

1. 
   SwissGuy | Oct 18, 2004 10:33pm | #6

   The dry part is fairly easy (the drain is attached to a bathroom that hasnt been useed in 6 months). With regard to cleaing the fitting, its clean except for some hard water deposits on it...any good cleaners/primers that you could recommend?

   Thanks for the info!!

1. 
   piedbeauty | Oct 19, 2004 01:05am | #7

   lee valley carries a great product called RAY-CRETE that has many uses, one being this exact situation.

2. 
   DaveRicheson | Oct 21, 2004 02:41am | #8

   Been busy the last few days. didn't see your post.

   Easiest way is to clean the depsoits off  with cleaner/primer first. To stop the leaks, heat the fittings with a heat gun or hair dryer. When the fitting is uncomfortbly warm to touch, slop on the cement. It will suck back into the fitting, just like solder does on a copper fitting..

   I use this method on repair fitting that don't have the stop shoulders in them. They are made to slide down a pipe and then back over the mating end of the piece being joined to it. This ussually (in my case) results in a starved joint. I correct this prblem with the above method. It is 100% effective on everything  I have done, from 1 1/2 to 4" pipe.

   A plumber tought me the trick about10 years ago.

    

   Dave

1. 
   greggo | Oct 21, 2004 03:25am | #9

   I kinda cant wait to try that trick myself Dave,Thats a good one!

1. 
   DaveRicheson | Oct 22, 2004 02:40am | #10

   I kinda exaggerated the suck in the joint like a sweat fitting, but it will suck into the starved part of the glue joint.

    

   Dave

2. 
   greggo | Oct 22, 2004 05:17am | #12

   Hey Dave :will that work If I missed and banged a nail or screw into pvc,or can I get away with just slapping some glue in the small hole?

   Greg

3. 
   DaveRicheson | Oct 22, 2004 07:57pm | #15

   That is where I used my first repair coupling.

   Cut the pipe at the nail hole. If you have enough room to flex down one side, slather on the  cement and quikly slide the repair coupling all the way onto  one side of the pipe. Quickly align the ends of the cut pipe and slide the coupling  back over the joint. Working by myself, that is where I get the starved glue joint, on the second piece of pipe. Working with a  helper is a lot better. You've more hands to do the glueing, sliding, glueing and alignment before the coupling starts to grab hold.

   If I don't have enough room to flex the pipes, or push them apart, I cut out the hole section, and do a repair coupling on both ends of a new piece pf pipe. I have also used Fernco couping on those types of repairs. They are permitted for repair work here, but the pvc repair couplings make some HOs feel like it is a better, more permanent fix. Makes it look like the plumber fixed it, not the dumb azz carpenter that  nailed it in the first place!

   Dave

4. 
   DanH | Oct 22, 2004 08:48pm | #16

   When I had a similar problem with a copper pipe I cut a repair coupling lengthwise, cleaned/fluxed the inside of half the coupling and the mating area of the pipe, tied the coupling half on with copper wire, and sweat soldered.With drain pipe probably the simplest and most reliable fix is to use a piece of rubber and a hose clamp. Or the above approach with a part of a plastic coupling and a hose clamp.

5. 
   DaveRicheson | Oct 24, 2004 12:15am | #17

   I keep a couple of dresser couplers on my truck for the oops on copper pipe. On remodeling cut ins to pvc is where I use repair coupling mostly. I also have five or six  Fernco and Mitchlen couplings in the shop all the time, as well as assorted hose clamps and hard rubber  sheet goods. All of them work when needed, but I hate to leave a repair that looks like a cabbaged together quick fix. I am still fixing that type at my parents house. Dad did most of them over the last 50 years.

   Good idea on the copper repair couplings. I'll split a few and throw in the plumbers box. I get most of my repair work from HOs oops, but make enough of my own to use any solution available. Consider that one pirated. :)

   Dave

2. 
   SwissGuy | Oct 27, 2004 06:25pm | #18

   Dave,

   That looks to be some great advice!  I'll give it a shot.

   Ordinarily, I'd just cut the joint out, but the leak is in a nasty spot (about 2" above a concrete slab and I'd rather not start hacking at the concrete to get enough room to do the work.  My guess is the apprentice that installed the drain barely got the pipe into the fitting.

   One question:  Ive never come across ABS primer.  Can you use a solvent, ie laquer thinner or acetone, to clean off the hard water deposits, etc, let it dry real well and then hit it with the hair dryer?

   Marcus

1. 
   csnow | Oct 27, 2004 07:38pm | #19

   "One question:  Ive never come across ABS primer.  Can you use a solvent, ie laquer thinner or acetone, to clean off the hard water deposits, etc, let it dry real well and then hit it with the hair dryer?"

   I vote for spray brake cleaner (auto parts store) for this.  It leaves no residue, and you can blast it into to joint to displace any crud.  Look out for the vapors, obviously.

   Don't use it if you live in CA.  It causes cancer there.

3. 
   Andrew_Bond | Apr 08, 2019 04:21pm | #20

   15 years later but a huge thanks for this tip. Worked first time and ready for inspection!

3. 
   BillHartmann | Oct 18, 2004 08:55pm | #3

   Can you seal the pipe and attach a shop-vac set on suction to it.

   Then apply the ABS cement and it will suck it into the leak.

1. 
   csnow | Oct 18, 2004 09:35pm | #4

   "Can you seal the pipe and attach a shop-vac set on suction to it. "

   Not sure what the real risk is in this case, but I worry about the danger of igniting the solvent vapors in the vacuum.  Ever since some folks blew up while vacuuming water with some gasoline in it out of their boat bilge in NH , I have this on my mind...

1. 
   PaulBinCT | Oct 18, 2004 09:40pm | #5

   Unless you do something truly bizarre, there's no chance of that happening.  You're talking about a fraction of an ounce of cement, and much less of vapor in the volume of air in the system.  Just don't dump 5 gallons of cement into the drain ;)

4. 
   JeffBuck | Oct 22, 2004 04:27am | #11

   abs "usually" doesn't "develop" a leak.

   it pretty much welds itself(the two pieces) as a solid ... unlike PVC which "glues" two pieces together.

   I'd just cut it out and splice in new.

   all it's gonna cost is time.

    

   what's the materials gonna add up to .... $6?

   fix it right.

   Jeff

    

1. 
   greggo | Oct 22, 2004 05:24am | #13

   Jeff: I thought pvc&abs bonded the same way   yes /no?

   Greg

1. 
   JeffBuck | Oct 22, 2004 05:47am | #14

   not according to what I've been told by my plumber and HVAC guys ...

   plus ... at the time ... I looked it up somewhere on the net too ...

    

   pvc "glues" ... with the "glue" spaning the void between the two ...

   abs "welds" ... or "melts" ... together.

   That's why both my plumber and my HVAC guys prefer abs drains ...

    

   funny thing ... when I asked both why I see pvc then ...

   and ... why I myself have prefered PVC ... they both said the same thing ...

   "cause white looks cleaner".

    

   according to both of them ... black is better.

   their word(s) is good enough for me.

   Jeff

5. 
   TryFixingItAL | Apr 10, 2025 09:20pm | #21

   Almost 24 years later ...Thank you !! I had a 30 yr old 1-1/2" ABS 180° ptrap under a shower drain leak , then come off easily ( total bond failure at both p trap hubs where it was cemented to pipes above . I cleaned everything up and recemented with Yellow Oatey ABS cement ,but could NOT do the recommended 1/4 turn to smear the cement well
   due to the fact it was a 180° p trap fitting.
   After cement set , tested it and lots of water spewed out fast at the rear hub of the p trap. I could not easily removed the p trap fitting anymore as it was now cemented and preferred not to cut off the p trap as it was a difficult tight space to work in .
   So, I tried the technique above by drying it well with hair dryer, then flowed 3 rounds of yellow ABS cement into
   the joint with a Monoject plastic syringe into the leaky Ptrap joint , hoping the cement flows with syringe pressure thoroughly into any voids in the original cement application.
   This worked really well for me : Zero leaks now and no need to cut fittings, pipes off.
   Thanks for the great tip!!!

   Andrew

1. 
   calvin | Apr 12, 2025 12:11pm | #22

   Good to hear you found the answer in this old thread!
   The reason it still exists.