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godric2099

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This leak I have is relentless. I had to tear through a wall under a stair case... the pipe went under the floor so i tore the floor out.. It is a galvanized pipe and it is leaking in the elbow. I am not going to replace the entire pipe.. I rent and the landlord lives in another state and wont help.. I am moving in a couple months but i need a quick fix to keep my water from being in the hundreds until then.. i tried apoxy but it found its way out of that.. i tried this silicone stuff but it found its way out of that. this leak sprays by the way and its a hot water line. please can anyone suggest something
 
Nothing short of a pipe replacement will work. a few unions and a new elbow will cost less than $20 and should stop concerns for a few months.
 
I know you said epoxy didn't work but I don't know what you actually tried.
I use JBweld to repair a leaking coolant pipe on a diesel generator. It held up to the heat and pressure.
JB weld might work if you do it correctly.
Turn off the water at source and open some taps to release the pressure.
Clean and dry the area.
Sand or file the area to give the epoxy grip.
Apply a generous amount of JBweld to cover the crack or leaky area.
Let setup and then turn the water back on and hope for the best.
 
godric2099 said:
This leak I have is relentless. I had to tear through a wall under a stair case... the pipe went under the floor so i tore the floor out.. It is a galvanized pipe and it is leaking in the elbow. I am not going to replace the entire pipe.. I rent and the landlord lives in another state and wont help.. I am moving in a couple months but i need a quick fix to keep my water from being in the hundreds until then.. i tried apoxy but it found its way out of that.. i tried this silicone stuff but it found its way out of that. this leak sprays by the way and its a hot water line. please can anyone suggest something
Click to expand...

You also have a habitability concern.

Consider the potential for mold growth from the moist conditions created by the spraying water, let alone having to go to the H/W heater to turn the water on and off when you need to bathe, or having to boil water for casual use, which affect your utility and water expenses.

Do you think a letter from a code enforcement officer, to your landlord might move him?
 
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Fast and dirty, and not to code. Saw off the pipe both ends of the elbow about 6 inches back. go to the auto part store and find a piece of radiator hose that fits the pipe fairly close about 18” should do it. Get 4 or 6 hose clamps put them on and tighten them down good 2 or 3 each end. Leave it all open so when you leave the next person wont have to look for the leek in 20 years when it starts up.
 
bud16415 said:
Fast and dirty, and not to code. Saw off the pipe both ends of the elbow about 6 inches back. go to the auto part store and find a piece of radiator hose that fits the pipe fairly close about 18” should do it. Get 4 or 6 hose clamps put them on and tighten them down good 2 or 3 each end. Leave it all open so when you leave the next person wont have to look for the leek in 20 years when it starts up.
Click to expand...

BUD you are a wild man! I was going to suggest cutting out the failed elbow to remove only the fitting, leaving all the original pipe possible. Easy to do with a sawzall. Then try a Sharkbite elbow which requires no soldering and get a positive lock immediately.

Does the diameter of the Sharkbite work on galvanized? Don't know. But it seemed logical to me ... and not as radical as a radiator hose! :beer:
 
CallMeVilla said:
BUD you are a wild man! I was going to suggest cutting out the failed elbow to remove only the fitting, leaving all the original pipe possible. Easy to do with a sawzall. Then try a Sharkbite elbow which requires no soldering and get a positive lock immediately.

Does the diameter of the Sharkbite work on galvanized? Don't know. But it seemed logical to me ... and not as radical as a radiator hose! :beer:
Click to expand...

No, they have an adapter for that but you need threads on the pipe.
http://www.sharkbite.com/product/threaded-adapters/
 
on galvinised pipe you have to use a dresser coupling


Dresser coupling_


the rubber hose will come off, their is not any barbs on the pipe to hold the hose.

at night city water pressure spikes,because of no use, every one is in bed. thats when it will pop
 
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Shark bites as far as I know won’t work on iron pipe. PVC, copper yes.

Yes the automotive hose deal is crude. I made a temp shower in the basement of my old house because I was ripping the one and only bathroom apart and didn’t want to take a chance on not having a shower for a few weeks. I did it with auto hose and it worked fine and the temp shower is still leak free 20 years later. Kind of turned into the “dirty man shower”

I agree with Frodo the clamp may not hold that’s the reason I suggested 3 clamps. A true redneck wouldn’t stop at 3 on each side put 4 or 10 sooner or later it will hold. Most country people have wells that do these repairs and 40PSI is about it.

I like Neal’s idea best. The whole reason you pay high rent is so you don’t have to deal with this stuff.
 
You should be able to get a super grip 90 and coupling that fits galvanized pipe. We use them on water services in the street so it should work for that repair. There is also wide range couplings made by romac or smith Blair. We carry small 3/4" and 1" ones in case we hit a line while digging to do a quick repair.
 
It has been my experience, when you run into old galvy piping. it is not worth fooling with or fixing.

over time it rust and becomes thin, you put a wrench on it, it will start leaking farther down the line.

it is like playing wack-a-mole at the fair.

replace all of it, forget trying to patch it. you will wind up replacing the whole thing with patchs

at 3 times the cost of a simple repipe.

as mentioned, have the house repiped, deduct it from the rent.
 
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