Hey everybody! So I make some money on the side doing simple handyman repair jobs and I got this lady that insists I don't shut off the water but has a leak in her HOT water supply line from both the shutoff valve and then on the other end too. She just wants it not to leak anymore but again, she doesn't want me to turn the water off (she wouldn't give me a reason) and she doesn't want me to replace the line....which is good because she doesn't want me to turn off the water. I put some regular plumber's putty in there which slowed down the leak, but I'm looking for something a little more permanent. I was thinking a jerry-rigged JB Weld job, but fucking water always finds a way.....plumbing isn't really my THING THING, and I was wondering if any fellow mickey mousers could point me in the right direction for a solution to this. I'm really just looking for something that can just stop the damn leak, but I'm concerned because when I was putting in the plumber's putty, water found a way and pushed through and made a little canal for itself. I'm worried that it'll do the same even with fast curing JB Weld...but then again I've never used "water weld" and I've never just tried to stop a leak this half ass before, but it's what she wants. Any recommendations would be highly appreciated. She's a nice old lady and for some reason she doesn't want me to shut the water off (like she literally even told me not to turn the knobs on the valves OR shut it off from outside) and I have to respect that. Thanks in advance!
>>2885009And here's the one coming from the the shutoff valve.So I just want to make sure I buy the right thing that's going to just stop the leak. I've googled and searched and there's tape, JB Weld, silicone, Gorilla silicone, and just way too much shit that I don't want to take a gamble on. Again thank you for any and all advice.
If it's a very small leak, you could try opening the faucet to reduce pressure in the pipe while the glue dries. I'd personally press the stupid requirement of not shutting off valves, because you're going to do a shitty job either way.
I have a pvc pipe in my crawl space that had a pin hole in it. I used JB water weld as opposed to cutting everything apart. Initially It was a temp solution but it has been there for 5 years now.
She probably doesn't want you touching those valves because they'll fuck off the second that you do and never work again and need replaced turning a "quick easy repair" into a more costly and time consuming repair. I hate those valves. Every. Fucking. Time.
>>2885031>opening the faucet to reduce pressure in the pipe while the glue driesDamn I love you fuckers...like why didn't that occur to me? I was also thinking, if I use JB high heat would that be the better choice since it's the hot water valve and she has her water heater set to nuclear scorching burning hot (also told me not to touch that), and do the same rules apply to this as curing many other things like tile grout for instance, where the hotter the environment is the faster it cures and sets? Or should I just stick to "Water Weld" instead? Thanks bro.>>2885033>pvc pipe in my crawl space that had a pin hole in it. I used JB water weldDid it cure fast? Like any faster or slower than regular JB, which cures and turns rock solid pretty much instantly imo. Also, what does make the water weld different than the regular stuff? Anything specific? Thanks.>>2885041>Valves will break off. Yeah I'm not only absolutely sure that's the problem but she has this whole thing about me just NOT turning the water off to the house at all. What the fuck is it with vertical valves and why do they just shoot to shit after 10 years? Is there anyway to prevent that? I've run into that problem before and just went ahead and replaced them. Is there like some trick in maintaining them so they last longer? I fucking hate plumbing jobs.Hey thanks everyone; I wasn't expecting any replies on account of it being New Year's and all. Happy New Year to you all!
>>2885069Epoxy usually cures faster with higher temperature. But most types of epoxy should be temp resistant enough to handle 60-70C. More of a concern might be temp cycling, maybe get something that's at least a tiny bit flexible. WaterWeld should be alright, probably.
>>2885031This>>2885069I’ve tried so many of those different epoxies, JB’s and the self sealing silicone tape and even the trusted FLEXSEAL!!! and none of it ever works when the system is still under pressure. I always end up having to shut off the water and do it right.If it’s all on the hot water supply, can you turn it off at the water heater and trick the lady?
>>2885072>can you turn it off at the water heater and trick the lady?Nah she's one of THOSE looking over my shoulder watching everything I do...20 cats in her house and "the litter box" is just kitty litter thrown down on the floorI know what her shit is; she's afraid that something is going "to burst" and that the county is going to kick her door down and take all her shit. The thing is, she's like the leader of the old ladies in the neighborhood and she can blacklist me, and also I don't do anything that people tell me not to do. It's their place, I gotta respect that. I just need to get this done by tomorrow night before I go back to work; friend of mine told me that a bunch of people walked off because some bullshit with the new owner being a dick. I'll probably have to double shift AND train new hires which are usually dudes right out of prison that just got lift truck certified but don't know shit.
>>2885072>the trusted FLEXSEALlol all I know about that brand is some boomer I used to work with that told me it was so shit that he didn't understand how they didn't get sued for false advertising. He claimed he even tried the "screen door on a boat" thing with an old kayak and that it just sunk.
>>2885009 (OP)They make leak-stop clamps, but I alsways just improvise my own. I get some of that self-sealing silicone tape, put that on, then get a length of plastic or somewhat rigid tubing cut a slit in it, wrap it around the pipe, fill the split gap with another sliver of tubing, then put those worm clamps over everything and tighten them down.The tape (or whatever you use… soft rubber) initially will still leak, but when you put a collar (the more rigid tube) around it and clamp it it will for a seal.This depends on what the leak actually looks like, however.
>>2885041Had that happen to me, the first valve after the gigantic blue tank won't completely shut off anymore.Had to shut off the well pump and open a few faucets and wait for the pressure to be zero.>>2885009If it were me I'd use that stretchy silicone repair tape, then go over the tape and some of the pipe with the epoxy.
>>2885079I feel your pain. I do work for one of these ladies except she’s not as bad. Most of the time she wants me to half ass fix something and after I tell her parts are <$50 to do it right and I’ll go buy them right now, she agrees. The problem is every plumbing leak has been leaking for ages so there’s rotted out termite infested wood all round and that’s an extra job, and every plumbing job is probably going to require doing the shutoff valve as well so I just add it to the cart when I’m replacing a toilet or leaky supply lines.I still say you pull up the parts cost and try to convince her to do it the right way. She will be happy when it’s fixed properly and trust you more next time.It’s an imageboard so picrel is that lady’s car
>>2885088>stretchy silicone repair tape, then go over the tape and some of the pipe with the epoxyYeah I'm thinking of doing just that. Any specific brands you'd recommend? Maybe a youtube video?
>>2885106I tried that shit on a PVC leak at a joint, see >>2885072Two different brands, a clear one and a black one, there was a Jappo sounding name for one and forget the other brand, probably a Home Depot brand and a Lowe’s brand. Waste of time, even when I shut the water off as I applied it and tried different glues and stuff,Had to do the actual repair with fresh pipe and couplings. No free lunches
>>2885125>You have to do the actual repair with fresh pipe and couplings. No free lunchesYeah I know...and that's exactly what I WANT to do but this lady wants to pay me $300 to get this done HER way, which means the water can't be turned off from the main shutoff valve outside. I don't know why she doesn't want me to turn off the water and she won't elaborate, as if I care because she won't budge. She also won't give me access to the water heater. She's a little bit of a nut....but it's eating me alive to know that I've got $300 sitting there and I've got JB Water Weld and my dad has a roll of that Flex Seal tape but he says that it's a complete piece of shit...I mean I can't just not at least attempt to fix this thing because she knows other people that regularly give me work. Tomorrow afternoon I'm going over there to fix it and I just want to make sure I have the best possible chance of jerry-rigging this thing. I literally just need to stop the leak. She doesn't care if it looks bad.
as long as the water is not scolding hot (you can turn down the heat on the water heater) you could do a really fast swap while the water is rushing out. You get a bucket you get your tools all ready, get your blue monster pipe thread stuff ready and just work the process fast. People have done it before. As long as you're under 20 seconds you could get everything done right then just clean up.
>>2885434OP here, and I really appreciate your input because that's literally what I want to do, but she has her water heater in a locked shack and she specifically told me not to go near it. Also, she's looking over my shoulder the whole time.It's kind of hard to describe this lady but she sets a rule and will never back down from it. Like for some reason she decided that "no one" is going near her water heater, and that's it with her; she does not back down. And I appreciate all of your guys' advice but I can't distract her while a friend of mine turns off the water real quick or anything like that. I just don't lie to people that are paying me to work, and even then there's cameras outside.I'm just hoping some DIY hero with a PhD in jerry-rigging will come to my rescue and be like "oh man just do this, this, and that and you'll be fine" and I'll have a WTF moment where it's like "why didn't I just do that?" I really don't feel like I have too many options though. Fucking plumbing is like the one thing you can't Mickey Mouse.Hey thanks to all of you that have chimed in, and thanks in advance to anyone else that does. It really means a lot to me.
Bump for ideas.
>>2885009>lady insists I scald myself and open myself to liability for damages to the lines and water damage to the propertyInsist that she can go fuck herself.>i'm looking for a way to fix thisTurn off the water and repair or replace the damaged line(s) and fitting(s).>plumber's puttyIs not a repair sleeve/epoxy it's a flexible -gasket- maker meant to deform and fill irregularities between clamping surfaces to make them water-tight.>>2885443>she's being a crotchety old bitch who thinks she knows better than the person she's hiring to do the thing she doesn't know any better aboutDon't work for her. Don't open yourself to the headache and liability of nigger rigging shit at some other dumber and even less qualified person's insistence.Tell her what you need to do to do it correctly and that you will do it that way or not at all, and then follow through.>no but really she insists that i fix it but wont' allow me to fix it herp a derpTell her to hire a real plumber if she wants to waste someone's time for $150/hr out of her pocket instead of wasting your time for free.
>>2885009If someone requests you do something the wrong way write up a liability waiver and make them sign it, every time
>>2886695I can’t dude she’s really more like a friend. I slowed it down with regular putty and I’m just waiting for JB water weld and flex seal tape to come. Someone mentioned that blue monster pipe thread stuff earlier. Is that meant to be like super high quality teflon tape that you paint on with a brush instead? Is it any good?
>>2885400You can sometimes kink the fuck out of those hoses to get them to stop, or at least slow way down to give your repair time to set up. Like how you kink a garden hose to get it to stop… only harder. It really helps if one end is loose but I realize that may not be an option in your weird situation. I’ve been in a few situation with a leaky toilet and hard to find shutoff… all you gotta do is pinch the hose back on itself and throw a zip tie on it. >300$ to smear some JB weld on a water line for a cat ladyI’d feel bad about that. Have you tried telling her “maam I wouldn’t feel good selling you this repair, but if you let me do it my way I’m reasonably sure it’ll go smoothly and work much better?” If she’s insistent I guess what can you do tho?
>>2887024>she’s really more like a friend"Friend", she's paying you for a job but wants it done in a particular way that compromises whatever job you manage to get done and will not accept your advice on how to do it properly. Walk away.
>>2885009You should learn not to take every customer because ones like that will make you look bad for doing what they ignorantly ask.Establish why they want what they want. Your questions should not resemble stupid questions in this board.She can SAY what her reasons are. Say you need to know the entire situation for your own liability concerns and if no joy, walk away. Consider this an education.
>>2887056Okay this has now turned into just something I want to do so I know I can do it. She told me that I CAN turn off the water now...so my original question isn't really an issue and on Saturday I'm going with my little brother who I'll have on standby in case I need him to turn the water off.....she still is very much apposed to me turning it off though, so my original mission still stands. It's not even about the money anymore, but really more of a quest to see if I can do it. So...1. I put regular plumber's putty on it as can be seen in my original picture, and that reduced the drip to like 20 drops a day (I swung by there after work yesterday night and the bucket I put under it just had about a cup of water in it that I threw out, and then I put the bucket back under it) which is quite impressive since it's been a week.2. I'm thinking about taking off the putty and wrapping it in regular Teflon tape...like the el cheapo white one.3. Then if THAT holds I would think that there's something I can delicately apply around it that will harden and keep its shape but cure quickly and be transparent (so any recommendations on something like that would be awesome).4. Well...if THAT does the job then I'm cool; maybe on top of that I'll JB Water Weld it just in case.I did a job with a guy once that had something that looked like PVC glue, like the purple stuff, but instead it was clear and there was a slight leak from the basket coupling nut and he pulled out a can of this stuff where the brush was part of the cap (like pic related) and it was thick, clear, and he just put some one and within minutes it was hard and still clear; it completely stopped the leak....and kept it stopped because I've been there to snake a drain a few times and it's still holding 5 years later. What is THAT stuff?Hey any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to all of you and all of your help.
clamp some rubber over the hole
>>2887544He probably just used clear PVC cement. PvC primer is purple, so you can see that pipes were primed and that you didn’t miss anywhere. The cement is clear and kind of… gloopy. He used it on a PVC fitting correct? Sometimes if you have a very small drip along a thread/PVC fitting you can use the cement to close it up by melting the surrounding area (which is how cement works). It’s hacky but for stuff like HVAC drains it happens a lot. Drains aren’t pressurized. Guy below me has a good idea though, you can use some rubber and a hose clamp. Something like a fernco trimmed to size and made tight.
>>2885031>opening the faucet to reduce pressureThis is genius. Noted for future needs.
oh the joy of living in an old farmhousesome retard didnt put in valves for incoming water so the contents of my pump is now under the sink due to a burst t-coupling
