To plug a leak

It was inevitable: with 21 year old plumbing a leak (in this case 2 leaks) in the piping shouldn't come as a surprise, although what it took to repair the damaged plumbing really took an unexpected twist.

The problem was simple: after 21 years the metal pipe connecting the sink taps to the water pipe sprung a leak. Having failed to stop the leak by applying waterproofing tape, my father went to the hardware shop and bought replacements. Cost of plumber to do the work: at least $50. Cost of the replacements: $7. It was a simple job, at least that was what we thought when the new pipes also leaked, not because they were damaged but because the threading of the existing connector pipe had worn out after so many years and could not create a watertight fit. We tried using sealing tape, but this was not effective.

I thought that we should just replace the worn out connector pipe, and that was when I discovered, to my horror, that the entire plumbing works was one, single pipe, because all the PVC pipes were glued together. The first thing that sprang to my mind was the absurdity of having the entire pipeworks replaced should any part leak due to such a configuration; all along I had thought that the component pipes were screwed together and sealed with a removable sealant, but I was wrong.

Unable to replace the worn out connector pipe, we had no choice but to seal it off and connect the tap to another outlet by way of a longer connecting pipe (in this case an old shower hose served us well). To plug the original pipe, my dad used a piece of cork. The analogy of leaking pipes in a WWII U-boat could not be more appropriate here for two reasons: 1) the moment I opened the main water supply valve, the cork popped out and water gushed out just like the leaking pipes in U-571 when it was depth-charged and 2) the re-routing of the pipes and usage of salvaged parts is standard repair technique in the field.

In the end, we managed to plug the pipe by wedging the cork in tighter and reinforcing it by wrapping reinforced tape around it. The re-routed tap works fine too. But all in all, the repairs took us half a day to complete due to all these complications.

So no more leaks now, but to think that the entire plumbing works is configured such that any damage which requires replacing a part would mean replacing the entire piping. Never mind that the pipes are 21 years old: such a design is an absurdity. A modular design is definitely safer and more cost-effective in dealing with wear and tear.

However, since my block is one of 3 that has not been upgraded (while the surrounding blocks are either upgraded or being upgraded at this moment), such repairs may not be a cause for worry at all.

DreamCatcher