What is the fastest and easiest way to fix a leaking drain PVC pipe without calling a plumber? I would prefer not to use any expensive tools as I can't afford to buy them.

Question

I used to hear some water dripping noise coming through the walls when it is very quiet in my house. I couldn't be so sure because it also sounded like the noise was coming from the water copper pipes. Then the noise began to be a lot louder and faster.

So I somehow traced the water leak down to another washroom ceiling which looked kinda wet. I was tempted to see what was happening and so I cut open the ceiling dry wall with a box cutter knife. Lo and behold! I found the source of the water leak. It was coming from a black plastic PVC drain pipe. It seems like the drain pipe goes all the way back up to the washroom upstairs.

Now I need to figure out what is the cheapest and the best thing I could use to patch up the black plastic PVC drain pipe. I don't intend to cut out the PVC drain pipe using any tools nor do I have much knowledge as to how I can repair it efficiently. I want to fix it properly so that it won't leak again in the future, or else i would have to cut open my ceiling dry wall again to gain access to the drain PVC pipes.

Answer 1

Repairing a leaking drain PVC pipe is not that tough if you know how to do it. However, there is no guarantee that this method will work every time and whether this will be a permanent fix or not. 

You will need to follow the steps below:

1. Identify the source of the water such as your bathroom shower tap, wash basin tap, or toilet pot. Don't use them for at least one day, to allow the drain PVC pipe to dry up completely. 

2. Use an iron brush to brush off the dirt, grime, water marks, and calcium buildup on the outer visible part of your drain PVC pipe.

3. Use a sand paper to strongly sand the drain PVC pipe at the point where the leak was forming earlier. The surface of the drain PVC pipe should now be quite rough to the touch. This is done to allow epoxy material to stick to the PVC pipe properly.

4. Use an epoxy water weld by kneading it on your fingers till you get a uniform color. Then apply it firmly on the joint where the water leak was coming from, on the drain PVC pipe. Allow at least one full day to dry. Water weld compound can be bought at Amazon.ca and it works like wonders. 

5. After one full day of drying, use a magic wrap tape and wrap several rounds of it over the dried up epoxy compound, on the water leak joint area. If you are wondering where this magic wrap tape can be bought, Canadiantire.ca has it. It works like miracle and the trick is to stretch the wrap tape over itself as tightly as possible without breaking the tape. It doesn't have any sticky glue on it because it is designed to wrap onto itself only. 

Congratulations, now your drain PVC pipe is fixed and will last you for a very long time. Of course, a more permanent fix would be cut off the old drain PVC pipe and replacing it with a new PVC pipe. But you possibly won't need to go to that extend yet.