There are many types of plumbing leaks. While some may amount to minor annoyances, others can potentially flood your home and damage your valuables. Whenever you attempt to stop a leak, you must first determine what type of leak you are dealing with. Pipe clamps or epoxy putting can be useful temporary solutions while you complete an order for a professional Plumber Brisbane Northside to fix the leaky pipe. If you would prefer to fix the leaky pipe yourself in a way that is up to code, you can work with a slip coupling. Here is how you can fix your leaky pipe, DIY-style, with a slip coupling in just six steps.
Step 1. Turn Off the Water Supply
Before handling any leaking pipes or parts, make sure that you shut off the water supply. Failing to do so may lead to even more leaks and water damage to your home.
Step 2. Acquire a Slip Coupling
Determine the type and size of your leaky pipe, and find a slip coupling that matches those characteristics. A slip coupling is a kind of watertight connection that can put together two separate sections of pipe. Slip couplings can permanently fix your leaky pipe and are in compliance with plumbing codes. The pipe coupling that you are looking for matches the diameter of your leaky pipe and has enough length to cover the original pipe’s leaky portion. You should also ensure that the slip coupling you want to purchase is made of the same material as the leaky pipe, material such as copper, steel or PVC. They should be easy to purchase at any local hardware store.
Step 3. Make Careful Pipe Markings
Mark the slip coupling’s length on the leaky pipe. Place the slip coupling against the leaky portion of the pipe, in a way that makes the coupling extend in both directions beyond this leaky portion. With a marker, mark the leaky pipe by drawing a line at both ends of the slip coupling. These pipe markings will guarantee that the slip coupling will fit because you will only cut off the length of the pipe necessary to fix the leak.
Step 4. Cut Out the Leaky Pipe Section
Next, you will need a pipe cutter to remove the portion of the pipe that is leaking. Pipe cutters are tools that can effectively cut through pipes as you rotate the device around them. With the pipe cutter in hand, set your pipe cutter’s edge to 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) inside of the line you drew in step 3. Make sure to tighten the screw at the bottom of your pipe cutter. Rotate your pipe cutter all of the way around the pipe and retighten the screw. Repeat this process of rotating the pipe cutter around the pipe and retightening until the device completely cuts through the first marking on the leaky pipe. Repeat this process 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) inside of the other line that you drew in step 3. Pipe cutters can cut through PVC and metal pipes and can be purchased from the same types of hardware stores that you can find slip couplings.
Step 5. Use a Deburring Tool on the Pipe
A deburring tool can reshape the interior and exterior of a pipe once you have made your cut. Hold the pipe with a steady hand (preferably your non-dominant one) and scrape the inside of the pipe with the deburring tool’s blade edge. You can then take the deburring tool out of your pipe and scrape along the pipe’s outer edge.
Step 6. Secure the Slip Coupling to the Pipe Ends
You will need to push and slide the coupling onto one end of the pipe so that you eventually pull the coupling over the other end of the pipe. Once the slip coupling is connecting the two pipes, following whatever additional instructions there are concerning how the coupling should be tightened. With the slip coupling properly secured onto the pipes, water will be able to flow between them without any leaks.
