It’s your favorite parrot Gilley here! So when humans or even birds (hey, don’t judge!) scrape their knee, they sometimes just put a Band-Aid on it until it heals, right? Unfortunately that doesn’t always work for household plumbing. Under normal conditions, if you have an emergency plumbing problem you would immediately call a plumber. We understand that people are busy and problems aren’t always convenient. Sometimes it might be easy to put a ‘Band-Aid’ on the problem until you have time to call a technician.
Here are some temporary fixes for common plumbing problems:
- An Improvised Plumbers Band-Aid- Ordinary hose clamps that are sold at hardware stores and a piece of sheet rubber can temporarily seal many pipe leaks. To seal a small leak, make sure one clamp is compressing rubber directly over the hole. For larger cracks or holes, extend the rubber past the defect on both sides. Then use several clamps spaced along the rubber. When they are in position, turn the clamp screws tight.
- A Real Plumber’s Band-Aid- It might be a long-shot but if you have what plumber’s call a Band-Aid, it can be temporarily used to repair a leak. It is a special clamp-type pipe sealer that is available at most hardware stores. Just like the improvised Band-Aid, it is placed over the leak and compressed against it so it can stop the leak temporarily.
- Plumbing Repair Tape- A silicone repair tape or even duct tape can seal small holes or leaks on pipe joints. The tape should be wrapped tightly around the source of the leak and it bonds to itself and the pipe to form a temporary seal. This kind of repair usually can get you through a work day or weekend until you can call a plumber.
If you are worried about problems like this occurring, it might be a good idea to create a plumber’s emergency kit. If you are in the middle of a do-it-yourself plumbing project, use a five gallon bucket as a tool holder. If a leak occurs during the project, it can catch the water. Always keep a regular plunger handy. You never know when you’ll need it. Wrenches and a multi-bit screwdriver are good tools to have easily accessible. If you are in a new home make sure you know where the main water shut-off valve is in case of an unexpected leak.Hopefully you aren’t surprised by a plumbing emergency in your home, but now you have some tips as to how to temporarily fix it before you can get an experienced plumbing technician in your home! Don’t forget, Gillece is available all 365 days a year because we understand that making a call to schedule an emergency service can be a hassle! Call Gillece!
