flex and seal plumbing repair
Hi all, Has any one used flex and seal wrap (tape) on waste water plumbing on their RV? Asking for a friend who has a plumbing problem. Would eterna bond work? I may not have the right name f...
Forum Discussion
I have given up trying to get folks here to ignore junk huckstered on TV like the flex products and fix it correctly the first time..
They have nothing to loose other than the resulting mess when it eventually fails.
Tell them to try it and see if it works.
The BEST way though is to cut out and splice in new material.
Takes more time and effort to fix it correctly the first time but often you will be rewarded with never having to revisit the problem ever again.
They have ABS, ABS is by far one of the easiest things to fix and the fix is permanent. ABS like PVC is solvent welded and in most cases the same solvent is used on both provided the label states it is rated for both.
ABS unlike PVC can be solvent welded without use of a primer.
The most difficult part will be gaining enough access to the broken spot to cut the pipe off. But heck if you can get into it with a tape product like flex tape or enternabond you should be able to cut the offending spot out.
Small grinder with abrasive cut off blade will easily cut ABS as well as a hacksaw. Hint, small air powered "die grinders" equipped with a cutoff wheel are very small and compact and work very well in tight spaces.
All is needed is a piece of ABS pipe long enough to replace the section cut out and two ABS couplers. ABS can be flexed some to aid getting the ABS couplers on.
Alternate method to solvent welding is using two rubber couplers (often referred to brand name of Fernco)and a piece of ABS pipe. The rubber couplers simply slide over the pipe and are tightened via stainless band clamps (can use screw driver or a socket wrench). Both fixes in this case will be permanent and should never be an issue again. Rubber couplers may have a slight advantage if the original issue comes from pipe being too stiff by adding a flexible joint.
Anything else than cutting out and replacing is nothing more than a temporary patch or bandaid.
They have nothing to loose other than the resulting mess when it eventually fails.
Tell them to try it and see if it works.
The BEST way though is to cut out and splice in new material.
Takes more time and effort to fix it correctly the first time but often you will be rewarded with never having to revisit the problem ever again.
They have ABS, ABS is by far one of the easiest things to fix and the fix is permanent. ABS like PVC is solvent welded and in most cases the same solvent is used on both provided the label states it is rated for both.
ABS unlike PVC can be solvent welded without use of a primer.
The most difficult part will be gaining enough access to the broken spot to cut the pipe off. But heck if you can get into it with a tape product like flex tape or enternabond you should be able to cut the offending spot out.
Small grinder with abrasive cut off blade will easily cut ABS as well as a hacksaw. Hint, small air powered "die grinders" equipped with a cutoff wheel are very small and compact and work very well in tight spaces.
All is needed is a piece of ABS pipe long enough to replace the section cut out and two ABS couplers. ABS can be flexed some to aid getting the ABS couplers on.
Alternate method to solvent welding is using two rubber couplers (often referred to brand name of Fernco)and a piece of ABS pipe. The rubber couplers simply slide over the pipe and are tightened via stainless band clamps (can use screw driver or a socket wrench). Both fixes in this case will be permanent and should never be an issue again. Rubber couplers may have a slight advantage if the original issue comes from pipe being too stiff by adding a flexible joint.
Anything else than cutting out and replacing is nothing more than a temporary patch or bandaid.
