Patching leaks

The act of freezing by water inside pipework is sometimes ok, but there are times if you are very unlucky that the freezing water will ultimately expand and split whichever pipe it is contained within. This will cause major problems especially if the pipework is hard to access. Ladbroke Grove Plumbers can fix all leaking pipework. Copper pipes are the most likely to freeze and burst, (if lead is used it will stretch, but should replaced as soon as possible) unless of course you are fortunate to have plastic installed (these are now installed as much as possible in new builds). The initial thing to do if you suspect that a pipe is frozen is to try and drain the pipe. If not, the best thing to do is to repair it abeit temporarily whilst it is frozen. This is done by cutting a piece of flexi rubber hose, slightly longer than the split in the pipe and slip it over the top. This then has to be bound up with jubilee clips or with soft wire. You can also use plumbers putty to make the repair patch. Just mix the two parts and after around 30 minutes to react and then apply it to the split. The best and most effective way is to cover the split with a thickness of putty between 3 to 6 millimetres, this will provide the strength to keep the split covered and dry. It could take up to a day to completely set, but you can if it is low pressure, allow it to flow, with extra strength applied by a covering of plumbers tape to help. A Ladbroke Grove Plumber carries all forms of repair equipment.

Should you not feel confident to do this yourself, then you should call on the services of a professional plumbing service.

The putty comes in two parts which are mixed. Leave for about 35minutes to go off. Press it all over the leak or hole, to a thickness of around 3 to 6millimetres. The putty mix will will cure to its full strength in around 24 hours. Low pressure water can flow through the pipework almost straight away if you bolster the putty with tape All this equipment is carried as standard by an Falconwood Plumber.



The first action is to drain the pipe first unless of course it is frozen, in which case make the repair as soon as you can before it thaws out. A leaking pipe can be fixed in a temporary way by making a sleeve from a piece of rubber pipe which you cut to size and place over the point where the leak is situated. This is then bound with clips designed for hoses or by twisting very small gauge wire around the hose.








If water freezes to ice in a pipe, it will cause severe problems throughout your plumbing system. This ice will expand until it eventually splits the walls of the pipe or breaches a joint.
Pipework made from copper is more likely to split than other material like a lead pipe, (It is highly recommended that you replace the old lead with copper pipe as soon as you have contained the leak) which will stretch during the expansion and survive for some time before failing. Another reason for leaking plumbing is a material failure either through deterioration used or because a joint has collapsed. The best way is to make a repair that is permanent if possible which you can make with a new piece of pipework or a new joint.
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