PVC Question

[GGorman04]

Can someone help me with a basic pvc pipe leak? I identified the leak to the attached pic. It is leaking from what looks like where the glue would have been applied. Does this glue go bad?
If yes it should be an easy fix. Do the circular pieces above and below the pvc pipe adjust so that I can tighten to see if that would work?
I dont want to damage them if they cannot be tightened.
Thanks in advance

 

[itguy08]

I'm no plumber but I play one at home...

What I gather there is no "glue" in PVC. The "glue" chemically melts a layer of the PVC and when the pieces are pushed together it fuses together and makes the bond. The glue may act as a little filer but ti is this melting and fusing that makes PVC strong and watertight.

That being said there is no way to tighten it up or either re-glue it once you have glued it (at least not for us homeowners). Your best bet is to cut it all out and replace the pipe with a pipe coupling, new pipe and fittings.

 

[Number21]

Yep, PVC glue solvent welds the pipe together. You got a bad joint. There might be some thing you could seal it with but it will only be a bandaid. Needs to be replaced.

 

[GGorman04]

Thanks for the quick response. I was hoping I could just buy some more pvc sealant or glue and see if that would work.

 

[Stelth]

At first, I was going to say that no, PVC glue doesn't go bad. But, on looking closely at the picture, it appears that the joint was not primed before gluing. I have seen a number of PVC joints fail because of the fact that PVC primer was not used. It's also possible that the PVC joint was not made up correctly in the first place, allowing a leak to develop over time. If this is drain pipe that doesn't experience any pressure, sometimes a satisfactory repair can be made by drying up all the water and applying glue at the joint of socket and pipe. If it is pressurized pipe, the fittings must be replaced.

If this leak is causing damage to a building or causing mold to grow, or has the potential to do these things, then the best course is to cut out the involved fittings and replace them correctly.

 

[Plumber]

PVC joints can leak if no primer was used. Is that connected to a furnace, or is that a vent for the sewer?

 

[GGorman04]

Its connected to a furnace. Maybe I should try to see if the glue might stop it. What would be considered the best?

 

[doitmyself]

Yes, give us more details and a shot from farther away so that we might come up with an easy solution.

It's possible that clear primer was used, but that doesn't matter in this case.

There are fixes for non pressure pipe that do not require rebuilding the whole joint.

 

[dishdude]

I had the same problem with a radon rough in (no radon pump) in my last house. It was new construction so when they came by for the 6 month inspection I pointed it out and they ran some PVC glue along the fitting and it never leaked again. It was condensation in the pipe, and the fitting looked exactly like that.

 

[GGorman04]

Great!!
I have included two more pics. The first one shows the line on the right going into the heater.

The second pic is an up close view of the leak. It is leaking on the right side evidenced by the bubble of water

 

[Wolf359]

I think PVC requires the primer and then the cement. If it's loose, you can try and do it again or you can just try adding the primer and then the cement between the joints. I think the primer is normally purple and because you don't see any, they probably just used cement instead of primer then cement. I like black ABS better, you just have one type of glue instead of two. Not sure which is the best, but home depot sells a standard kit that has both primer and cement for about $7.50.

 

[GGorman04]

Thanks Wolf. I will give it a try and report the results.
If I did have to cut it and repair it, where would I cut it?
Based on where it is, it seems to me this is a more difficult repair than if it was in another location

 

[Sawdusted]

Gorman, This is how i would do the repair.

Get a hacksaw and cut the pipe where the 4" joint is leaking. It looks like you can disconnect the lower pipe that goes into the furnace?

After cutting the pipe, take a propane torch to carefully and evenly heat the inside of the pipe in the joint. After the inside pipe is soft, you can cut a slit in the pipe with a utility blade. Stick a screwdriver between the pipe and fitting to get some leverage then stick a plier in the hole you just made. Start to peel off the softened pipe.

Repeat for mating side (the one with reducer coupling that goes to the furnace)

Make sure you clean the joint well and apply primer (cleaner) before you apply the PVC solvent glue.

Hope this helps. There should be a bunch of videos on Youtube to show you how to melt the joint.

 

[tom slick]

Since that is a condensate drain and never pressurized I'd just caulk the heck out of it and call it a day. Chewing gum applied to that joint would keep it from leaking.

 

[GGorman04]

Great advice and thanks for the help!!!

 

[Sawdusted]

Oh, BTW,
Have a spare 4" pipe nearby to insert briefly into the fitting to make sure you did not ovalize the fitting during the softening process.

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: tom slick
Since that is a condensate drain and never pressurized I'd just caulk the heck out of it and call it a day. Chewing gum applied to that joint would keep it from leaking.


Didn't know it was only a condensate drain. In that case I'd try the caulk first. Worse case is you have to cut it and fix it "correctly". Best case is you fix it.

They do make clear primer so that could have been used. Inspectors like the purple because it shows up. Clear is used by others that use PVC (furniture, around the house, etc).

 

[Plumber]

Just cut it out and replace the fittings. You maybe have $30 worth of materials.

 

[Wolf359]

As someone else said, I would just see if it came apart by just pulling on it, if not, just apply the primer and glue to the exterior. I had a plumber do that before and it didn't leak afterwards. I wouldn't go crazy with a hacksaw to take it apart first.

 

[Dufus2]

I was going to suggest sanding the exterior and using an epoxy to seal the drip. I did this on a punctured air tank with a time sensitive load during a holiday. *Only a suggestion.