Basement Finishing thread...

[Road Guy]

well i finally resolved my plumbing leak today..

for those following along i was on hold finishin the ceiling (my last 4 pieces of sheetrock) because i had a small leak coming down the drain line that drains my upstairs of the house (2nd floor) I had been thinking I was going to have to tear apart my bathroom floor to find it...

well today, clumsey me knocked a picture my wife had hung on the wall downstairs (years ago) and when it fell off I noticed behind the picture was all kinds of mold... so the good news is that found the leak.. bad news is that I dont think the builder left me room to install a coupling, the drain pipe sits in between an interior wall (post mother f87898! smiley here)

anyways, I am glad I at least found it, and I need to tell my wife the stud finders also will locate PVC pipes behind the wall as well....

 

[wilheldp_PE]

Just be glad it was a plumbing pipe instead of a refrigerant line for your HVAC. One is a $100 fix from a plumber...the other is a $400+ fix from an HVAC repairman.

 

[Road Guy]

if it makes you feel better I did have a $396 dollar visit from an HVAC person last week?

The hole is less than 1/8" I wonder if there is some type of plug, glue, etc that I could use instead of cutting the pipe? If I put in a standard connector / splice there isnt room to accomodate the extra width and the sheetrock will stick out......

 

[Dexman PE]

use a piece of electrical tape. It'll stick for a little while...

You could also get creative with a soldering iron and some spare plastic.

 

[Chucktown PE]

use a piece of electrical tape. It'll stick for a little while...
You could also get creative with a soldering iron and some spare plastic.

You can actually weld PVC fairly easily. I used to weld PVC when I worked at a hydraulics lab. It's just a high temperature air jet and some fillet rods.

 

[Dexman PE]

and since it's a drain line and not pressurized, you just have to plug the hole.

 

[roadwreck]

There's nothing duct tape can't fix!

Have you considered chewing gum as an alternative?

 

[Paul S]

That is a great excuse to use next time you do not want to hang a picture!

 

[MA_PE]

Is this a leak in a straight run of vertical drain pipe?

What would cause a non-pressure pipe to crack on a vertical run?

Why would it leak at all unless the pipe gets filled up to the point where the hole is? Does the stack get filled to there enough to make it leak? sure water runs down the inside of the pipe but gravity makes it go DOWN. What makes it go sideways through the wall?

I would think PVC adhesive (which is a PVC solvent) would be enough to close the hole. I wouldn't expect much stress in the wall so an area with less thickness shouldn't matter.

I still confused as to 1) where the hole came from and 2) why it leaks enough to cause a drip and mold.

It's not adding up to me yet.

 

[Chucktown PE]

Is this a leak in a straight run of vertical drain pipe?
What would cause a non-pressure pipe to crack on a vertical run?

Why would it leak at all unless the pipe gets filled up to the point where the hole is? Does the stack get filled to there enough to make it leak? sure water runs down the inside of the pipe but gravity makes it go DOWN. What makes it go sideways through the wall?

I would think PVC adhesive (which is a PVC solvent) would be enough to close the hole. I wouldn't expect much stress in the wall so an area with less thickness shouldn't matter.

I still confused as to 1) where the hole came from and 2) why it leaks enough to cause a drip and mold.

It's not adding up to me yet.

The hole came from a nail which was used for hanging the picture.

 

[Road Guy]

MA

years ago my wife hung several pictures and drove a nail into the pvc pipe. so thats where the leak came from. I think the nail had worked it self out at some point in time.

I guess the kids long showers and the washing machine running provide enough for leak, I am sure toilet paper and other "shit" getting stuck on the nail caused some of the leakeage.. yeah thats gross..

it is a vertical 3" PVC drain pipe, I would be very happy to try the pvc solvent and glue and see what happens. But nonetheless I am just happy the leak was found so i can finish up the sheetrock in the basement now, which had been on hold once i noticed the drip, drip, drip...

 

[MA_PE]

gotcha.

Actually the nalil makes sense as water might wick along the nail and drip to the outside.

I think you'll be fine with an "adhesive" patch there. You might get a scrap piece of pvc and shave some filings to mix with some PVC solvent cement and make a plug.

another fix would be a piece of rubber/epdm membrane wrapped around the pipe over the hole and secure with a hose clamp band.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

I declare my basement substantially complete. I got the last bits of painting done today, hung the shower curtain in the bathroom, and installed the cabinet door over the electrical panel. I'm forkin' exhausted, but it looks pretty good. I sure am glad it's over.

 

[MA_PE]

I declare my basement substantially complete. I got the last bits of painting done today, hung the shower curtain in the bathroom, and installed the cabinet door over the electrical panel. I'm forkin' exhausted, but it looks pretty good. I sure am glad it's over.

congrats wil. it is always a relief when things are finally complete.

 

[Master slacker]

Awesome pics, wil!

 

[wilheldp_PE]

I want to get it cleaned up a little bit before I take the final "after" pictures.

 

[Master slacker]

Just take it now. I can imagine it clean.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

I'm curious as to why you are so interested. My basement does not have breasts.

 

[Sschell]

^the board lets out a collective sigh of disappointment.

 

[Master slacker]

I'm curious as to why you are so interested. My basement does not have breasts.

DAMMIT! ldman: