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glatt · 04-18-2006, 01:26 PM

My advice is don't listen to me.

Our tub has a similar leak. We have acccess to the leak from the access panel on the other side of the wall. Glad we have that. Anyway, we have the washerless variety of faucet. It got clogged with a bunch of rust flakes/misc. grit on the supply side of the ceramic washerless valve. Had to remove the whole ceramic cartride to get that rust blockage out. Then reinstall teh cartridge. But then it leaked. The leak was like 1 drop every ten seconds, when the shower was running. Dripped into the wall cavity. Read somewhere you can disassemble it all and spray all around inside one of those things with silicone spray to stop leaks. Doesn't work. Need to replace the entire faucet now. But in the meantime, I taped a plastic bag under the pipe, and leading outside the access panel and onto a rag on the floor. The drips hit the bag and roll down onto the rag, which absorbs them. It's been that way for a year. My wife hated it at first, but I think she doesn't see it any more. Neither do I.

I wish I had an old fashioned faucet that uses washers. I'd much rather replace a ten cent washer every 2-3 years than replace an entire $200 faucet every ten years. Or hope that a new $20 cartridge will slide right in to the vacant faucet with all its mineral deposits with sharp edges and hope the o-rings on the outside of the cartridge don't get little nicks in them that cause drips.

To answer your question, I don't think there is anything that can patch a leak in a pressurized pipe at the joint. The epoxy putties out there just aren't strong enough. If the leak is in the middle of a straight section of pipe, there are those bolt-on patches you can use. But, basically, if the joint is leaking, you have to remove both parts on each side of the joint and replace them.

What kind of pipes do you have? If you do the remodel, you should consider PEX.

04-18-2006, 01:26 PM	#2
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	My advice is don't listen to me. Our tub has a similar leak. We have acccess to the leak from the access panel on the other side of the wall. Glad we have that. Anyway, we have the washerless variety of faucet. It got clogged with a bunch of rust flakes/misc. grit on the supply side of the ceramic washerless valve. Had to remove the whole ceramic cartride to get that rust blockage out. Then reinstall teh cartridge. But then it leaked. The leak was like 1 drop every ten seconds, when the shower was running. Dripped into the wall cavity. Read somewhere you can disassemble it all and spray all around inside one of those things with silicone spray to stop leaks. Doesn't work. Need to replace the entire faucet now. But in the meantime, I taped a plastic bag under the pipe, and leading outside the access panel and onto a rag on the floor. The drips hit the bag and roll down onto the rag, which absorbs them. It's been that way for a year. My wife hated it at first, but I think she doesn't see it any more. Neither do I. I wish I had an old fashioned faucet that uses washers. I'd much rather replace a ten cent washer every 2-3 years than replace an entire $200 faucet every ten years. Or hope that a new $20 cartridge will slide right in to the vacant faucet with all its mineral deposits with sharp edges and hope the o-rings on the outside of the cartridge don't get little nicks in them that cause drips. To answer your question, I don't think there is anything that can patch a leak in a pressurized pipe at the joint. The epoxy putties out there just aren't strong enough. If the leak is in the middle of a straight section of pipe, there are those bolt-on patches you can use. But, basically, if the joint is leaking, you have to remove both parts on each side of the joint and replace them. What kind of pipes do you have? If you do the remodel, you should consider PEX.