Dan_Musicant wrote in
:

On Tue, 15 Aug 2006 00:48:53 -0500, Al Bundy
wrote:

an_Musicant wrote in
m:
:
: On Sat, 12 Aug 2006 21:17:04 GMT, Speedy Jim wrote:
:
:an_Musicant wrote:
::
::SNIP
::
:: Yeah, some kind of flex tube would work, I suppose. Maybe I'll do
:: that. I'm afraid to crank on the nut at the wall in that the drain
:: pipe could snap or crack.
::
::
:: There is a fix meant for just this situation.
:: It's called a "Repair Trap".
::http://www.doityourself.com/invt/6852578
::
:: You don't need to disturb the connection in the wall.
::Just saw cut the tube out of the wall to the length
::needed to mate the Repair Trap to the basin tailpiece.
::
:: Use the finest tooth hacksaw blade so as to create
::minimal stress on the existing work.
::
:: Although the repair trap has rubber or plastic compression
::seals, I've found it helpful to apply a bit of silicone caulk
::as well to keep the joints in alignment afterward.
::
:: If the trap will be exposed, this repair will look "correct"
::rather than gimmicky.
::
::Jim
:
: I gave it a big try yesterday to twist off that nut. It's a big nut,
: 2" hex with a 1 1/4 inch hole in it, aluminum. I had a parallel face
: wrench (I think it's a monkey wrench? Ford), and I had a pipe on
: it's handle and pounded it many many times with a sledge hammer and
: I couldn't get it to loosen. I found a wrench at a hardware store
: that would fit the nut, but didn't buy it. I was thinking of cutting
: it off. A tool lending library here opens tomorrow and I was going
: to wait and ask them if they have a way of loosening the nut.
:
: Today, I decided to give another try to twisting the pipe within the
: nut. Grabbing it with leather gloves, I detected some play and I
: worked it loose! I could slide it in or out, and I've managed to get
: it in the correct position. I had a devil of a time getting the trap
: to stop leaking. When I finally got that done I found that the tail
: piece in the pop-up assembly was leaking water where it meets the
: part above it! Rats!! I took out the pop-up assembly and applied
: two layers of contact cement to the joint, figuring it will stop the
: leak. The water coming out is obviously not under much pressure.
: After applying the first coat of cement, I got the idea that I could
: have sweated the joint with solder. I think the cement will stop
: that leak. It's not much, just a few drops, but I want it to be
: perfect.
:
: Dan
:
: PS I think you are talking about a compression join with rubber
: and a couple of hose clamps, or similar, right Jim? I had that idea
: too, but decided that was plan B or C.
:
:
:I haven't really understood what exactly you are doing but you
:mentioned leaks in the assembly. I do know that contact cement is not
:really in the scheme of things though!

I realize that the contact cement was a stretch! I could have taken
the thing back to Home Depot and gotten my money back or a
replacement. I don't know why, but I decided that I could fix it with
contact cement, so WTH! Now, I'm not sure I should have done that. The
soldering idea was better, but I only got it after applying the first
of two coats of contact cement. I left the thing in a 100 degree oven
overnight for quick dry, assembled this morning and there are no
leaks. The big question is - how long will it continue to not leak!

I've done many many unorthodox repairs with contact cement. I think
it's one of the great secrets - its versatility. Usually, I build up
layers of it. It gradually hardens over some weeks and months and
ultimately forms a very tough, durable and tenaciously adhesive
material unlike any other I know of. Epoxy is hard, but becomes
brittle and isn't nearly as toughly adhesive as contact cement. I
could have gone for more than two layers, but I was actually thinking
of just using one layer, so I decided two was enough. That water isn't
under pressure - it's only gravity fed. Will it last for 30-40 years?
Don't know. I suppose I could buy a new popup assembly

The HD here sells an all plastic one if you wanna go cheap. Whole thing
$6 here. UPC 042805006009

independent of
a faucet if I have problems with it. Or, I could try scraping off the
contact cement and do the solder fix.

I would have brought back the faucet set to Home Depot but for a
couple of reasons:

1. It was hard for me to find a faucet set that I liked in terms of
appearance.

2. I bought another faucet set (same one) for my other bathroom sink.

Yes, I could have returned both of them, but I didn't have an
alternate set in mind and would have to shop for that. My reasoning
was that if I could fix what I had satisfactorily, I'd be ahead of the
game.
:
on't worry. I've done some unorthodox things in the past with
lumbing. Did a double kitchen sink with garbage disposal. Replaced
:some drain pipes and all nylon slip joint washers but with 10 slip
:joints odds are against ya if you aren't a pro. If you take something
:apart because it leaks you'll fix that one and create two more. For
ne little drip at a joint in a setup like that, I've been known to
:cheat and finger in some a tiny amount of silicone. Maybe not ethical
:but it worked long term.
:
:Where the popup drain sets in a bath sink gets plumbers putty.
:
:And I've used liquid teflon tape on the slipnut joints before
:assembly. You're not supposed to have to if you have new slipjoint
:washers and good seats.
:
Never heard of liquid teflon tape. What's that?

Like pope dope. In a little tube like the little travel tubes of
toothpaste. Since you seem to go to HD, it's where the pipe dope and
plastic pipe cement is...here anyway.


I managed the joint at the end of the P trap that attaches to the
popup tail piece without using teflon tape or plumbers' putty. I just
used a new rubber washer under the nut, and tightened it. Nothing else
stopped the leak. The other end, where I would have real problems
putting in a washer, I used some plumbers' putty.

I did some repairs to the trap system under my double kitchen sink
some years ago. Don't remember anything about it, but it's always been
drip free since the repairs. Have made an effort to prevent any grout
leaks, and successfully, because the rot under the sink attests to
much leaking in the now distant past. Will have to make repairs under
there sometime, but at least it's dry now.

Dan