It doesn't "deteriorate", but it's not going to last for long. Simple
expansion and contraction will cause a leak and as long as the leak stays
ahead of sediment plugging the leak, it will continue to grow larger. It'll
get damp, drip, squirt, and then let loose, probably sooner than later.
Best to get a better fix while the weather's decent for working.

Pop

"toller" wrote in message
...
I had a burst pipe in a crawl space, and when I managed to get back there I
discovered it was 3/8" soft copper. Unfortunately I had no 3/8" fittings.
(do they even make 3/8" fittings, other than compression?)

So I "fixed" it by getting the hole as small as I could with pliers, and
then by wrapping two layers of silicon tape around it. Then I put some
cable ties around the tape for good measure.

Seems to be holding so far. Assuming it does not blow immediately, should
it be good indefinitely or will it deteriorate? Anyone use it for this
purpose before?