I have a very, very slow leak in the trap under bathroom sink.
(I think it got that way after I used a strong drain opener!)
I put a jar underneath to catch the drip but it's so ugly!

Is there a plumber's tape that will seal the leak semi-permanently --
or at least till I can afford a plumber?

Tx

Aspasia

Replace the trap. It is relatively simple.

Is the trap under the sink metal or white plastic?
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




wrote in message
...

I have a very, very slow leak in the trap under bathroom sink.
(I think it got that way after I used a strong drain opener!)
I put a jar underneath to catch the drip but it's so ugly!

Is there a plumber's tape that will seal the leak
semi-permanently --
or at least till I can afford a plumber?

Tx

Aspasia

On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 20:20:55 -0600, "DanG" wrote:


Replace the trap. It is relatively simple.

I know it is -- in theory. I'm just not up to crawling under there
with a wrench. Very narrow space. I had sink set into an old sewing
machine cabinet long ago - looks kewl but not easy to access.
Call me chicken...g

Is the trap under the sink metal or white plastic?

Metal.

Any word on temporary fix w/tape?

Aspasia

______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




wrote in message
m...

I have a very, very slow leak in the trap under bathroom sink.
(I think it got that way after I used a strong drain opener!)
I put a jar underneath to catch the drip but it's so ugly!

Is there a plumber's tape that will seal the leak
semi-permanently --
or at least till I can afford a plumber?

Tx

Aspasia

aspasia wrote in message

Is the trap under the sink metal or white plastic?

Metal.

Any word on temporary fix w/tape?


No tape is going to properly fix it long term. Most any tape can buy you a
few weeks, like duct or electrical tape. You can buy a new trap for about
$10 and replace it yourself for just a few dollars. It is one of the easier
plumbing jobs you can do. It will leak again if it is corroded.

I have never had any luck getting tape, rags, etc stopping the
water. There is a spray available that supposedly seals leaks
from the outside. I have no experience, but have seen several
responses that it seems to work. I think the stuff is available
at the big box stores. Duct tape and other wide tapes do not form
to the round curving surfaces well. Electrician's tape does well
with the curves. It will certainly slow the leak, but it will not
cure it for anything more than a very temporary time. The taped
up trap would look more ugly to me than the bowl catching the
drips. The ugly bowl catching the drips is certainly better than
water staining and warping the cabinet bottom.

If you decide to take it on, the big issue is how the trap finally
goes into the wall. If it going into a threaded ring at the wall,
it will be fairly simple. If it is soldered directly into a pipe
at the wall, it may be beyond DIY capabilities.

Can you tell if the bottom of the trap is eaten out or if the leak
is coming from one of the threaded fittings? Assuming the bottom
of the trap is damaged, you should be able to replace just the
trap. It would require using something like a channel lock pliers
(pump pliers) or small pipe wrench to loosen the existing threaded
rings and to reinstall them on the new trap.

If I were doing it, I would change out the existing metal to PVC.
I am old enough to remember hating all things plastic, but plastic
plumbing was one of the first things to change my mind about
plastic. A whole trap assembly costs under $10. and the plastic
can deal with almost any chemical you dump down the drain (you
buy acid in plastic bottles). The trap set tightens by hand
needing no tools. You may still need the tools to get the old
metal one loose.

______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




aspasia wrote in message
...
On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 20:20:55 -0600, "DanG"
wrote:


Replace the trap. It is relatively simple.

I know it is -- in theory. I'm just not up to crawling under
there
with a wrench. Very narrow space. I had sink set into an old
sewing
machine cabinet long ago - looks kewl but not easy to access.
Call me chicken...g

Is the trap under the sink metal or white plastic?

Metal.

Any word on temporary fix w/tape?

Aspasia

______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




wrote in message
om...

I have a very, very slow leak in the trap under bathroom sink.
(I think it got that way after I used a strong drain opener!)
I put a jar underneath to catch the drip but it's so ugly!

Is there a plumber's tape that will seal the leak
semi-permanently --
or at least till I can afford a plumber?

Tx

Aspasia

On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 18:14:27 -0800, wrote:


I have a very, very slow leak in the trap under bathroom sink.
(I think it got that way after I used a strong drain opener!)
I put a jar underneath to catch the drip but it's so ugly!

Then get a prettier jar.

Is there a plumber's tape that will seal the leak semi-permanently --
or at least till I can afford a plumber?

No tape, but PC-70 will probably work. Did for me, stopped the leak
while it was dripping. I used a big blob, maybe that went all around
the pipe, at least a narrow band did. I did try to dry it first --
the best way -- but the dripping faucet made the stuff I put on it
droop away from the drain. I had to push the stuff back on a few
times until it started to harden and didn't droop down again. I guess
I could have just held my finger there, but I think it was awkward,
like with you.

If I had it to do over, I'd put a really big pot in the sink so that
the dripping stopped while I was gluing it, and it was setting.

PC-70 has a million uses. I was missing the cap for my wine sack, so
I put vaseline on the threads, and made a new cap out of PC-70. A
minute later, I put a hole through it for a string so I wouldn't lose
the new cap. Once it hardened fully, overnight, even with the
vaseline it stuck on so I had to use pliers to unscrew it.

Tx

Aspasia

wrote:
I have a very, very slow leak in the trap under bathroom sink.
(I think it got that way after I used a strong drain opener!)
I put a jar underneath to catch the drip but it's so ugly!

Is there a plumber's tape that will seal the leak semi-permanently --
or at least till I can afford a plumber?

Tx

Aspasia


No. And can you afford $5. That's about all you
need for a standard repair kit for drains that
includes about 3 pieces of white plastic pipe and
the required connection fittings.

If you are using a strong drain opener you must
have a draining problem and you probably moved the
drain pipes around a bit while you were working on
them. If you tried to tighten the connections a
bit and the leak didn't stop, you probably have a
damaged seal and all you need is to replace one of
the seals. Or, if you have metal pipe, you may
have pin holes in the pipe that allow water to
seep out. In the latter case buy a replacement
kit, get out your slip joint pliers and replace
the parts.

If you want a temporary fix, go to the plumbing section of HD, or the
local hdw store. They have epoxy based products made for this purpose.
Depending on where it's leaking, it may work.

Try this stuff.....amazing!!! It has bailed me out many times.
http://www.tommytape.com/types.htm
It has even stopped leaks that are under pressure.


wrote in message
...

I have a very, very slow leak in the trap under bathroom sink.
(I think it got that way after I used a strong drain opener!)
I put a jar underneath to catch the drip but it's so ugly!

Is there a plumber's tape that will seal the leak semi-permanently --
or at least till I can afford a plumber?

Tx

Aspasia

I would replace with plastic. Something you could try. Go to an automobile
parts store and get a can of stuff to seal a leaking radiator. Mix some of
it with boiling water in a container you will never use for cooking and
slowly pour down the drain, repeat if necessary It may work.

I didn't used to believe in this stuff until my car overheated on a trip. A
rock had nicked the radiator making a small leak. The guy at the gas
station said might as well try this stuff, and it worked. Sold the car
after putting another 50k miles on it with the same radiator.


wrote in message
...

I have a very, very slow leak in the trap under bathroom sink.
(I think it got that way after I used a strong drain opener!)
I put a jar underneath to catch the drip but it's so ugly!

Is there a plumber's tape that will seal the leak semi-permanently --
or at least till I can afford a plumber?

Tx

Aspasia

Jeff wrote:
I would replace with plastic. Something you could try. Go to an automobile
parts store and get a can of stuff to seal a leaking radiator. Mix some of
it with boiling water in a container you will never use for cooking and
slowly pour down the drain, repeat if necessary It may work.

I didn't used to believe in this stuff until my car overheated on a trip. A
rock had nicked the radiator making a small leak. The guy at the gas
station said might as well try this stuff, and it worked. Sold the car
after putting another 50k miles on it with the same radiator.

Same here. Tried it on a relatively new car where the fan had played
handball against the radiator with a bolt, and it sealed up all the
pinholes permanently through several radiator flushes until the car was
murdered by a truck. No negative effects on cooling, either.

Doesn't work on holes where there's some wiggling though, like where
the radiator tubes have rusted loose from the header tank.

i tried that radiator stop leak once, it fixed the leak but cloogged my
radiator and heater core.

700 bucks later vehicle was running ok again

I once used electric tape on a rusty trap, about that time my grandma
died, and I must of forgot about it.

9 years later I was surprised to find the tape, then rembered the
insanity of the funeral and leaky trap, so I could date the repair. I
must of used a entire roll of tape, and investigated.

All that was left of the trap was the tape, the metal was completely
gone

On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 18:14:27 -0800, wrote:


I have a very, very slow leak in the trap under bathroom sink.
(I think it got that way after I used a strong drain opener!)
I put a jar underneath to catch the drip but it's so ugly!

Is there a plumber's tape that will seal the leak semi-permanently --
or at least till I can afford a plumber?

Tx

Aspasia

Thanks, folks, for your experience and your ingenuity (some of
the solutions are really kewl).

I think when I get back (going on long trip) I will gird up my
loins and replace the damn trap. 'Preciate the hint about
plastic rather than metal. I hope they will mate OK.

Hasta la vista!

Aspasia