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My neighbor told me to use duct tape on a leaking pipe and it was a bad idea
He said it would hold for a week until I could get a plumber... but it burst after about 36 hours. I came home to a huge mess in my basement laundry room. The water damage cost me over $500 to fix the drywall alone. I should have just shut the water off and used a proper pipe clamp from the hardware store. Has anyone else had a well-meaning tip go this wrong with plumbing?
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zara5721mo ago
Honestly, that neighbor owes you a case of beer for that mess. I keep a couple of those rubber pipe repair clamps with the hose clamps on the ends in my basement for exactly this. They cost maybe ten bucks and will actually hold for a few days. Like @simon717 said, duct tape on a pipe is wild, it just can't handle the pressure and water. Shutting the main valve off is always step one, then you can at least clean up the area while you get a real fix. Tbh, even a bike inner tube and two clamps works better than duct tape in a pinch.
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simon7171mo ago
Duct tape on a pipe? That's a new level of bad advice.
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Yeah, calling it "bad advice" is putting it nicely. Duct tape adhesive fails with heat and moisture, so it'll just get gooey and slide right off a pipe. It's a temporary fix for cardboard boxes, not plumbing.
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