Case Study: Homeowner DIY Repair of 25mm Lead Water Pipe Leaking Inside House Wall
A homeowner in the United Kingdom makes a DIY repair to a vertical 25mm lead water pipe leaking inside the wall of their house. They cut away the drywall and used a SylWrap Universal Pipe Repair Kit to seal the leak, preventing further water damage until the pipe could be replaced with a safer material.
Case Study Overview
Site Domestic property
Location United Kingdom
Repair Type No pressure pipe repair
Defect Leaking 25mm lead water supply pipe inside wall
Repair Products
Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape, SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage,
SylWrap Universal Pipe Repair Kit
Case Study PDF
Case Study Details
Homes constructed in the United Kingdom before the 1970s were often built with lead water pipes. Lead was particularly popular for pipework within walls, being malleable enough to shape into long lengths and durable enough to withstand containment.
A homeowner in the south of England noticed discolouration to a white wall close to a window during winter. They initially put it down to condensation and damp from the window.
But when summer arrived and the wall remained wet, they became suspicious of a potential leak. The drywall was removed to access the cavity, where they found a 25mm lead pipe running vertically which was weeping water.
Long-term, the homeowner planned to remove the lead pipe because of the associated health risks. But whilst waiting for that to happen, they needed to repair the pipe inside the wall to prevent further water damage.
Water supply through the pipe could be turned off via the property’s external stopcock. Sealing an offline leak would normally mean using a SylWrap Standard Pipe Repair Kit.
However, the softness and oxidised surface of lead means epoxy putty struggles to adhere cohesively to it. Sylmasta therefore always recommend the SylWrap Universal Pipe Repair Kit for sealing lead pipes even when there is no pressure.
The Universal Kit comes with Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape, which can repair lead because it is self-amalgamating and bonds to itself more than the substrate.
Despite the space constraints inside the wall, Wrap & Seal was successfully stretched by the maximum three times its length as it was wrapped around the leak area. This enabled it to fuse into a solid rubber band, exerting pressure over the leak to contain pipe content.
The repair was then overwrapped with a SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage. The water activated resin turned the bandage rock-hard within minutes. It formed an impact resistant protective shell around the pipe for a reinforced repair.
Completing the application took under 20 minutes. Water supply to the house was turned back on and the lead pipe inspected regularly over the next two days for any sign of leakage. It remained bone dry, indicating a successful repair.
Products Used
Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Self-amalgamating tape seals lead pipes by forming a solid rubber band over leaks
SylWrap HD Bandage
Composite repair wrap reinforces repairs by forming an impact resistant sleeve
Universal Pipe Repair Kit
Wrap & Seal and SylWrap HD can be purchased together in the Universal Kit
Related Case Studies
Case Study: Leaking Dishwasher 50mm Plastic Pipe Repair in Golf Clubhouse Kitchen
Case Study: Emergency Live Leak Pipe Repair Keeps Heating on at Nursing Home
Case Study: Oil Refinery Repair Cooling Pipe System Attacked by Microbially Induced Corrosion
Case Study: Alcohol Line Live Leak Pipe Repair at Sugar Mill in Costa Rica
If you have an application you would like to enquire about, please get in touch
Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com
