Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape used in a successful repair to a leaking malleable iron water supply pipe at a UK home

Case Study: Malleable Iron Water Pipe Repair in a Restricted Space at UK Home

A leaking 20mm domestic malleable iron water pipe undergoes live leak repair at a home in the United Kingdom using Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape despite severe space constraints. Clearance between the pipe and a brick wall behind was just 30mm with only 150mm between the pipe and the ground.

Case Study Overview

Site Domestic property
Location United Kingdom
Repair Type Live leak pipe repair
Defect Small hole in 20mm malleable iron water pipe

Repair Products

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape

Case Study PDF

Download Restricted Space Malleable Iron Pipe Repair Case Study PDF

Case Study Details

The malleable iron pipe had developed a small hole facing towards a brick wall in an outside area of a domestic property in the UK. Water was escaping at around 3 bar pressure and flow through the leaking section of pipe could not be isolated.

Because the pipe was on the grounds of the property and connected to the public network after the stop valve, it was the homeowner’s responsibility to fix the leak rather than the water supplier.

As this was live leak repair, epoxy putty was ruled out as a sealing material. Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape would therefore have to be used, making the repair particularly challenging due to the restricted space on two sides of the pipe.

Between the pipe and the back wall behind, there was around only 30mm clearance. Approximately 150mm of space existed between the pipe and the ground.

Clearly, there was not going to be enough room for the user making the repair to stretch the Wrap & Seal by three times its length whilst it was wrapped, as would have normally been the case.

To apply the tape, it was stretched towards the user where there was most space

The tape was anchored 50mm to the right of the leak and held tightly against the pipe by the property owner carrying out the repair, using their thumb.

They then stretched the tape as far towards them as space would allow with their other hand, before pulling it under the pipe and up through the restricted space between the pipe and the back wall.

As the first wrap around was completed, the tape was stretched half the width across the Wrap & Seal still being held down to the pipe with the thumb. This anchored the tape firmly to the pipe.

The wrapping process continued in this manner, with the tape being stretched as much as possible into the space away from the wall before the user looped it under the pipe and up through the gap at the back.

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape being applied to seal a leak in a malleable iron water pipe at a UK home
The tape was then wrapped under the pipe and up through the restricted space between the pipe and back wall

Despite the fact that it was not possible to stretch Wrap & Seal by its maximum 300 percent, the self-amalgamating tape still fused effectively to form a solid rubber band over the leak. The 3 bar pressure was easily held by the repair.

Once the end of the tape was reached, the pipe was dried off. No more water could be felt escaping, indicating that the repair had been a success.

The property owner was delighted to have been able to carry out a safe DIY pipe repair in spite of the initial challenges that seemed to come with the application, and at a fraction of the cost of hiring a plumber.

Wrap & Seal has WRAS approval, meaning it is certified as safe to British standards to use on pipes which carry drinking water.

Products Used

Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Self-amalgamating waterproof tape fuses to form solid rubber band which seals live leaks

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