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I screwed up. I'm usually pretty good with PVC. I used the approved cleaner and primer, and Weld-On 705. I've done this dozens of times.

But here's where I screwed up: one part was a threaded bushing: 1" glue to ½" NPT. I made the mistake of turning in a petcock before the glue cured (nominal 20 minutes).

All the other ~20 glued joints are fine under pressure, but this one bushing is slowly dripping from two or three spots.

I really don't want to re-do the entire assembly, which is what it will take to replace this one bushing.

My spouse suggested a hose clamp. I thought of using a hypodermic needle to squirt some additional 705 around the spot where the bushing meets the "T" fitting. Either of these have merit? Any other ideas?

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    You probably have to redo it. Can you cut into a piece near the the leaking fitting to replace it but still keep most of the pieces you have already assembled?
    – auujay
    May 7, 2012 at 2:30
  • With two splices and a new "T" and bushing, I can do it. But the leaking has slowed considerably, and it's not a particularly sensitive environment (cement floor), so I'm going to continue to monitor it, rather than throw a bunch of plastic in the landfill.
    – Jan Steinman
    May 10, 2012 at 16:55

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The hose clamp is right out. All you'll do is crack something -- if you're lucky, right away.

Likewise trying to inject PVC cement (705) is not a good idea. Even if you manage to plug the leaks, the majority of the joint is compromised. It will eventually fail, and the law practically says it will fail 2 hours after you've left for a 2 week vacation, etc. (^_^)

PVC is super easy to repair or replace, and hacksaws are cheap too. If it's a particularly difficult section of pipe, consider installing one or two unions, to make the repair easier.

Go ahead and rebuild that section properly.

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  • My problems are: 1. environmental: I don't want to bring new plastic into the world, and don't want to put more plastic in landfills. 2. cost: I'm living very simply, and I'd rather put the money from even these simple parts into other things. 3. effort: I've got six baby goats and 12,000 seed starts in the greenhouse to care for. The leak has slowed, and I'm going to monitor it. I don't get off the farm much, and can't remember my last vacation... (Too bad this site shares Faceplant's hatred of line breaks. I had to copy line breaks and paste them here to format this comment.)
    – Jan Steinman
    May 10, 2012 at 16:58
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You'll want self fusing silicone tape. Dry it. Wrap it. Pressure test it. Done.

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