Any leakage in the pipe is an emergency situation that needs to be quickly neutralized, regardless of the type of main destination (water supply, heating, etc.). To eliminate leaks in pipes with pressurized water at home, it is important to be extremely careful. Especially when it comes to hot water. Here, burns and large flooding are not excluded. At the same time, it is worth remembering that Latka is not a panacea. If there is a hole in the tube, the same fate awaits the highway in its other sections. It is better to change the metal pipe to plastic (polypropylene, PVC) as soon as possible. In addition, it is possible to close the fistulas on the pipe of hot or cold water only when the hole is small. If the liquid gushes forth a fountain, no clamps and latches will help.
The main causes of leaks in pipelines
Fistula is pitting corrosion on one of the sections of a metal pipeline. More often, such phenomena are characteristic of cast iron and steel. Unfortunately, time takes its toll, and rust just corrodes the metal in places. As a result, water leaks out through the formed holes, and floods form.
The first signs of a future fistula are corrosive growths on the surface of the pipe or bloated paint in these places. The main causes of holes are:
- the active effect of rust on the metal from the inside or outside;
- broken installation technology of the highway - joints, welds are especially weak in this regard;
- frequent mechanical impact on the line - strong impacts, occasional frequent touches over time lead to pipe depressurization.
- sharp, frequent freelance pressure drops in the system.
If you find a growth of rye on the pipe, do not rush to rip it off. It is not known what size the fistula hid under it.
Risk areas
The weakest and potentially dangerous places in the pipeline are:
- areas of the highway, which are under constant mechanical load;
- joints of sections of heating radiators;
- straight sections of metal lines;
- places of threaded connection;
- electric welding zones;
- insertion points for additional branches.
All these points need to be checked regularly, especially if there is a drop in pressure in the system, communication nodes are not working correctly, and there is no visual leak.
All communication must be checked in working mode. In this case, fistula helps to identify ordinary toilet paper. It is enough to hold it in the most dangerous zones of the pipeline. The appearance of moisture on the paper indicates the presence of leaks.
The fistula must be sealed / sealed so that the pipe can work out its working life or so that the line lasts until the trunk is completely replaced.
Effective ways to eliminate leakage in a pipe with pressurized water
The main rule - before sticking water pipes or a heating line, you need to discharge water through the riser / system. In the absence of a full drain (or if you do not block the riser), a flood is not ruled out due to a possible further rupture. It is possible to repair cracks in the heating pipe qualitatively without draining the water, only if the fistula is very small, and the tubes themselves inspire confidence: the rest of their length remains visually intact, not subject to corrosion.
Medical bandage plus cement mortar
This method is suitable for cast iron and steel pipes, which have a hefty fistula, but the rest of the length of the line looks visually strong. It is important to consider that the cement mortar will form an additional load on the tubes.If they are already pretty rusty in many places, it’s not worth the risk in this way. Possible complete breakage of the line under pressure.
To carry out the work, you will need:
- standard medical bandage;
- cement mortar;
- scissors;
- brush for metal.
Brush gently remove rust around the fistula. If the metal crumbles, increasing the hole in diameter, you need to remove it. Next, you need to cut off the pieces of the bandage, dip them into the cement mortar and lay layerwise on the crack in the top and bottom of the pipe. Thus, a peculiar cocoon is formed around the leak zone. At the last stage, you need to well cover the bandage on top with a layer of cement.
The pipe must be given time to completely dry - at least a day.
Adhesive bandage
This method resembles the previous one, but instead of a simple bandage, fiberglass is used here, and cement is replaced with BF-2 glue. The pipe is pre-cleaned of residual rust. The leak area is degreased with acetone or gasoline. Give her a good quality dry for 10-15 minutes.
Tapes are cut from fiberglass to a width of one third greater than the diameter of the hole. The edges of the fabric are treated with glue, and an epoxy compound is applied to the remainder on one side. It is important to saturate the fabric well.
It is laid in place of the cracks and well pressed / wound. It remains to fix the material with metal wire.
Full drying of such latki takes 24 hours (for a heated room). In cold buildings, this will take up to 4 days.
Rubber clamp
Elastic rubber is able to tightly seize the leak and eliminate the fistula for a while. To perform repair work you need to prepare:
- a piece of rubber - it can be a glove made of thick material, a medical wide tourniquet, a tire from a bicycle, etc .;
- scissors;
- metal clamps along the diameter of the pipe.
Clamps are applied to the line previously cleaned from rust, and then a piece of rubber is brought under them. Couplings hold well.
Cold welding
It is necessary to drain the water from the system, since it is assumed that it is necessary to further expand the leak zone (remove soft metal residues to harder ones). The fistula is pre-treated with a drill, and then the latki area is degreased with gasoline or acetone. After drying the metal, cold welding is applied to it. The composition will dry for 10-15 minutes.
If the mass gets on bare skin of the hands, you need to remove it with acetone or gasoline, and then rinse immediately with warm water and soap.
Bandage plus salt
In this case, table salt is used both on pipelines under pressure and without it. A medical bandage with a large amount of salt in layers is wound around the crack. When wet, it forms a kind of strong crust. Such an inconvenient way of gluing is considered extreme if there are no other materials at hand.
If the hole is microscopically small, before finding the right materials for repair, you can plug it with just a small piece of a match or a toothpick. Subsequently, it is removed.
Holes in polymer lines
Leak in a plastic pipe is extremely rare, it must be eliminated by the following methods:
- If the accident occurred in the area of fittings, they simply pull up. You can optionally use sealant. It is important not to overdo it so that the polymer does not burst during tightening. Polypropylene couplings will have to be soldered using special equipment.
- If a crack formed in a straight section, it will have to be cut and replaced. Fittings are used for PVC elements. For polypropylene - a welding method.
An important condition in eliminating emergency situations of water supply, heating is the care and competence of the master. If there is no experience in such work, it is better to use the services of a professional plumber.
