A New Tool In My Plumbing Toolbag

This past Tuesday morning I had just finished shaving. I pushed down on the nob-and-rod (my super technical term) to raise the plug to release the water in the sink. I did not hear the normal water-gurgling and slurping sound of a sink-full of water going down the drain pipe. Instead I heard the sound of water splashing onto the bottom of the bathroom cabinet.

NOT a good thing! I immediately pulled on the nob-and-rod to stop the draining of the sink and opened the door to reveal the inside of the cabinet. Sure enough, everything was soaked. About six rolls of toilet paper had to be thrown away. I used the trash can to catch the rest of the water so that I could drain the sink and then turned off the water to the faucets - I did not have time to investigate as I had to shower and dress for work.

That evening I came home and gave things a closer look to see if something had become loose. It turns out that the plastic drain pipe had sheared off where it met the sink - no amount of twisting was going to fix that. So, after the kids were in bed, off I went to Lowes, where I procured the replacement parts, this time in metal (don't want this to happen again).

Due to the way the pipes are under the sink, I had to cut off a couple of inches from the end of the new tail piece. I don't know if was due to the stress of being cut or was a manufacturer's defect, but once I got the new parts installed and tested, I discovered a leak. The leak was not any any of the connections I made, but where the tail piece entered the pipe body through which the plug lever enters (anyone have a more technical name for this?) - i.e. that's the way it came of of the box.

I couldn't believe it. Well, that was it for that evening. Since I had sawed off a portion of the tail piece, I couldn't return it. As I saw it, I had three options:

1. Call a plumber: That would be expensive.
2. Buy a new part and try again: That would be less expensive than a plumber but I hated the idea of having to buy another brand new part, with no guarantee that it would not leak too. I would also have to take everything apart and install it.
3. Fix the leak: In my mind, on this night, that was taking off the part, cleaning off all of the pipe dope and plumber's putty on it and trying to solder the joint so that it wouldn't leak. The problem with that option is, again, I would have to take everything apart, solder it, install it again, just so I can test it.

I slept on these three options, and came up with option 3B. What if I could fix the leak without the fire and heat of soldering, which would mean that I could fix it in place. I started running through my mind all the things I new of that could be used fix it, such as super glue, plumber's putty, and epoxy.

I settled on epoxy. Something like JB Weld aught to do it. While at work, I did some on line research at Lowes and Home Depot, to find something I could pick up on my way to work. That's when I made the discovering that there was such a thing as plumbing epoxy.

On my way home, I dropped by the Lowes' plumbing section and picked up a tube of Oatey's FIX-it STICK, all purpose bonding putty (epoxy). Here's the three bullet points on the outside packaging:

• Plugs & Seals Leaks
• Mixes In Your Hand
• Hardens Like Steel In Minutes

Sounded like just what I needed. And it was. In the tube is a stick of epoxy resin and hardener, one wrapped around the other. You break of the amount you need and mash it together until it is a consistent color (reminded me of the stick of gum in Mission Impossible, just not with explosive properties) and then have about three minutes to put it in place. I pressed the putty around the joint, making sure all sides were thuroughly covered. The instructions say that it will be fully set in 15-20 minutes. I went ahead and waited half an hour. Then I gave it a test - success! No leaks. Problem solved. And the putty was indeed very hard, though I cannot say if it was as hard as steel or not.

I wish I had know about this product several years ago. I can think of at least two plumbing projects that would have been a lot easier if I could have used the FIX-it STICK rather than the Replace-the PIPES option. This definitely goes into my plumbing toolbag.

Besides what I used this bonding putty for, the instructions inside the tube has a list of other uses:

• Sealing leaks in sink traps, pipe joints (I know that), hot water tanks, damaged water pipes, bathroom fixtures.
• Seals leaking downspouts.
• Stops leaks in gas tanks and oil pans.
• Fills rust holes and dents in autos.
• Repairs fiberglass or wood hulls.
• Attaches auto and boat trim for good (means you have to break the trim to get it off).
• Mending toys, furniture, broken handles and resetting bathroom tiles.
• Stopping leaks in oil and water tanks, air conditioning coils, air ducts.
• Patch floors, walls and castings.
• Restoring stripped threads.
• Thread locks.
• Attaching machine tags.
• Anchoring rods, bolts, screws, machines.
• Filleting compound.
• Part fabrication.

Quite amazing stuff. I like the last one. Anyone want to build an engine? I've included some pictures below. I apologize for the fuzziness. The camera had a hard time focusing.

My new tool in my fight against pipe deterioration.
Small print reads: All purpose bonding putty


The epoxy putty is that grey ring in the middle of the silver pipe.


A closer view of the sealed joint.
It ain't never gonna leak there again.