FIBERGLASS YOUR LEAKS AWAY...

Image Gallery Clean the leak area and plug the hole with a resin/catalyst mixture and a 'glasscloth... then add more liquid and wait for it to cure.

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I've had plenty of experience with pipe repairs. In fact, when my family moved into a run-down farmhouse a few years back, I located 26 leaks in a single day ... and every one of those wet spots was a problem that required immediate attention. I think I tried about every type of patch—up job known to man ... before I came across a quick, inexpensive way to stop even the stubbornest geysers! So now, whether my plumbing springs a nagging drip or a real "Old Faithful", I just fix it with fiberglass!

IN A NUTSHELL

Here's the basic pipe patchin' procedure: [1] Clean away all the dirt and rust from around the leak and plug the hole with a thick, painted—on coat of resin/ catalyst mixture. [2] Apply the heavy, hairy 'glass cloth. [3] Coat on more liquid, and [4] wait for it to cure.

If your leak is in a high-pressure pipe, it'll probably be necessary to wrap the cloth all the way around the conduit, but a tiny drip under a small amount of pressure can be sealed with a patch ... as can holes in boat hulls.

The first break I ever fiber glassed was a connection between two four—inch woodstave pipes ... and that joint was wrapped in three-inch-thick concrete with screen embedded in it. The mud surrounding the area was littered with pieces of tarred burlap and strips of inner tubes from my past efforts to stop this water-waster.

It took me several whacks with a sledge hammer to expose the quarter-inch crack. Then, with my problem finally in view, I gathered together the materials: a can of resin, a tiny bottle of catalyst (hardener), some heavy fiberglass cloth (these three items can be purchased from boat stores or marine supply catalogs), a pair of scissors, a brush, and a container for mixing up my "brew".

(CAUTION: Should any catalyst get in your eyes, it will cause blindness unless immediate action—within four seconds—is taken to wash the hardener out. There is no known way to stop the destruction or to repair the damage, so—before using such a product—always don a pair of safety goggles.)

After the pipes were toweled completely dry, I pressed aluminum foil into the crack and squeezed it down tightly until the foil was flush with the surface. Then, I painted the spot with a mixture of resin and hardener ... and used enough of the chemical to assure that the wood was well-soaked.

Next, I cut a one-inch fiberglass strip (long enough to circle the crack a couple of times), swirled it about in my mixing can until it became entirely glassy, and stretched it as tightly as possible around the pipe ... being very careful not to pull the cloth apart or get it dirty. Finally, I squeezed away all the white air spots and added even more liquid compound along the edges of the patch ... to eliminate any rough spots or ridges.

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