Quick! anybody know how to seal/repair terracotta drain pipe...I hit some

[masmdu]

while digging a hole for a fence post. Small hole on top of pipe.

[notadmblnd]

1. is it to the sewer or for drainage away from your house?

ny

[masmdu]

2. (Sheepishly)...The sewer of my neighbors house

[The Night Owl]

3. Is it insured?

[masmdu]

4. I dont know...does my homeowners insurance usual lcover something like

this?

[oregonindy]

5. doh! call before you dig.

inform your neighbor now.....other wise it could be lawyerin time.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

6. Propoxy may work

Its an industiral molding glue, you can buy at a hardwear store. It can be used for pipes (it clamis on the packaging) and it dries hard as steel (they claim) and can be used underwater. It comes in a long thin tube, and is a clay like substance...

[MadHound]

7. Hate to say it, but you're screwed

Hate to tell you that, but it is the truth. You're going to have to dig up at least three feet of the pipe, cut it, and then hopefully be able to splice a patch pipe in. And that is if you're lucky. If not, you might have to replace the whole length of pipe out to the street. Sorry, but that is what happened with my family's clay drainage pipe when I was a kid.

If it is your neighbor's pipe, hopefully you have homeowner's liability insurance and can pay for it that way. Good luck.

[Az]

8. First go find a little Dutch boy

Then go find a little lawyer.

[Taxloss]

15. The boy puts his finger in the hole and the lawyer

puts his hand in your wallet.

[ashling]

9. If you have

a small section of the clay pipe or even pvc the sme size,, you can cut a saddle to fit over the hole if it is small enough. use some type of industrial sealant around the hole, cover it up, and, since it is your neighbor's, run like hell!

[Richard Steele]

10. I did something similar once; fixed it with Duct tape and cement.

But that's probably not the best way to go about it;
I'm sure someone can recommend a better repair.

Are you trying to fix this before your neighbor finds out?

[masmdu]

11. thinking about it...yep

[masmdu]

12. my worry is that because it's sewer pipe..if i dont fix it correctly there

will be sewage coming up in the yard

[Richard Steele]

13. Yes, it's something that needs to be fixed REALLY WELL.

How big is the hole, btw?

[masmdu]

17. 'bout the size of a silver dollar

[jmowreader]

14. Easy repair. Really.

You need a piece of either FRP (fiberglass-reinforced plastic) panel or 1/8" UHMW polypropylene panel big enough to go about a foot on either side of the break. FRP is easier to get but it comes in 4x8 sheets. You need a pack of "duct ties" which are three-foot-long cable ties used for clamping ductwork. And you need a shitload--two or three tubes--of Sikabond Polyurethane Construction Adhesive. (Accept no substitutes.)

Start by digging away the earth from around the pipe. The pipe needs to be free all the way around it for at least a foot on either side of the breach. Cut a piece of the plastic that's big enough to go all the way around the pipe and about a foot longer than the breach and any cracks coming from the breach is--if the breach is three inches long, cut the panel 15 inches long at least. Ideally, you want just a hair of overlap when you wrap it around the pipe. Clean the pipe up well and coat the back of the plastic with the Sikabond. It comes in a caulking compound tube so you'll need a caulking gun. They're cheap. Don't get it stupid thick, just maybe an eighth of an inch thick all over the panel. Now slip the panel under the pipe, slip three duct ties under the panel, and start working the panel around the pipe and tightening the duct ties so the panel fits snug up against the overlaps just a hair. Finally, put on some rubber gloves and use a little bit of the construction adhesive to caulk the edges of the panel. You need the rubber gloves because you want to work the adhesive into the seams with your index finger, and if you do it barehanded you're gonna have a gray finger for the next month.

Finally, leave it sit for a couple of hours--water running through the pipe will only help catalyze the polyurethane--before you fill the hole back in. Make sure to get dirt under the pipe when you fill the hole in.

[masmdu]

16. Thank you very much....I will save this in case I should need it in the

future.

As for this problem...I'm covered with my homeowner's policy...(under the stupidity clause)