Another PVC drain leak question.

[Lee_Leses]

Must be PVC month, LOL.

In my row house about 15 years ago the main drain stack was completely replaced from the basement up to the 3rd floor bathroom.

Now suddenly I can hear a drip when you drain the vanity sink or the bathtub.

I think the plumber who did the job did not use purple primer, just cement.

1) In a situation like this, would it be best to do the whole thing over again, or just find and repair the bad joint? If one joint is bad, does that mean other joints are likely to follow?

2) Is it common to have a problem with a drain joint after having to snake out a clogged drain? I'm just curious.

3) This is closed up pretty good. Is it typically better to open the floor in the bathroom (which is tiled), or the ceiling downstairs to deal with this issue?

4) How often do people use a pinhole inspection camera to try to avoid cutting everything open?

5) Lastly, I see there's about ten ways to try to repair the joint without cutting it out, JB weld, epoxy, rubber hose and clamps, repair rings, repair clips. etc etc.. Are any of these devices or substances good for a long term repair, or is the only recommended fix a cut out and re-do?

Again, my first battle is how much has to be cut open and where to cut just to find the leak!

Thank You,

Lee

 

[Reach4]

Now suddenly I can hear a drip when you drain the vanity sink or the bathtub.

If you see a drip, there is a leak. If you hear a drip with plastic pipe, there is a good chance that there is no leak.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Cacher_Chick]

It is easy to hear water dripping or running on the inside of plastic piping. Until you have better evidence of a leak, I wouldn't start demo yet.

 

[Lee_Leses]

Thanks guys! I had no idea. It would be great if there's not a leak, I'm only working part-time right now and with my health the way it is it's hard to fix things myself.

 

[Jadnashua]

If the original drain was cast iron, you'll find that the pvc is a lot noisier. Plus, it expands and contracts lots more with temperature changes, so if it is going through a tight hole, or tight up against a rigid surface, when expanding, it might (likely will) rub. Because of the friction, it will often built up tension until it springs loose, often leading to a series of clicks or bangs. IT can do the same thing when it starts to cool off again. You'd likely notice this most easily if you dumped some boiling water down the kitchen sink...with CI, you probably won't hear anything...with PVC, you probably will, as that is about the extreme case for temperature change and maximum expansion/contraction.

They make two versions of the cleaner...a clear version and a purple version - they're functionally identical. SOme places require the purple version so that the inspector can verify the joint was actually primed, but if not, some will use the clear stuff since it looks better, and is less likely to drip on something, staining it, and potentially damaging it. So, can't really say if yours has primer or not if it's not purple.

If the dripping sound seems fairly consistent, turn the water off to your toilets and see if the sound goes away. Leave it off for awhile, and check to see if the toilet tanks' level has dropped. You may have a defective flapper valve that needs replacement.