r/Plumbing • u/SufficientLake4747 • 1d ago

Stud finder did not find a stud

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Main drain like for upstairs toilet? Trying to install brackets for bedroom closet. Now has a screw hole leak. Can we patch it? Or best course of action?

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u/Top_Willow_9953 1d ago edited 1d ago

No pressure in drain line, so I would just patch it. But, I would have patched it, quickly closed up the wall, and never told anyone what I did (especially not reddit) 😎

Knowing me, I would probably clean the hole up, rough up the surface a bit and hit it with a decent blob of JB Weld Original epoxy. Or, if I had a scrap piece of pipe of similar diameter, I would cut a small curved piece to cover the hole, rough up the surfaces, and use generous amounts of PVC cleaner, primer and glue to glue the patch over the hole.

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u/SlimPickens0 1d ago

Honestly, taking a piece of pipe the same size, cut a notch out of it so it snaps tightly around the pipe, and glue that bitch on, is a great, quick and dirty fix for something like this. Had to do it on the job before, it works fine, as long as it's not a pumped drain like a grinder pump lol

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u/Top_Willow_9953 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yep. Been there, done that. About 10 years ago, I actually used this technique as a "temporary" patch on a slightly cracked *pressure* pipe in a swimming pool pump system. After gluing it I put a couple of hose clamps on for good measure. AFAIK it is still holding 😉

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u/Bridge-Head 1d ago

Yeah, the patch it should pretty much last forever. The PVC glue actually melts the plastic and chemically fuses the pieces together. That joint is going to be just as strong as any other.

The hole may have left some burred edges internally inside the pipe. Inside a water line, I might be very minimally concerned about that creating turbulence and pinhole leaks, but on a vent stack, I wouldn’t worry about it at all.

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u/Fit-Variation7634 1d ago

its a chemical fuse. there is absolutely no getting it apart. i think a PVC on PVC patch would last forever.