I fixed it myself!

Alternate Title - Pretty Purple PVC Plumbing Repair


I get tired of calling someone to fix stuff for me. I don't like asking for help. I don't like handing over $50-$100 to fix little things that I think I should be able to fix if I wasn't such a chicken. Now with the internet where you can really research stuff, you ought to be able to fix stuff that used to be out of reach. 


When I was washing clothes last weekend, I noticed a water all behind the washing machine that seemed to be coming from this drain. There was a water stain right behind the joint up against the wall with standing water below. It was pretty obvious that the job was sloppy, but it had held for at least 10 years. (I did not do this repair.)

After my research and after talking to my brother and one of my co-workers I decided that I really was capable of replacing this leaky PVC drain. 

First, you have to saw off the leaky pipe. John has moved most of his tools (and a few of mine as well) to his shop so the only hacksaw I could find was pretty pitiful. What I want to know is why does the last 1/4 inch take as long to saw through as the whole rest of the pipe? Why is that true? Anyway, I finally was able to break through. Then I did as all my research advised - sand the pipe smooth so it wouldn't catch debris and cause a clog. 

Then I had to get the bottles of PVC primer (the pretty purple stuff referred to in the title) and PVC cement open which required a pretty heavy duty wrench. But I got them open. 

So you paint the joints with the purple primer at all surfaces, then paint it with the glue and then you twist them together. Between the primer and the cement the PVC dissolves a little bit. When you put the 2 pieces together they actually fuse and should form a permanent completely sealed joint.  See below.

One side looks blue because I matched up edges with a blue Sharpie. The ink kind of dissolved into the purple primer.

I tested my repair tonight and it held!! No water at all. 


I am quite pleased with myself. I don't know what the next repair will be, but I'm searching for something else to stretch my skills - maybe installing a toilet.