Drilled into unexpected water pipe

[AngryNugget]

Been installing a new kitchen for the last month or so, and was putting up a wine rack when I drilled into a water pipe that was in the wall.

Obviously I didn't know it was there. Is a pretty old house and is a bit of a random place for a pipe, but I've put a hole in it none the less.

Water is obviously off at the moment, but need to fix the hole. I'm presuming it's going to be pretty difficult to get to the pipe to replace the damaged section, as it's plastered into the wall, and I've just had the room re-skimmed.

Any suggestions?

 

[markplumb]

dig out enough of the plaster to get a compression coupling on the pipe. not much else you can do.

 

[doitall]

Its what happens when you let a DIYer loose with a drill.

Next time you will expect the worse and check first. It could have been a gas pipe, or electric cable.

For a couple of quid you can buy metal detectors that will show you any hidden nasties in the wall.

 

[BoxBasher]

For a couple of quid you can buy metal detectors that will show you any hidden nasties in the wall.

Shame they don't show plastic pipes too...

 

[namsag]

If it is copper and the drill has not went all the way through make a patch by cutting a socket in half length ways and soldering this over the hole otherwise its cutting out a fair bit of the plaster and using two slip sockets and a bit of pipe.

 

[megawatt]

MarkPlumb wrote:

dig out enough of the plaster to get a compression coupling on the pipe. not much else you can do.

Doh! ... And then, once fitted, presumably cement over it all again?

You're not actually MarkPlasterer or MarkGardener are you?

OP: I'd follow the subsequent guidance if I were you

MW

 

[doitall]

If it is copper and the drill has not went all the way through make a patch by cutting a socket in half length ways and soldering this over the hole otherwise its cutting out a fair bit of the plaster and using two slip sockets and a bit of pipe.

Mate of mine in Bournemouth has a guest house.

He nailed the creaking floorboards in the bedrooms down

Through the carpets

 

[Dan Robinson]

Guest house now has feature of washing guests as they rturn form the beach - whether they like it or not.

 

[markplumb]

MarkPlumb wrote:

dig out enough of the plaster to get a compression coupling on the pipe. not much else you can do.

Doh! ... And then, once fitted, presumably cement over it all again?

You're not actually MarkPlasterer or MarkGardener are you?

OP: I'd follow the subsequent guidance if I were you

MW

unlike you it seems i live in the real world and don't resort to cutting couplings in half or dotting pinholes with solder and where did i say to PLASTER it over again? i'm guessing your a builder am i right or someone who hasnt been on the tools for years?

your insurance would be happy to know that you resort to them types of tricks i'm sure even if they do work.

 

[namsag]

So you expect the guy to leave a big hole in his new kitchen then. Patching a pipe with a altered socket is not a trick it is as strong a repair as any soldered fitting .

 

[markplumb]

like i said it works but can you really expect your insurance to pay out on a repair like that if it failed? please don't tell me you'd resort to this sort of thing on a gas pipe too. and if not why not?

 

[namsag]

The reason being gas regs stipulate that an appropriate fitting should be used. But i can assure you over the years this repair has been been used by many on gas with no repercussions.. But why would this repair fail it is exactly the same as a soldered fitting, would your inurance company pay out after leaving a compression fitting in a hole that was 99% likely to be filled in thus making the repair in appropriate.

And as i have already said 2 slip sockets could be used..

 

[markplumb]

even if it has been used, here is not really the place to voice it in my opinion, it gives diyers totally the wrong idea of what's ok and what's not.

 

[namsag]

Don`t talk sh#te if you don`t feel secure enough in your soldering skills that is your problem and the whole point of this site is diy hence the title.

 

[markplumb]

Don't teach people cowboy tricks then. that's what it boils down to. would you expect this type of work from say the gasboard? no of course not, now a gasboard on a cashjob maybe.