With the recent introduction of snap-on joiners, plumbing repairs and installations are easier to use than finding a reputable plumber to do your work - and the cost of the work is only a fraction of the plumber's bill.
Availability of Joiners
"Sharkbite" and "Gator Tooth" are two brand names sold by the large home improvement centers and many plumbing supply stores. These joiners are designed to be used with one half inch through one inch copper tubing and ABS plastic pipes. While pricey, they do the job effectively, quickly, safely, and meet US building codes.
Functions of Joiners
- Connect pipe of similar and dissimilar sizes.
- Connect a non-threaded line to threaded iron or brass pipe.
- Produce 45- or 90-degree bends in the pipe.
- Form a tee junction where two pipes can branch at the end of a straight run or one pipe can branch in the middle of a straight run.
- Cap a pipe in the event an appliance is removed or to make a blind, air-filled tube to reduce water hammer when appliances shut off.
- Insert a shut-off valve or check valve (allowing water to flow in one direction only) in a line.
- Add a new line that leads to a new appliance.
- Repair a damaged line.
Using the Joiners
The most common and simplest repair a homeowner might need is to repair a burst frozen pipe. This requires proper planning and careful work to ensure the repair produces the desired result. Usually the first sign a pipe has frozen and possibly burst is a lack of water pressure at a faucet or appliance. Alternately, the stoppage might not have been noticed and the homeowner or resident hears water running constantly when the burst pipe thaws.
Making this repair to existing plumbing is as simple as:
- shutting off the water supply,
- cutting the existing pipe at the desired location(s), and
- pressing the joiners onto the cut ends of the pipe.
Step by Step Frozen Pipe Repair
If there is no damage to the pipe, the pipe can be thawed with the heat from a hair dryer set on high.
- When there is damage, leave the pipe frozen and shut off the water supply to the area.
- Measure the outside diameter of the pipe to be sure the proper size joiners are obtained.
- Determine how much of the pipe needs to be replaced.
- Purchase two snap on couplings and a piece of the same kind of pipe long enough to replace the damaged section. Check to see how the joiners can be removed if necessary. If a special tool is needed, pick up that tool at the same time.
- Cut out the damaged section using a hack saw or pipe cutter. Make sure one end of the old pipe is free to move to insert the new pipe.
- Cut a piece of the new pipe 1/2 inch shorter than the piece removed.
- Sandpaper all ends to remove burrs and rough edges. If the washer inside is damaged, the joiner has to be replaced.
- Place the snap-on joiners onto the ends of the original pipe - making sure the pipe fully seats in the joiner (about one inch insertion).
- Push the new pipe into the joiner - making sure it fully seats in the joiner.
- Pull the old pipe on an angle from the house framing and insert the free end of the new pipe.
- Turn the water on and check for leaks.
Half-inch fittings and tubing may cost $6 or $7 each, but compared with a plumber's charge of over $100 to do the same job, a DIYer can save a nice piece of change for a small inconvenience.
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