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The guy at the hardware store was right about not using flex tape on pipes
A buddy told me to just slap some flex tape on a small leak under my kitchen sink last month. I figured it was a quick fix and I'd deal with it later. Three days later I woke up to water all over the floor and a warped cabinet bottom. That cheap fix cost me $80 in new particle board and a whole Saturday replacing it. Anyone else had a 'temporary fix' turn into a real headache?
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jessec394mo ago
Tbh, I gotta disagree a little bit here. I used flex tape on a small pinhole leak in a copper pipe under my porch and it held for over two years until I finally got around to soldering it. The trick is making sure the pipe is bone dry and the tape is wrapped tight with a ton of overlap, not just a quick slap job. Sounds like your buddy probably rushed it or the pipe wasn't clean enough, which happens to a lot of people. Compression fittings are definitely more reliable long term, but flex tape can actually work if you prep it right and don't expect it to fix a major crack. Ngl, blaming the tape instead of the application is kinda missing the point.
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jenniferb534mo ago
Did you at least save the roll of flex tape for the next disaster? I read somewhere that stuff is actually made for like pool liners and outdoor stuff, not pressurized water. The guy at my local Ace Hardware told me the same thing when I asked about a similar leak, said it's fine for a temporary patch on a garden hose but not on anything with real water pressure. I ended up using a proper compression fitting and it's been solid for a year now. What did you end up using to fix it for real?
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