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?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessec394d agoMost Upvoted

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.

jenniferb534d 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?