I got a call from Todd, a homeowner who had a leak detection performed and learned he had a suction side leak in a pipe that ran under the patio. He wasn’t interested in breaking concrete to make repairs, the leak was minimal and he wanted an alternative. He found PipeFuze.
“I can repair the concrete,” Todd shared. “That isn’t the problem, repairs can be made, but do I have to do that? PipeFuze looks like a solution that can fix the pipe without having to dig it up.”
His question was valid, and yes, PipeFuze does provide an alternative to fix a leaking pipe under concrete. That’s what it’s for! Even if you’re unsure of the amount of water loss or exact damage to the pipe, the expense of making major repairs is high – for a few dollars, you just might fix the problem permanently using PipeFuze.
Todd confirmed that the pipe itself was losing about 4 pounds of pressure over the course of a minute’s time; less over 30 seconds. Todd ordered the homeowners kit and set up the system to run PipeFuze through the isolated line. He called me during the process with a few more questions. These questions are good, as they address a step in the process some people don’t do when using PipeFuze, and they should.
Todd asked, “How long to I run it for?”
I told him that two hours should be sufficient to get the Part A liquid to stop water loss.
He then asked, “Do I just add Part B after two hours?”
This is where I explained the simple process of another pressure test to him. When you run the system and the particulate in Part A fills the crack, the water will stop seeping from the pipe and the viscous fluid of Part A will gather in the crack. It’s time to do another pressure test to see if it’s holding. Most of the time, with a small amount of pressure, just 5 pounds, you’ll see that the pressure in the pipe is holding and water is no longer leaking out of the damaged area. When you know it’s holding, then you add Part B.
Todd told me that he had 4 guys standing around the leak and they were all amazed at how it worked. They did a second pressure test on the pipe and it was holding just fine. With an application of the Part B fluid, and circulating it for another 2 hours, the pipe was repaired and the leak was fixed.
The fluids in PipeFuze are scientifically formulated to do more than just plug a hole with particulate. There is a thicker fluid in the mix that gathers in the crack and penetrates it while flowing through the separation. As the particulate stops water flowing through the crack, the Part A fluid begins to harden as it air dries. On the inside of the pipe, that hardening blend of particulate and fluid is activated to become thicker by putting Part B into the mix. The combination of the activated fluid and the air hardening from the outside makes a solid damming effect on the pipe as the fluid adheres to the inside of the cracks lining and becomes one with the pipe. No water flowing, crack sealed.
Todd called me again the next day with delight. he said, “I wasn’t looking forward to spending on concrete repair. it would have been a little over two-grand to get it all fixed up. Pipe Fuze was much less and the pipe is holding just fine. I appreciate the solution!”
We appreciate Todd making the call to let us know how it went. We hope you’ll do the same. If you have questions regarding the use of Pipe Fuze, or if it’s the right solution for your pipe leaks, call the office at 818-436-2953 and we’ll answer any questions you have.
