Epoxy Putty provides an easy-to-use solution for quickly fixing a leaking pipe. It is effective on pipes of many materials including copper, other metals and plastics – making it one of the favoured products of plumbers and other tradespeople.
Epoxy Putty has a major advantage over other pipe repair products on the market – it can be used to fix a leaking pipe in even the most inaccessible of areas.
Whereas pipe repair tapes and bandages require space to work in, putty is simply pushed into a hole or crack to plug it. Pipes in cupboards and behind other appliances can all be repaired with putty. If you can reach the problem area with your hands, then you can fix it with epoxy putty.
The most popular format for epoxy putty – and certainly the easiest to use – is the putty stick. Epoxy putties are made up of two parts and often they will be supplied in separate containers. It is then up to the user to mix them together.
With a stick, the putty is a pre-formatted – both parts combined in one stick. The activator runs through the middle with the base on the outside and as a result, there is no need to worry about mixing or mixing ratios.
To use the putty stick, you simply cut off the required amount of epoxy and hand-knead it before applying to the area of pipework which is damaged.
The epoxy putty is completely mixed when the two contrasting colours turn to a uniform colour. Once this happens, the putty will remain soft enough to shape, mould and apply for the next 5-10 minutes.
When it comes to repairing a hole in a leaking pipe, the putty can be pushed into the crack or hole to fill the gap.
To create watertight seals around faucets, drains, and other plumbing parts, you can form the putty into a sausage-like shape and press it into and around the leaking area.
After 10 minutes, the putty will begin to harden. Within 1 hour, the pipework in question can be put back into service.
Once epoxy putty has cured, it can be tapped, drilled, ground, filed and painted. It won’t rust or shrink and the unused putty can be returned to its original packaging and stored for future use.
There are different formulation epoxy putties for use with different materials. For fixing leaking pipes, a steel or copper based epoxy putty will work best on most domestic plumbing other than PVC, where a plastic epoxy may be more suitable.
If the pipe in question supplies water which is intended for human consumption, then you should ensure that the epoxy putty has WRAS approval, certifying it as safe for use with drinking water. Products which have not been independetly tested by WRAS could end up contaminating water and posing a danger.
Specialist putties also exist for extreme conditions, such as high temperature applications. Superfast Titanium Stick for example is resistant up to 280°C, making it suitable for use with steam pipes and other pipework in industry.
In some cases, epoxy putty might not be able to seal a leak. If water pressure in the pipe you are trying to fix cannot be turned off, then the repair may not be effective. Epxoy putty works best on leaks which are not live.
Should this be the case, you can instead turn to PTFE plumber’s tape or a self-fusing silicone tape. The second of those options is recommended as the tape will stretch to 300% its original length before fusing to form a solid rubber band over the leak area. This offers a much stronger repair than PTFE Tape would.
Click here to shop for epoxy putty for repairing a leaking pipe.
I have an outside 6” hard plastic of some sort soil pipe which after many years has suddenly slipped down so that there is now an inch gap at the top. I can push it back up into the join but it won’t stay up anymore. The gap between the pipe and the wall is such that I can’t get a standard pipe fitting in there to screw it to the wall.
Will the epoxy resin (the metal one which your link takes me to) be able to keep the pipe up once applied and allowed to cure?
I would attach a photo for you to see if there was this option.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Hi Alastair. If you dry off the pipe and apply Superfast Steel to the top, you can then lift the pipe back into place and hold it there whilst the putty cures. Presuming both are dry enough, that should fix the pipe back into place.