Photography And Half-Thoughts By Mitchell Hegman

...because some of it is pretty and some of it is not.

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Vinyl Gloves, Silicone, and Duct Tape

My approach to plumbing is the same as my approach to watching French avant-garde movies.

I run as fast as I can in the opposite direction.

Yesterday, necessity forced me to attempt an emergency plumbing repair.  I tried, but could not reach my plumber.  And calling what I did a “plumbing repair” is something along the lines of calling Steven Seagal a gifted actor.   

Let’s have some background here.

Yesterday, I discovered that the very first plumbing fitting connecting the polyethylene pipe from my well to the metal piping in my house was leaking.  Squirting madly, actually.  The fitting was rotten.   I recall not liking the steel fitting when I installed it thirty years ago.  I wanted to use brass at the time, but could not find the fitting required in brass.

The fitting is located in my raw-earth crawlspace.  A large pool of water had formed around the fitting and was seeping into the earth without any harm to my house.

After shutting down the water and well pump, I devised a quick, questionable fix.  I would squirt a pile of silicone sealer on couple of vinyl gloves, wrap the gloves around the fitting, and then wrap that mess up under a few layers of duct tape.

If duct tape can save Apollo space capsules, certainly my plumbing had a chance.      

And in the end?

Still leaked.

I am, more or less, without water.



The Leak



Vinyl Glove and Silicone (Almond Color)



All Wrapped

Mitchell Hegman

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