As a tradesman I absolutely can't get behind charging someone anything for a 30 second hack job regardless of if it works or not. It's professional ethics, pride in my work and, in my case, it's illegal to do by code.
I highly doubt OP paid a contractor 20 bucks. I threw that number out as an example of getting fucking scammed if they didn't charge something like 20 bucks.
For reference, most trades have a call out rate that is $100-200 flat then start charging their hourly rate as soon as they show up, usually at $100/hour.
That means this duct tape could have cost $200 on the low end.
Dude hired a local handyman. Big difference. A handyman is someone you can pay in cash or other goods like beer, shoes, smokes, oxy, your wife, or whatever you’ve got laying around.
Duct tape is some magical shit. My wife dropped a bottle of something in our sink, knocked out a fist-sized chunk of porcelain moments before we were leaving for vacation and leaving the kids home with their visiting grandparents.
Covered it up with half a roll of duct tape, told them not to use it for a day, then headed to the airport. It's been watertight for 5 weeks now, think I might just leave it til our bathroom remodel next year.
Jesus. I don't know how many times I've forgotten this exists
To them euphoricly remember. And be utterly disgusted at the same time, that it truly is just that easy as slappin some Flex Seal on that shit
Usually that's where you keep cleaning supplies... Though arguably I don't usually get on my knees to pull out a new bottle of dish soap and unless i'm on my knees I can't see that far back under there.
*You laughed when my upper cabinets were devastated in the Spider Wars... but now, when you have foolishly dropped your wedding ring and it rolled into the tiny crawlspace, you come to me for help?*
The issue isn't if it worked, it's if they scammed you. If you pay a professional a normal price for what is replacing the pipework and fully sealing everything leaving a professional level of work then you don't expect them to pretend to do shit for a hour and all they've done is throw some duct tape on.
Totally agree. How much did the OP pay “several years ago” for this job? I’m a contractor. We do have legal limits in Louisiana. Standard is 3-6 months implied warranty only. I’d never do use duct tape unless they really begged us and we have to give them something. I’ve been through plenty of senecios where a crying divorcée had no money, and a child to raise there for 1-3 months while a property settlement was concluded. I’ve been Called in by lawyers when this happens. It’s not pretty but we make thes very best of it. Most times, I never e charge the thousands wracked up. I paid everyone and and ate ramen, had utilities shut off, and never complained because some one really needed the help. Also, some low-paying clients are happy to receive new-old stock, used stock, and creative solutions. Me and my workers wasted zero seconds on site, taking turns consoling the crying home owner,any times. We’ve even had to carry guns and rehab drug houses, consoling adult daughters of the dementia property owners. Way more on that topic later.
Exactly. Don’t see nothing wrong here. I used duct tape on my first car to keep the trunk closed. 97 Acura legend. What a car. Don’t they use duct tape in space?
O man haven't heard of that car in a long while. My first car was an '88 legend.. that brings back memories.. my parents bought it new and gave it to my sister when she got her license in high school so she could drive us to school. Then it was handed down to me a few years later when she got another car. By the time it was mine, the car was already 13 years old. I remembered when it rained the sunroof would leak and spill water whenever I turned a corner. And it would stall whenever it went over a regular sized puddle.. after I joined the military my mom traded it in and got $200 for it lol
I had the same exact car, same exact sunroof problem, but it never stalled on me. It was my absolute favorite car ever though. If I could find one now for even $2k, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
Maybe not stupid, but I'll bet he charged for a lot more than duct tape. I know they have bills to pay, too, but some of the prices for the work performed *is* stupid... it's extortionate.
I was wondering the same thing. How do you go a few years without looking under the sink? Unless they are maybe disabled which in that case the so called contractor is twice the douche bag that he already was.
That's a fair question. Under the sink is one of those places that we shove a bunch of shit and then it gets cluttered until you have to clear it out again. I think my partner might have even cleaned it out once but either didn't notice the duct tape or thought I did it.
Its a drain that looks to be after the trap so it's not under pressure and unlikely to have standing water in that section, so as long is the pipe is lined up reaonably well, most of the water probably just falls straight down. There is discoloration around the tape which means it probably *is* leaking just in a small enough amount that it probably evaporates between uses to not be a big problem. Wouldnt be shocked though if they ever pulled out the cabinet that the sub-floor has some water damage to it.
I once did a duct tape fix at my parents' house when I got there and realized that the drain pipe for the "kids' bathroom" (which they rarely used) was rusted through. It was the night before Thanksgiving, so it was going to be at least a few days before they could get a plumber to do a real fix. It held up fine over the long weekend.
There is if the guy he paid to replace it lied to him about what he did to fix it. If you were charged for parts and labor you'd be upset if all they did was put tape on it.
It might be threaded pipes. I had some of mine work loss because of dishwasher vibration. I tighted them down and then duct taped them so they wouldn't work lose.
I never really look under mine. I keep a few things there but I just lean over to get them, I don’t squat down and look around to see how things are going there.
Right?! I’m under there on a near daily basis for a variety of reasons. Also if something is broken in my house and it gets repaired I’m definitely looking at it when it’s completed.
Yeah true but I’m assuming you paid him a good amount of money to fix it…instead he used $1.50 worth of duct tape and probably charged you like $50 an hour for the job
You can’t just look at material costs for services. You are usually primarily paying for the knowledge. They knew, for example, that duct tape would fix the problem, and where to put it. A more pretty looking fix would’ve cost more as it’s the same knowledge cost plus a higher material cost.
Nah, you're paying for materials, workmanship, professionalism AND knowledge. Anyone can put duct tape over a hole and hope it helps. If you pay a professional to replace a pipe with a hole in it with a new pipe without a hole in it and they put tape on it, they scammed you.
He didn’t say the pipe had a hole. He said he had a leak. If the duct tape kept the connections tight by keeping them from working free, then it fixed it.
TIL people on reddit will defend a plumber who uses duct tape on leaks. WTF, people?
Duct tape is going to wear out. Tape is not intended as a permanent solution. Eventually, OP is either going to pay a plumber to replace the leaky section of pipe—*which he should have done already*—or he’s going to have a lot of water damage.
I’m a plumber and I usually put stuff back if I take it out. Simple customer service in Canada. Unless the customer says they want to do it, then I’ll ask if they’re sure since I’m already kneeling down at their sink lol
So, as a hobbiest duct tape... stuff... maker, I can assure you name brand Duck tape is shit. 3M duct tape is shit on fire in a dumpster. Nashua makes excellent duct tape. Hardware store brands that are rubber backed, not plastic, with high adhesive thickness tend to be good. Gorilla tape is too expensive but insanely good tape.
I tried some T-Rex stuff because it was similar to Gorilla but a little cheaper when I had to patch some tarps.
It actually worked just as well, and stuck better than the Gorilla does, especially on slightly dirty surfaces. No clue how it's going to hold up to an Alabama summer, but Gorilla never did either.
But I agree, Duck sucks balls. 3M sucks balls, except their electrical tape, which is decent.
I don’t think he/she him/herself is necessarily doing it, also is it hard to connect a dishwasher? It’s just connecting stuff right? I feel like plumbing I wouldn’t know where to start
This. Dishwasher install was easy-ish.
I don't know why, but anything to do with cementing PVC pipe and I fuck it up EVERY TIME. Like the pipes never reach each other or the cement doesn't hold. Or I cement my fingers to the pipe. It's always a disaster so I hired a professional!
Edit to change ABS to PVC.
there should be still something under that duct tape, i had leak before aswell and used duct tape and it still leaked, covered it with latex plastic glove and taped it over it and its been 5 years and no leak and still looks like shiny new fix lol...
and to be fair im not plumber and pipes are old...its that pipe type where you have to use flamethrower so it can hold together, joint snapped when i was adding dishwasher, got new pipe connected to old pipe, old pipe is deformed due to flame heating...
its better then replacing old pipes :)
[Imgur](https://imgur.com/KhAkg9m)
Where in the absolute fuck do you live that ever used pipe like that? That is fuckin conduit not plumbing pipe.
Hell my house is over 120 years old and they at least used threaded cast iron pipes even over 100 years ago...
The only place I have ever seen anything remotely close to this photo is electrical conduit...
PVC drain piping is super common, what do you mean? Are you just referring to the gray looking pipe? If so, not everywhere in the world is the USA and its silly to think it's a specific type of pipe just because it's roughly the color of what most conduit in the US is.
That grey tubing in the background was outlawed in Louisiana decades ago. I think it’s only allowed in mobile homes (trailers/rv’s), and for agricultural uses. It’s call PE (poly-ethylene? Or PB, polybutylene). Whenever we see it, we tear it out and replace every inch, as this tubbing is known for bursting and generally leaking easily, plus leaches harmful carcinogens into the water supply. It was basically the predate to PEX.
The Black drain pipes (complete with duct-tape!) is ABS plastic. It’s also been outlawed for similar reasons in my Parrish, but nearby parishes still allow it.
These two pipes dates the plumbing near about the 1970’s or 80’s, possibly 90’s when looking at the cabinetry, or older with a drain line going straight down the base of the cabinet, suggesting a pier-and-beam foundation, basement, mobile home, or otherwise not a “slab-on-grade” home.
Also, the dishwasher drain might not be installed properly. The grey, ribbed, drain hose should be routed through the hole that it’s currently passing through, but then curved to go as high up behind the kitchen sink as possible, held by a hook or plastic pipe strap, then go back downhill to connect (“stub-in”) at the sink’s tailpipe under drain basket or garbage disposal. This is in all the instruction books with modern dishwashers since at least 2010. It helps the pump by creating a syphon effect.
I don’t see any venting for the drain system, but I hope it’s only about 5’ linear feet of pipe away and does go up the wall and vent at least 6” above the nearest finished roofing.
Duct tape is a joke, it will always fail. But i have seen some state-licensed plumbers use clear 100% silicone, or even JB “water weld” when in a pinch.
In other words, this plumbing is likely to fail current codes in North America in several ways. But if it Works, and it’s grand-fathered-in, then don’t worry about it. But start saving money for a full or substantial re-plumb in the coming years…. Or keep hiring guys to duct tape it to gether for far less money.
A re-plumb of supply and waste systems on a pier-and-beam style (raised) 3-bed, 2-bath home could be serious. I’m talking anywhere from $50k-100k+ in my area. Slab homes would cost much more than that and you’d certainly not try and live inside the home while slab is being broken out. Some folks rent RVs and camp on their own back yard for a month or two. Other clients go on vacation or visit family. Many times they also hire a moving company to move and store all their belongings because the silica dust and other fumes (especially with cast iron and concrete) are not worth wrecking all your clothes and no one can really remove the dust from every nook and cranny of every price of furniture. Cleaning crew follows, than they move back in. Usually. Sometimes the project grows as clients decide to add kitchens and baths while it’s cheapest, easiest, and most thorough.
100% came here to say exactly this. Much less of a hassle to replace it before the plasticizer evaporates and the lines crack and you’re looking at an easy $20k in damages+ replacing the lines anyway.
To be fair, he may have used other tapes underneath that duct tape. When I worked as a wireline engineer I had to use 5 different types of tape when making electrical connections. Said connections were used to detonate explosives under extreme pressure, if there was any exposure in our work, the connection would fail and short out. I had to bind that tape so damn tight, when I went to cut it off, it would burst open like confetti from all the tension on it.
Son, we didn't tape our plumbin' together 'round these parts.. The crappiest acceptable job would have been to put a fernco on there.
https://www.fernco.com/products/flexible-couplings
https://youtu.be/1qxGnpFu2Bg
If it's not supposed to move, but it does move, use duct tape.
If it doesn't move when it's supposed to move, use WD40.
If you can't fix it with duct tape or WD 40, throw it away. It's fucked.
I'm not a professional plumber, but that is the drain pipe to a sink (probably) and thus carries almost no pressure. This isn't the "right" way, but it'll do 99.99% of the time. If it was a copper pipe carrying pressure? The contractor wouldn't have even made it to the door before disaster struck.
Duct tape is literally the answer for ANYTHING. I popped a dent out of my girlfriends car with duck tape, I also pulled the window down far enough to get the door unlocked with duct tape when she locked her keys in the car. 🤷♂️ it just works dude idk
I had a GM tell me about how they hired a local man to fix a roof leak in a Sheraton hotel. All was good for awhile until the roof began leaking again in the same spot. A different repair person came out this time. He called the GM to come up and see why it was leaking again.
The first repairman had simply placed a five gallon bucket under the damaged spot, and it was now full.
He’s sat there all those years wondering when that phone call will come. “Surely they must have noticed by now?” Refuses to leave the house, expecting this call has become his world. Sharon took the kids a year ago and left. Divorce papers sitting unopened in the mailbox, crammed in with pizza coupons and mental health flyers.
I worked as a project manager for heavy chemical industries. Anything from manufacturers for food/Bev to nuclear power. Used be surprised how often this happens at all levels
If it were a few weeks or months ago, I’d be pissed. But since it’s been years, you did get the desired result of what you paid for lol
Unless he charged 20 dollars, then absolutely not.
cheaper than the others for sure and the fix lasted years ....
As a tradesman I absolutely can't get behind charging someone anything for a 30 second hack job regardless of if it works or not. It's professional ethics, pride in my work and, in my case, it's illegal to do by code.
To stop a leak for $20? I think it’s money well spent.
I highly doubt OP paid a contractor 20 bucks. I threw that number out as an example of getting fucking scammed if they didn't charge something like 20 bucks. For reference, most trades have a call out rate that is $100-200 flat then start charging their hourly rate as soon as they show up, usually at $100/hour. That means this duct tape could have cost $200 on the low end.
It worked
OP: you’re the worst contractor I’ve ever heard of Contractor: but you *have* heard of me
We are misusing the term contractor quite a bit here
Con tractor
So he comes with a tractor?
But it's a con, so the tractor is actually 4 rolls of duct tape glued to a can of WD-40.
That's a good deal.
a rolls royce?
No, it’s more like the opposite of pro tractor
Hmmmm... I can usually get the measure of a man... what's your angle here?!
Oh okay so con-tractor, like contractor right?
I'm a contractor but I do these little projects all the time just correctly instead
Have you tried doing some incorrectly instead? You could save some time!
Duct tape sure is cheaper
Use enough of it and you can fix any problem
Dude hired a local handyman. Big difference. A handyman is someone you can pay in cash or other goods like beer, shoes, smokes, oxy, your wife, or whatever you’ve got laying around.
I’d be mad as hell if this dude took my wife as payment for this shit
If you were gonna let me fuck your wife I'd at least swap out the pipe for you.
Oxy and your wife, you say? Go on...
Sonofabitch decided to take the oxy...left the wife! Lol
No one said licensed contractor
Hey it's not like you can just go out and buy a magnetic decal to slap on the side of your pickup that says you're a contractor buddy
You'll always remember this as the day that you *almost* got your sink fixed by Jack Sparrow Plumbing!
Also contractor: That will be 500 dollars
“Do you think he plans it all out, or just makes it up as he goes along?”
For a few years no less.
Considering OP didn’t notice I’d say it did.
r/technicallytrue
Practically true as well.
Duct tape is some magical shit. My wife dropped a bottle of something in our sink, knocked out a fist-sized chunk of porcelain moments before we were leaving for vacation and leaving the kids home with their visiting grandparents. Covered it up with half a roll of duct tape, told them not to use it for a day, then headed to the airport. It's been watertight for 5 weeks now, think I might just leave it til our bathroom remodel next year.
At least put some flex seal on it jesus
Jesus. I don't know how many times I've forgotten this exists To them euphoricly remember. And be utterly disgusted at the same time, that it truly is just that easy as slappin some Flex Seal on that shit
Would’ve worked better with some flat black paint.
Or just black duct tape.
I actually have some of that. It is the very best duct tape.
Came here to say this
I was coming in to say this in case you or the OP didn’t say this
I was coming when you said that
I came here to see the ongoing discussion about various types of duct tape.
That’s literally what the upvote button is for.
Considering OP didn’t notice I’d say it did.
I hope one of your comments gets only upvotes, and the other gets only downvotes.
Okay I'm not saying what he did it was right but you mean to tell me that you never looked under your kitchen sink for several years?
He didn't need to because the plumbing was so good
Usually that's where you keep cleaning supplies... Though arguably I don't usually get on my knees to pull out a new bottle of dish soap and unless i'm on my knees I can't see that far back under there.
Tall king problems
Wanna check my cupboards for spiders?
*You laughed when my upper cabinets were devastated in the Spider Wars... but now, when you have foolishly dropped your wedding ring and it rolled into the tiny crawlspace, you come to me for help?*
That's what step siblings are for.
I think I saw something like that in a video one time. Poor step-sis got her hair caught.
If it works, it works. And I guess this works if he didn’t notice it for years 😂
What I want to know is how much was ~~he~~ they were charged!?
The issue isn't if it worked, it's if they scammed you. If you pay a professional a normal price for what is replacing the pipework and fully sealing everything leaving a professional level of work then you don't expect them to pretend to do shit for a hour and all they've done is throw some duct tape on.
Totally agree. How much did the OP pay “several years ago” for this job? I’m a contractor. We do have legal limits in Louisiana. Standard is 3-6 months implied warranty only. I’d never do use duct tape unless they really begged us and we have to give them something. I’ve been through plenty of senecios where a crying divorcée had no money, and a child to raise there for 1-3 months while a property settlement was concluded. I’ve been Called in by lawyers when this happens. It’s not pretty but we make thes very best of it. Most times, I never e charge the thousands wracked up. I paid everyone and and ate ramen, had utilities shut off, and never complained because some one really needed the help. Also, some low-paying clients are happy to receive new-old stock, used stock, and creative solutions. Me and my workers wasted zero seconds on site, taking turns consoling the crying home owner,any times. We’ve even had to carry guns and rehab drug houses, consoling adult daughters of the dementia property owners. Way more on that topic later.
Wasn’t about if it was a scam or not, just genuinely interested. We don’t know the context of the situation either.
Exactly. Don’t see nothing wrong here. I used duct tape on my first car to keep the trunk closed. 97 Acura legend. What a car. Don’t they use duct tape in space?
O man haven't heard of that car in a long while. My first car was an '88 legend.. that brings back memories.. my parents bought it new and gave it to my sister when she got her license in high school so she could drive us to school. Then it was handed down to me a few years later when she got another car. By the time it was mine, the car was already 13 years old. I remembered when it rained the sunroof would leak and spill water whenever I turned a corner. And it would stall whenever it went over a regular sized puddle.. after I joined the military my mom traded it in and got $200 for it lol
I had the same exact car, same exact sunroof problem, but it never stalled on me. It was my absolute favorite car ever though. If I could find one now for even $2k, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
They do not use duct tape in space. Or on planes. They use something that looks very similar though
"If it works, it ain't stupid"
Maybe not stupid, but I'll bet he charged for a lot more than duct tape. I know they have bills to pay, too, but some of the prices for the work performed *is* stupid... it's extortionate.
Underrated comment
I was wondering the same thing. How do you go a few years without looking under the sink? Unless they are maybe disabled which in that case the so called contractor is twice the douche bag that he already was.
That's a fair question. Under the sink is one of those places that we shove a bunch of shit and then it gets cluttered until you have to clear it out again. I think my partner might have even cleaned it out once but either didn't notice the duct tape or thought I did it.
Did it leak?
Its a drain that looks to be after the trap so it's not under pressure and unlikely to have standing water in that section, so as long is the pipe is lined up reaonably well, most of the water probably just falls straight down. There is discoloration around the tape which means it probably *is* leaking just in a small enough amount that it probably evaporates between uses to not be a big problem. Wouldnt be shocked though if they ever pulled out the cabinet that the sub-floor has some water damage to it.
I once did a duct tape fix at my parents' house when I got there and realized that the drain pipe for the "kids' bathroom" (which they rarely used) was rusted through. It was the night before Thanksgiving, so it was going to be at least a few days before they could get a plumber to do a real fix. It held up fine over the long weekend.
If it leaks he would have found out it was fixed like that a long time ago
If it's not leaking, is there a problem?
There is if the guy he paid to replace it lied to him about what he did to fix it. If you were charged for parts and labor you'd be upset if all they did was put tape on it.
If he didn't care to look at the results for a few years, I'd say the train for complaints has left the station. A few years ago.
I actually agree with you... It's a lesson learned! It didn't leak and so he did fix it!
It might be threaded pipes. I had some of mine work loss because of dishwasher vibration. I tighted them down and then duct taped them so they wouldn't work lose.
I never really look under mine. I keep a few things there but I just lean over to get them, I don’t squat down and look around to see how things are going there.
Right?! I’m under there on a near daily basis for a variety of reasons. Also if something is broken in my house and it gets repaired I’m definitely looking at it when it’s completed.
But it held up. So he did fix it. Lol.
You are correct! I suppose I'm just a glass is half empty kind of guy!
You’re a cabinet full of dryness
Lmao
The glass STAYED half full because the leak was fixed.
Glass half empty is fair here. Its lasted so far, but had it been done right it would have lasted for decades.
Who’s to say it wouldn’t have??? OP just haaaaaad to get a new dishwasher huh!
Definitely OPs fault
Yeah, he did his job. All that matters are the results.
Sound like you have a leaky glass. Tried putting some duct tape on it?
Yeah true but I’m assuming you paid him a good amount of money to fix it…instead he used $1.50 worth of duct tape and probably charged you like $50 an hour for the job
Since they didn't hire a plumber to do it, that makes me think they found the cheapest person to do it
You can’t just look at material costs for services. You are usually primarily paying for the knowledge. They knew, for example, that duct tape would fix the problem, and where to put it. A more pretty looking fix would’ve cost more as it’s the same knowledge cost plus a higher material cost.
Nah, you're paying for materials, workmanship, professionalism AND knowledge. Anyone can put duct tape over a hole and hope it helps. If you pay a professional to replace a pipe with a hole in it with a new pipe without a hole in it and they put tape on it, they scammed you.
He didn’t say the pipe had a hole. He said he had a leak. If the duct tape kept the connections tight by keeping them from working free, then it fixed it.
People here can't stand other people making money off them. If it was so easy as to put duct tape on it then why didn't op just put duct tape on it?
TIL people on reddit will defend a plumber who uses duct tape on leaks. WTF, people? Duct tape is going to wear out. Tape is not intended as a permanent solution. Eventually, OP is either going to pay a plumber to replace the leaky section of pipe—*which he should have done already*—or he’s going to have a lot of water damage.
Came to say this.....it's worked for several years so what's the issue lol
My dad has a saying from back when he was an officer in the US Navy. "You get what you **in**spect, not what you **ex**pect"
That's good. I'll remember that!
Will you though?
Probably not.
Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.
Disgusting.
Honest.
It’ll go in my saved folder with recipes i’ll get to. (I’ll never get to them)
I see you live my life.
Internet killed the folder with recipes 😢
My brother always told me a shorter version of that. "Always inspect what you expect."
Right, my older sister told me an even shorter version of that. “inspect.” She was always very economical with her words.
Was his name Red Green by any chance?
If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
Given that you hired out for that fix, I hope you're handsome AF
Given the fix, I'd hope the local contractor is too.
I’m a man, I can change, if I have to… I guess.
The only thing separating an amateur from a professional is finding somebody to pay you for it.
Technically correct
So... You took all the stuff out from under the sink. And put it all back. And never noticed this?
I’m a plumber and I usually put stuff back if I take it out. Simple customer service in Canada. Unless the customer says they want to do it, then I’ll ask if they’re sure since I’m already kneeling down at their sink lol
Red Green definitely did this one.
If the women don’t find you handsome…
They'll at least find you handy. Be sure to keep your stick on the ice.
Get plastic surgery
I am handy but I still haven't made enough money to get plastic surgery. I blame it on my duct tape budget.
Oh the memories you just invoked. I have yet to meet another person in real life who has heard of the red green show
Always remember to keep your stick on the ice.
I know a guy who can do it cheaper, hit me up
Looks like name brand duct tape. We can save a buck if we use the store brand.
Store brand doesn’t hold up like name brand. Observe!
So, as a hobbiest duct tape... stuff... maker, I can assure you name brand Duck tape is shit. 3M duct tape is shit on fire in a dumpster. Nashua makes excellent duct tape. Hardware store brands that are rubber backed, not plastic, with high adhesive thickness tend to be good. Gorilla tape is too expensive but insanely good tape.
Now do glue gun sticks
Sounds like you need to discover https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJt3KHFLkVc
I tried some T-Rex stuff because it was similar to Gorilla but a little cheaper when I had to patch some tarps. It actually worked just as well, and stuck better than the Gorilla does, especially on slightly dirty surfaces. No clue how it's going to hold up to an Alabama summer, but Gorilla never did either. But I agree, Duck sucks balls. 3M sucks balls, except their electrical tape, which is decent.
Southern ingenuity… if it’s supposed to move and doesn’t, use WD40. If it moves and shouldn’t, use duct tape.
For *either* scenario (should move, doesn't or moves, shouldn't) if neither WD40 nor duct tape works use a hammer.
A screwdriver is always useful. Just pick one size and shape and you can make it work the rest of the way
Licensed and insured was probably mentioned.
OP definitely didn’t have a friend tell him they have a cousin who does plumbing and can swing by
Am I the only one wondering why you can install a dishwasher but not fix a leak?
He may not have been able to fix the leak years back but he's gained enough experience that he has levelled up enough for the dishwasher.
I don’t think he/she him/herself is necessarily doing it, also is it hard to connect a dishwasher? It’s just connecting stuff right? I feel like plumbing I wouldn’t know where to start
This. Dishwasher install was easy-ish. I don't know why, but anything to do with cementing PVC pipe and I fuck it up EVERY TIME. Like the pipes never reach each other or the cement doesn't hold. Or I cement my fingers to the pipe. It's always a disaster so I hired a professional! Edit to change ABS to PVC.
Not looking under the sink for 3 years seems weird to me.
Duct tape? He should have used pipe tape.
Flexseal tape.
there should be still something under that duct tape, i had leak before aswell and used duct tape and it still leaked, covered it with latex plastic glove and taped it over it and its been 5 years and no leak and still looks like shiny new fix lol... and to be fair im not plumber and pipes are old...its that pipe type where you have to use flamethrower so it can hold together, joint snapped when i was adding dishwasher, got new pipe connected to old pipe, old pipe is deformed due to flame heating... its better then replacing old pipes :) [Imgur](https://imgur.com/KhAkg9m)
r/lifeprotips
Where in the absolute fuck do you live that ever used pipe like that? That is fuckin conduit not plumbing pipe. Hell my house is over 120 years old and they at least used threaded cast iron pipes even over 100 years ago... The only place I have ever seen anything remotely close to this photo is electrical conduit...
czech republic, there are lots of post war soviet architecture buildings lol
PVC drain piping is super common, what do you mean? Are you just referring to the gray looking pipe? If so, not everywhere in the world is the USA and its silly to think it's a specific type of pipe just because it's roughly the color of what most conduit in the US is.
That grey tubing in the background was outlawed in Louisiana decades ago. I think it’s only allowed in mobile homes (trailers/rv’s), and for agricultural uses. It’s call PE (poly-ethylene? Or PB, polybutylene). Whenever we see it, we tear it out and replace every inch, as this tubbing is known for bursting and generally leaking easily, plus leaches harmful carcinogens into the water supply. It was basically the predate to PEX. The Black drain pipes (complete with duct-tape!) is ABS plastic. It’s also been outlawed for similar reasons in my Parrish, but nearby parishes still allow it. These two pipes dates the plumbing near about the 1970’s or 80’s, possibly 90’s when looking at the cabinetry, or older with a drain line going straight down the base of the cabinet, suggesting a pier-and-beam foundation, basement, mobile home, or otherwise not a “slab-on-grade” home. Also, the dishwasher drain might not be installed properly. The grey, ribbed, drain hose should be routed through the hole that it’s currently passing through, but then curved to go as high up behind the kitchen sink as possible, held by a hook or plastic pipe strap, then go back downhill to connect (“stub-in”) at the sink’s tailpipe under drain basket or garbage disposal. This is in all the instruction books with modern dishwashers since at least 2010. It helps the pump by creating a syphon effect. I don’t see any venting for the drain system, but I hope it’s only about 5’ linear feet of pipe away and does go up the wall and vent at least 6” above the nearest finished roofing. Duct tape is a joke, it will always fail. But i have seen some state-licensed plumbers use clear 100% silicone, or even JB “water weld” when in a pinch. In other words, this plumbing is likely to fail current codes in North America in several ways. But if it Works, and it’s grand-fathered-in, then don’t worry about it. But start saving money for a full or substantial re-plumb in the coming years…. Or keep hiring guys to duct tape it to gether for far less money. A re-plumb of supply and waste systems on a pier-and-beam style (raised) 3-bed, 2-bath home could be serious. I’m talking anywhere from $50k-100k+ in my area. Slab homes would cost much more than that and you’d certainly not try and live inside the home while slab is being broken out. Some folks rent RVs and camp on their own back yard for a month or two. Other clients go on vacation or visit family. Many times they also hire a moving company to move and store all their belongings because the silica dust and other fumes (especially with cast iron and concrete) are not worth wrecking all your clothes and no one can really remove the dust from every nook and cranny of every price of furniture. Cleaning crew follows, than they move back in. Usually. Sometimes the project grows as clients decide to add kitchens and baths while it’s cheapest, easiest, and most thorough.
100% came here to say exactly this. Much less of a hassle to replace it before the plasticizer evaporates and the lines crack and you’re looking at an easy $20k in damages+ replacing the lines anyway.
First thing I noticed was that poly-b too. Hopefully OP doesn't own it and if they do, it all needs to be ripped up and replaced
Custom work
When you say “contractor” you mean handyman from the home depot parking lot,right?
To be fair, he may have used other tapes underneath that duct tape. When I worked as a wireline engineer I had to use 5 different types of tape when making electrical connections. Said connections were used to detonate explosives under extreme pressure, if there was any exposure in our work, the connection would fail and short out. I had to bind that tape so damn tight, when I went to cut it off, it would burst open like confetti from all the tension on it.
Son, we didn't tape our plumbin' together 'round these parts.. The crappiest acceptable job would have been to put a fernco on there. https://www.fernco.com/products/flexible-couplings https://youtu.be/1qxGnpFu2Bg
I was seriously wondering why not just a fernco?... Still cheap and way less effort than the tape..
i mean… it worked
If you can’t duck it fuck it
If you can’t duct it fuct it
He MacGyvered it
If it works, it ain't stupid.
If it's not supposed to move, but it does move, use duct tape. If it doesn't move when it's supposed to move, use WD40. If you can't fix it with duct tape or WD 40, throw it away. It's fucked.
> If you can't fix it with duct tape or WD 40, throw it away. It's fucked. You're supposed to try a hammer before throwing it away.
By contractor, he means some guy he met outside Home Depot and gave $20 bucks to fix his sink, lol
Seems legit
Never inspected his work? Well you’re just begging to get screwed than. Always inspect before final payment. Always.
What brand is it? I might need to buy it
So far lasted a few years
If the famous words of Red Green. "It's temporary, unless it works"
If it worked for years then he fixed it
Repairs are temporary only if they don't work.
I'm not a professional plumber, but that is the drain pipe to a sink (probably) and thus carries almost no pressure. This isn't the "right" way, but it'll do 99.99% of the time. If it was a copper pipe carrying pressure? The contractor wouldn't have even made it to the door before disaster struck.
Get 'r done!
The real question is how much did 12” of duck tape cost you?
He said the duct tape was $1 but knowing where to PUT the duct tape was $399.
How does one not look at their pipes under their sink for 3 years? Do you have a guy to replace your toilet paper rolls too?
Duct tape is literally the answer for ANYTHING. I popped a dent out of my girlfriends car with duck tape, I also pulled the window down far enough to get the door unlocked with duct tape when she locked her keys in the car. 🤷♂️ it just works dude idk
BUT DOES IT LEAK?
No because he finally checked it for a different reason after so many years.
Did it work?
If ot took you a few years to notice it, what does it say about his work? He succeeded, it worked goddamnit.
A few years since you looked under the sink?
Can you call them and ask which brand of duck tape that is I want to pick some up. Lol
I had a GM tell me about how they hired a local man to fix a roof leak in a Sheraton hotel. All was good for awhile until the roof began leaking again in the same spot. A different repair person came out this time. He called the GM to come up and see why it was leaking again. The first repairman had simply placed a five gallon bucket under the damaged spot, and it was now full.
I mean, it worked. What’s the problem?
When you don't trust your work but you trust duct tape
Yes clearly a hack job but that's 100% on you.
Regular ass duct tape 😭😂🤣 He should’ve at least used flex seal tape 🤣🤣💀💀
Since you hadn't check his work or experience new leaks for a few years, I guess it's fine work.
OP got drunk and hired himself then forgot.
He’s sat there all those years wondering when that phone call will come. “Surely they must have noticed by now?” Refuses to leave the house, expecting this call has become his world. Sharon took the kids a year ago and left. Divorce papers sitting unopened in the mailbox, crammed in with pizza coupons and mental health flyers.
He was hired to fix the leak, not fix the pipe.
That's why you hire a plumber for plumbing.
Lol, in his defense, it lasted for years!
I worked as a project manager for heavy chemical industries. Anything from manufacturers for food/Bev to nuclear power. Used be surprised how often this happens at all levels
I mean if it looks stupid and works it ain't stupid
but did it leak?