How to repair a damaged pipe using a piece of hosepipe-
One of the most common types of pipe damage is when someone accidentally knocks a nail into a water pipe, often pipes run beneath floors and when the floorboards become loose it is very common for people to knock in a nail or put a screw in to refasten the loose board. If pipes are beneath the floor this can lead to a very daunting problem.
Here we are going to be looking at fixing the leak temporarily with items that hopefully you will find lying around your home, obviously if the plumbers merchants are open then you can go and purchase an appropriate joint to fix the leak permanently. In order to use this method you will need a piece of hosepipe approximately 6 inches long and three jubilee clips.
Here we have a common scenario, where a nail has been knocked into a water pipe. The first thing to do is isolate the water by following the instructions on this page. Do not remove the nail until the water has been isolated, now drain the pipe work by opening the correct taps, so if it a cold water pipe you only need to drain the cold water pipe. If it is a central heating pipe you may have to isolate the header tank (if you have one), then drain the system.
Cut a piece of hose pipe that is long enough to extend past the leak for at least three inches at each side.
Using a sharp knife, slit the piece of hosepipe straight down the centre.
Slide the hose pipe over the pipe and then fix it in place with the three jubilee clips ensuring that the central jubilee clip is directly over the hole. Tighten all three jubilee clips using either a screwdriver or socket. You now have a temporary pipe repair.
