Busted a pipe trying to fix a drain
DIY plumbing attempts often backfire due to tight workspaces, overzealous plunging, or miscalculated cuts, turning a simple clog into a ruptured pipe or damaged disposal. This unexpected collateral damage prevents homeowners from finishing the repair themselves and forces them to call a professional for much higher costs.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Using drain cleaners like Drano
- 2Boiling water and using a shop vac
- 3Snaking pipes
- 4Using compressed air
- 5Hiring a professional plumber
- 6Using a shielded Fernco coupling instead of solvent welding
- 7Cutting back further behind the trap to make the coupling easier to fit
- 8Leaving it as is if it is still holding up without leaking.
- 9Renting an air compressor from home improvement stores like Home Depot or Lowe's
- 10Connecting the compressor to the small test cock on the side of the backflow preventer using a special adapter
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I'm also not a plumber, so I busted a pipe trying to snake a drain.”source ↗
“I also tried plunging the sink and blew out the garbage disposal.”source ↗
“It’s a very tight and awkward spot so I had to hand saw and accidentally cut too low at one spot.”source ↗
“Where do I put the compressor to blow out my sprinklers?”source ↗
“I cannot take a day off to wait for a professional to come and see how they do it.”source ↗
“I was thinking of using a shield fernco as a last resort, is this considered a permanent fix? This is in my living room ceiling so I don’t want to fix the drain and patch the drywall just for it to happen again”source ↗
“Had this pipework repaired, the bottom white compression looks wonky, so does this mean cross threaded? Can we leave it like this, or what's the best course of action?”source ↗
“Can you circle which test cock you referring to?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 49How to fix a leaking water pipe in a tight space
- 11Why does my new plumbing still have bad water pressure and risky joints?
- 2Where to cut a cramped water heater cold line?
- 2Am I responsible for fixing plumbing work I didn't do?
- 2How to fix a sink drain pipe that is too short
- 10How to figure out confusing plumbing and water flow directions