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Posted by Jeff Wisnia on October 7, 2007, 12:08 pm
MiamiCuse wrote:
> Hi I have a 1-1/2" PVC pipe that goes underground. Inside of it carries an
> electric wire (looks Romex). It runs under the pool deck from one side of
> the house, deck is a concrete slab and brick tiles on top.
>
> It runs under a small planter area about 3'x3' in size. My wife wants to
> plant some herb in there so I asked the landscape guys to remove all the
> existing fern looking plants in the planter area, they pulled them out
> quickly but had to use a pick axe to get to the roots. In the process they
> broke this small PVC pipe with the wire in it.
>
> Now, I have dug up the dirt and wanted to repair this pipe.
>
> The only thing is, I can cut out a 6" section of this pipe, there is a wire
> running through it, so it is in the way of me putting in a new section of
> the PVC pipe "sleeve". I cannot think of a way to repair it without cutting
> this wire, then insert the sleeve, the move the sleeve to one side, then
> mend the wire, the put the sleeve back.
>
> I kept thinking, there must be a gadget I am not aware of that can do this.
> Do they have any plastic sleeves or pipes that are actually two half pipes
> that you can fit and glue together or something like that?
>
> Thanks,
>
> MC
>
>
I'd think it best to avoid cutting the existing wire.
Can you see any markings on that wire?
If so, check it out, it may be a type rated for direct burial
underground use, in which case it wouldn't matter if the repair does not
end up completely waterproof.
I don't think you'll find a "split pipe" repair piece like you described
as an "off the shelf" part.
But, you could do this:
Go to a local Auto Zone or similar car parts place and find the body
repair area.
Buy some fiberglass cloth and some of the fiberglass resin/hardner which
is used with it. Bondo is one brand of such stuff.
Dig out the hole to give you good working access. Wash the dirt off the
broken pipe and wipe the outside down with acetone.
Stuff and/or tape something like pieces of corrugated cardboard into the
gaps in the pipe to bulk it out to somewhere near it's original diameter.
Pretending you are a medical technician, use the fiberglass repair
materials to "wrap a cast" over the area, building the fiberglass cloth
up to about 1/4" thickness and overlapping the unbroken parts of the
pipe by three or four inches.
Wait for the resin to cure, backfill the hole, and try not to think too
ill of your landscapers, who likely weren't warned about that pipe.
HTH,
Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.98*10^14 fathoms per fortnight.
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