Neat solution for PVC Pipe break.

[leehljp]

I had my water hose laying on ground level under the grass. Mowed over it a dozen times this summer. For last (hopefully) mowing, I decided to cut it as low as the mower would cut.

The faucet in which the hose was attached was on PVC pipe and had been there for 30 years at least. (my dad had it added). Mower hit the hose and wrapped it around the blade and pulled the faucet and pulled the vertical pipe out of the ground. It broke off fairly smooth at the "T" joint about 6 inches underground! I Ran to the water cutoff in the front yard and turned the water off.

I pulled out some blue PVC glue, still good; picked up my small garden shovel and cleaned out the area around the break. Hmmm! If I replace the underground "T", I am going to have to cut the old T out and replace with a new T and a slip joint, which I did not have. I didn't want to run to the hardware store but knew I needed to.

Then it HIT ME! measure the PVC outside diameter; Look for a Forstner bit the same size. Well, PVC was about 1/128th larger than the 1" Forstner bit. I got my cordless drill, put in the Forster bit and drilled down the inside of the current upside down T joint. I spent about 1 minute reaming it out very tediously to the point the broke off piece would fit in. It was a tight fit. Removed the broken pipe with the faucet on it and sanded the pipe for a minute. Still tight but can be worked down almost an inch.

Glued the drilled out piece and glued the old pipe part. Stuck it in and twisted hard and tight and aligned it up. I let it set for about 15 minutes and turned the water back on. One hour later and no leaks.

1 in Forstner bit did it!

Add-In: I had the hose on a daily timer to water my bucket tomatoes which were out in the sun about 20 ft from the house - the reason for the hose being there in the first place.

[LCHIEN]

clever, have not heard that trick before.

[capncarl]

One thing about PVC that I have never heard of or seen written anywhere, that I have personally proven true…mostly. Never put a pvc fitting under stress. An example would be if you had not completely bored out enough material to create an easy press fit and instead lubricated both pieces with pvc glue and forced everything together. There is a very good chance the fitting will split at a late time.

[LCHIEN]

I'm assuming you used the Forstner bit to drill out the broken end of the PVC pipe from the female end of the Tee?

If you used a forstner bit in a handheld drill, how did you keep the forstner from walking all over the place since the center point did not have a place to locate itself?

I would only attempt that if the bit was in a Drill press and the T was held firmly in a vice clamped to the table and even then, I'd be very nervous.

[leehljp]

How to keep the Forstner bit from walking: 2 things - 1. Got lucky, the break was almost clean smooth except for one little tip sticking up; 2. FAST Speed beats slow any time. I tried it on slow and it was a no-go! Tried it on fast and the tip sticking up - came off smooth. Then did a slight angle to get it started and straightened up vertically for the drilling. That worked amazingly well. Forstner bits don't work well in trying to drill larger hole over a smaller hole, BUT if the forstner bit is pushed in at an angle at about the mid point so that it can "bite" without walking, it can be raised vertically slowly and then drilled straight down. ACTUALLY, that angle method is how I knocked off the little tip sticking up.

[capncarl]

Wouldn’t it be nice if pvc pipe would telescope into / over neighboring pvc pipe sizes? Ain’t happening, too useful.

[capncarl]

Lee, are you aware that flexible pvc pipe is available? I’ve seen it at my local landscaping store, they sell a lot of agricultural landscaping watering supplies. It’s sold in various short lengths in 1/2, 3/4, and 1”. It’s not hose flexible but it is doable to be able to bend it enough to be able to cut out a piece and cut in the flexible, or to match up some messed up angles. It can be used with regular couplings or the new high pressure telescoping repair pieces.

[leehljp]

Yes, I have seen it in the big box stores but I didn't have any, and I was in a bit of a hurry, as I had a list of things that I needed to get done. I didn't want to spend time planning something new. My go-to - If it didn't work out with the Forstner bit was to get another T fitting and a slip/sliding joint.

[Nick Keenan]

There is a tool called a socket saver or fitting saver for this purpose. It has a pilot bit like a hole saw, but the pilot bit is the size of the inner diameter of the pipe that's stuck in the fitting, and the bit is the size of the inner diameter of the fitting. So it will cut straight.

[leehljp]

Thanks Nick. I saw Loren's post below and I sure could use a set. My dad added in a dozen water faucets around our 1/2 acre yard 30 years ago. Every year, I have to replace one PVC pipe break somewhere.

[LCHIEN]

There is a tool called a socket saver or fitting saver for this purpose. It has a pilot bit like a hole saw, but the pilot bit is the size of the inner diameter of the pipe that's stuck in the fitting, and the bit is the size of the inner diameter of the fitting. So it will cut straight.

Good to know!

Amazon has them ... this a set but you can buy individual ones 1/2" and 3/4" for about 8 to 10 bucks
What they look like anyway.
I wonder, are they for standard schedule ID pipe? How do they work on the thin wall stuff that has a different ID and thus won't center right.

[danielsk]

How did you fix it actually? Speaking of preparedness, while you were able to handle this situation independently, it's worth considering how a home warranty plan like Super Home Warranty could provide additional support for unexpected home repairs in the future. With positive super home warranty reviews backing their service, having a warranty in place could offer you added peace of mind knowing that you have assistance readily available when you need it most.

[leehljp]

This is from the original post: "Then it HIT ME! measure the PVC outside diameter; Look for a Forstner bit the same size. Well, PVC was about 1/128th larger than the 1" Forstner bit. I got my cordless drill, put in the Forster bit and drilled down the inside of the current upside down T joint. I spent about 1 minute reaming it out very tediously to the point the broke off piece would fit in. It was a tight fit. Removed the broken pipe with the faucet on it and sanded the pipe for a minute. Still tight but can be worked down almost an inch.

Glued the drilled out piece and glued the old pipe part. Stuck it in and twisted hard and tight and aligned it up. I let it set for about 15 minutes and turned the water back on. One hour later and no leaks.

1 inch Forstner bit did it!"

ALSO, instead of the Forster bit, the bits from Amazon as in post #8 would grind out the broken off part (in the same way the forstner bit does) and I glued a new post back in.