PSA: Stop using duct tape on water pipes, learned the hard way last week

Last Tuesday my kitchen sink started dripping from the pipe under the cabinet. I thought I'd be smart and wrap it with duct tape as a quick fix since I didn't have time to get real parts. Well that patch held for exactly one day before it burst open and dumped two gallons of water onto my floor. I spent three hours with a shop vac and a space heater trying to dry out the subfloor. My neighbor finally told me duct tape is for air ducts not pressurized water lines. So I went to the hardware store and grabbed a proper compression fitting for $6 and it took ten minutes to fix. Has anyone else made this same mistake with duct tape or am I the only dummy here?

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1 Comment

bell.emma6d ago

Ha, two gallons? Sounds like you got off easy honestly. I've seen duct tape turn a drip into a full on geyser in like five minutes.