ABS joint gave out, now to fix it...

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oh Canada

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I've got an ABS tee that joins my main floor laundry washer into the main drain in the basement. For a long time there would be a very slight leak when a load of laundry was washed. When the washer dumped all the water out into the drain there would be a few drips of water at the joint where the tee joins with the main drain pipe going into it from the second floor. The tee's joints at the washer and the outbound end of the main drain were, and are still, 100%. Tonight that "few drips" turned into a torrent after I flushed the toilet upstairs. I took a look at it and the whole "weld" of the joint is blown. The whole thing has severed at the "weld". Both the pipe going into the tee and the tee itself are solid, no cracks. But they are no longer attached. I'm not sure how that happens but I know that the previous house owner used it as a rental flop and did next to nothing to maintain the house (and what he did was functional but not proper) Maybe he used PVC glue on the ABS or something as I've heard that will work temporarily but won't last. Anyhow, my question is this: Can I separate the pipe from the tee, clean up the excess solvent, re-apply fresh solvent and then join them back up again? Given the layout of things putting in new pieces would be a difficult task.


Btw: Nice forum you have here
 

oh Canada

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It has separated. I just didn't know if re-attaching those two specific pieces instead of replacing them was a viable option. Thank you "Licensed residential and commercial plumber". :)
 

Cacher_Chick

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The trick will be to clean the attachment points so that it will not happen again. Use sandpaper to clean off any foreign materials and cement residue, then use proper ABS cement on both sides of the joint when refitting. Hold the joint together tightly for a minute after bottoming the pipe in the fitting. The cement chemically bonds the fitting to the pipe, so it is important to do it correctly with the proper cement.
 
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