Patch on masonry with water pipes

Hi, I need some advice on patching the attached hole, basically someone drilled a hole and punctured the water pipe. The wall has been chased and the leak repaired, i need some advice on patching this hole back to a point where it can be painted. Do I need to cover or insulate the pipes, can mortar be used and if so should it be done in layers as its quite large.

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MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @DionSouthwell. I apologise for the delay in my reply, I'd be more than happy to assist.

You might like to wrap the pipes with Whites 50mm x 10m Plant Tie Jute Webbing which would prevent the cement filler from bonding completely to them. This would be a nice touch in case you or anyone else ever needed to access these pipes again.

It would be great to fill the void with expanding foam to take away some of the bulk materials needed, however, non of our suppliers were particularly confident with their renders adhering well to expanding foam.

Instead, you can fill the void with Lanko 20kg 701 Duragrout Structural Grouting which you'll need to do in several coats as it is a vertical surface. Make sure when you are applying your additional coats that you damping the previous layer before proceeding. The 701 can fill up to 100mm in one application though I would recommend you apply it in several coats as that will prevent it from sagging. Fill up the void to 10mm below the finished surface level.

You'll then need to switch to a rendering product similar to Davco PM Render 20kg to complete the fill. Once again remember to dampen the 701 before your coat of render.

After you have filled the void and rendered, you might like to finish off with some Gyprock CSR 2kg Rapid Patch Filler to blend the repair into the surrounding area.

Here's a couple of step-by-step D.I.Y articles on How to hard plaster a brick wall and How to fix a hole in a plaster wall.

Let me also mention the ever-helpful @Brad to see if he has anything additional to add or if he would go about the repair a different way.

Please let me know if you need further information or had any questions.

Mitchell

All comments

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @DionSouthwell. I apologise for the delay in my reply, I'd be more than happy to assist.

You'll then need to switch to a rendering product similar to Davco PM Render 20kg to complete the fill. Once again remember to dampen the 701 before your coat of render.

After you have filled the void and rendered, you might like to finish off with some Gyprock CSR 2kg Rapid Patch Filler to blend the repair into the surrounding area.

Here's a couple of step-by-step D.I.Y articles on How to hard plaster a brick wall and How to fix a hole in a plaster wall.

Let me also mention the ever-helpful @Brad to see if he has anything additional to add or if he would go about the repair a different way.

Please let me know if you need further information or had any questions.

Mitchell

Brad

It looks like the pipe was insulated originally I would look at k-flex range but I think you would need to cut it lengthwise to fit around the pipe without undoing the fittings. I have used Conduit repair when fixing up someone else's dodgy work on cold water pipes as it is supposed to split so you can use it for a cover so the filler won't stick to the pipes, I found running a saw down one of the splits was easier than trying to pull it apart.

If your looking for an alternative to filling the whole space plastic waste pipe split in half or a piece of plaster board may save some filling but it will not be as strong as a full fill.

rocker

Hi everyone, I'm faced with a similar situation although my penetrations are not as big. I would have thought the electrician could have used conduit to pass cables through the brick wall but he didn't.

By the way, didn't know about the conduit repair product... thanks, may try that too.

I won't need a 20 kg bag to fill my holes, so can you recommend a filling product to neatly fill the holes. Obviously sanding will be a challenge as well, but the area will eventually be enclosed so I guess I can live without a totally neat finish.

Thanks. Electricians penetrations.jpg

MitchellMc

Hi @rocker,

Did you want to fill those holes in the wall? If so, it sounds like some flexible gap filler would do the job for you.

Is this cable work in an accessible area? If it is, I'm a little surprised it's not enclosed. Let me mention one of our members @MikeTNZ, an electrician, to get his thoughts.

Mitchell

rocker

Thanks Mitchell. Yes I do need to fill them but the top two are about 2 to 3 cm in diameter and 10 cm deep. Possibly too big for gap filler.

Eventually the area will be an enclosed laundry cupboard and that area will be used for storage.

MitchellMc

You don't need to fill the full-depth @rocker, just a few centimetres from the front face. If you do a bead of filler around the wiring, it should fill the holes nicely.

The alternative would be to use expanding foam. You'd need to be able to fit the nozzle down inside the hole, or it will get messy.

Mitchell

rocker

@MitchellMc what product do you recommend?

MitchellMc

Any interior gap filler would be fine @rocker, but Selleys 475g No More Gaps Interior Multipurpose Gap Filler would be a good choice. You'll also need a caulking gun, and this UNi-PRO Skeleton Caulking Gun would suit.

Mitchell

rocker

Thanks.

The reason I asked that is that I had in mind that I'd use a filler like earl-s-multfill-ready-to-use-filler-0-140kg-white_p1661244. Maybe fill the depth with some backing (?) and then sand as best I can around the cables and paint. But as you had suggested flexible gap filler earlier I wondered why that would work better in this application.

I'm not that keen on expanding foam as I'm not experienced enough to be able to control the "quantity to gap" ratio and I could see that going everywhere!

Jason

Hi @rocker,

@MitchellMc is taking a break for the next couple of days but will be back Friday to assist. Feel free to continue to ask questions and we'll tag other helpful community members who might be able to help and share their experiences.

Jason

MitchellMc

I apologise for the delay in my reply, @rocker. You could certainly use Earl's 0.140kg White MulTfill Ready To Use Filler, though I'm not a huge fan of you doing too much sanding around exposed electrical cables.

I see @MikeTNZ hasn't gotten back to us, but I really think you should contact the electrician to ask if they intend to come back and enclose the wires in conduit. It's my understanding that if the wires can not be contained in the wall, then an appropriate conduit or shield is to be installed over them.

Mitchell

MikeTNZ

Hi @MitchellMc,

Sorry for the delay in my reply, is there a power cable in there next to the pipe?

It is very hard to tell with the picture.

What the pipe needs though, before it is sealed in the wall, is a layer of wool insulation and a layered wrap of Denso tape over it.

The power cable should be fine as long as there is no visible damage to the sheath on the outside of the cable.

However, if you are going to cover this cable over, I would get some 20 or 25mm (depending on the size of the cable) Betta-flex Flexible conduit, split it down the middle with a Stanley knife and wrap it around the cable before the whole thing is covered up, that will ensure that it is mechanically protected.

If you have further questions, by all means, let me know.

Cheers,

Mike T.

MitchellMc

My apologies, @Mike, and thanks for your response. I was looking for your thoughts on @rocker's electrical work, as pictured below. Exposed cabling in an accessible area. You'll find their question midway on page one of this discussion. They are looking for advice on filling the holes, but I thought it a tad unusual that this exposed work wasn't enclosed in some form of conduit.

Mitchell

MikeTNZ

Hi @MitchellMc, @rocker,

How accessible is this wiring?

Is it exposed or is it in a cupboard or some place like that?

Personally, if it is exposed to "usual damage" (like things can bang into it a number of times) it does need to be enclosed in rigid PVC conduit.

If it could be damaged by unusual damage, I would say that flexible conduit, saddled to the wall would be enough to protect the cabling.

Was this work done by an electrician originally?

Has the structure around this changed appreciably?

Please let me know as to what we should do with this.

Cheers,

Mike T.

rocker

Thanks for your advice @MikeTNZ and @MitchellMc.

Mine is new electrical work. I probably should have started a new thread as this is now confusing! (There are no water pipes in mine.)

The whole area is above a new hot water tank and it will all be enclosed by a cupboard door. Nevertheless, I will plug those holes as they allow an entry point into the flat from a common stack which is riddled with cockroaches! I'll then cover the all the cables with some form of ducting (that orange cable is also power). That area above the hot water tank will be used for future storage. The following photo shows the area a bit below the previous photo.

MikeTNZ

Hi @rocker,

I think ducting (also known as trunking in the trade) would be the perfect and neatest solution to covering up and protecting them cables.

I have no idea why I didn't suggest that in the first place.

Just looking at that picture you posted, I have a great respect for people that work with copper pipes and brass fittings and make it look neat,

without any leaks, it is safe to assume I will never be a plumber.

Thanks for getting back to us.

Cheers,

Mike T.

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