Repairing Cracks in Female Threaded Fittings

[chrisexv6]

I think most pump bodies are ABS plastic...not PVC.....so are skimmers...not sure about multiport valves but my money is on ABS.

The hose clamp is a solid, simple idea.

I wish I had thought of the hose clamp idea after I cracked my multiport, would have saved a lot of running around.

The "AquaMend" putty I ended up using is actually available at Home Depot. Comes in a clear plastic tube, and is two colors (outside layer of putty is white, inside is Aqua...go figure ). Cut a chunk off, knead it together until its all one color, place onto crack and squeeze into the crack and let it set. Becomes rock hard after a while, and does not leak one bit. I myself couldnt believe it, but was very happy when it fixed my issue. And it definitely works on ABS where other things dont (I even got epoxy made for plastics, including ABS, and it didnt hold).

-Chris

[South_Texas_Sun]

I've used my soldering iron with a screw-in "paddle" attachment to fix ABS. It works really well.

Be sure you try using this setup on a SCRAP piece of ABS before you try the real thing though. The temptation is to go too light and the "weld" doesn't have enough material to hold.

This might save someone from trying to get the crack open enough to pump glue in, then the dreaded......."CRICK"........oops....too far.....

I would also take the hose clamp advice, after sealing the leak.

[sevver]

They do make abs glue, you should be able to get it at a plumbing supply or pipe and valve supply. Just look for a yard full of big pipe, and fire hydrants and stuff. You can buy it there for sure, if not at HomeDepot.

[cantileveredge]

I just did the same thing this past weekend. Epoxy is definitely the route to go. It's fluid and seeps into all of the gap and doesn't care what type of material you are bonding. As an extra step though, I removed the pipe and placed two sticks 3/4"x3/4" about 5 " long inside the edge of the cracked female fitting. If you place a bolt between the sticks and use a clamp on the opposite ends of the sticks you can gently spread the fitting apart and force epoxy in the opening. (Again... careful... don't want to overspread) Loosen the clamp remove the sitcks and finish with a hose clamp. When the glue starts to set pick the excess out of the threads with a small knife. Teflon tape and reassemble. Eliminates the risk of permanently gluing the pipe in place.