There’s nothing worse than having a pipe burst in your home. From the damage to the frustration, a water leak can turn out to be both harrowing and expensive, especially for big breaks. To prevent such an event from happening in your home, it’s important to remember to check up on your pipes regularly to be sure that there’s nothing potentially wrong. If you happen to find a lead, here are a few tips on making a temporary repair. Remember, none of these are permanent fixes, but they will allow you to turn the water back on until you can get the pipe fixed more permanently.

1. Stick a pencil point into the hole and break it off, then wrap the pipe with electrician’s tape. Smear some plumber’s epoxy repair putty over the tape to make sure it doesn’t leak. Let it set for half an hour and turn the water back on.
2. Wrap a piece of rubber (like an old inner tube) around the pipe over the hole, and then use a C clamp and small blocks of wood to clamp the rubber wrap tightly in place. If you have them, hose clamps around the rubber covering the hole could also be used to keep water from leaking.
3. Don’t have any old rubber that can act as a repair? Cut a piece of garden hose long enough to cover the hole in the pipe plus two or three inches on each side. Slice the garden hose lengthwise and position it over the hole in the pipe. Once again, use hose clamps to keep it in place and stop water from leaking.

After your quick fix, be sure to replace the leaking pipe using Plumbing Supplies from SimplyPlumbing.com or by calling a professional plumber to take care of it. Left unfixed, your temporary repair could end up costing you more in the end as the result of a reopened leak and water damage.