• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Permanent Repairs

These fixes take a little more time and some planning, but once you're finished, you've got a permanent repair for your leaky pipe.

• Install a pipe clamp specifically designed to fix leaking pipes. These clamps have a rubber gasket attached permanently inside the clamp, which itself is designed to fit around the leaky pipe. Simply place the clamp over the hole and tighten the integral screws, holding it in place and making a permanent seal. Pipe clamps are available at home stores.
• Another alternative is to use flexible/braided metal tube with compression couples on each end to provide a permanent fix. A significant advantage of this repair is it will allow you to not only fix a small pinhole leak, but it can be used to fix a longer split pipe. Because the repair tubes are flexible and will bend, they can even be used to repair a leak in a pipe elbow. The metal tubes are available in number of lengths so you should be able to fix your pipe wherever it's holed. To install the braided metal tube, you're going to have to cut out the damaged section of pipe, so be sure to drain all the water out of your pipes. Next, center the repair coupling against the damaged section of pipe and mark the water pipe one-inch in from each end of the coupling. Cut out the damaged pipe at the marks, slide the compression couplings onto each end of the water pipe, and attach the repair coupling. Tighten the compression fittings and turn the water back on to check for leaks.

Any and all of the above quick fixes will get you back in business quickly if you ever need to deal with a leaky pipe. Anyone living in a home with copper pipes can be thankful that leaky pipes happen very seldom.

In older homes where galvanized pipes were used for plumbing, leaking pipes will unfortunately be much more common. Since galvanized pipes rust from the inside out, you can't tell what kind of condition they are in by looking at them. However, when one starts leaking, it's logical to expect that others won't be far behind. Laying in a good supply of pipe clamps might be a prudent investment.

Unclogging Bathtub Drains
A blocked or clogged drain is a pain, but it doesn't mean that you need to call a plumber. Most clogged drains can be easily cleared by using things that are around the house or just a few inexpensive tools.

All drains have a similar construction. At the bottom of the drainpipe is a curved section of pipe called a trap. Under sinks this trap is shaped like an "U", while most bathtubs have a slightly different shaped trap called a "P" trap, since it's shaped like the letter "P". The curves in the trap are there to "trap" some water in the drain line, and prevent sewer gases from coming up the pipe and smelling up the house. Over time, however, the traps will sometimes get blocked with things like cooking grease or food particles (in kitchen drains) or hair and soap scum (in bathroom sinks). Slow running drains are partially blocked, and drains that don't drain at all are obviously totally blocked.

Clearing Out a Blockage

The first step in unblocking a bathtub drain is to look at it and see if you can see what's blocking it. In bathtubs, often a build up of hair and scuzzy soap scum can actually close up a drain. If you can see hair in the bottom of the drain, you can often just reach in and pull the clog out. Since that's not a lot of fun, you might want to try bending a wire coat hanger to hook onto the clog to pull it out. Alternatively a pair of tweezers might work, or even a pair of needle nose pliers.

If you can't see the clog to pull it out, your next step is to try plunging the drain. A plumber's helper - plunger to some of us - didn't get its name without good reason, and it is one of the first tools a pro would use to clear a blocked drain. Put enough water in the bathtub or sink to cover the bottom of the plunger, block the overflow outlet with a rag, put the plunger over the drain, and push down and up five or six times. The pressure should clear any clog and open up the pipe. Lift up the plunger and the water should quickly drain away. If it doesn't, try plunging again - you might have just moved the blockage down the pipe where it got stuck again.

Note: On some bathtubs the drain stopper is attached to the overflow plate. In order to plunge the drain, you need to remove the overflow plate and the drain mechanism. The overflow plate is usually held in place by two screws, and after you remove them, you can gently remove the overflow plate and the drain mechanism at the same time.

If a plunger won't clear a blockage, a "snake" - a long flexible steel cable wound on a handle - is the next level of escalation. In a sink you just feed the snake down the drain, but on a bathtub you need to feed the snake down through the overflow plate opening. Start by feeding about 3 feet of the snake into the opening, turning it as you push it forward. You will feel some resistance as you work the snake through the trap under the drain, and the turning helps to move the head through the trap. The snake should either break up the clog by pushing its way through it, or your turning will hook the end of the snake onto the clog and you can pull it out.

Once the snake is through the trap, move the cable back and forth through the drainpipe while still turning it. You may actually feel the clog when the snake hits it. Try running some water down the drain while moving the snake in the drain. If the clog is gone, the drain will run free. You may have to repeat this process a couple of times to get the drain cleared out, since some clogs are more persistent than others.

What About Chemicals?

Some people think using chemicals to clear a drain is an option. However, any chemicals that will dissolve a clog (usually grease based) are highly caustic and damaging to the environment. No professional will ever use a chemical to clear a drain for exactly those reasons.

Keeping Drains Clear

Clearing a blocked drain isn't a lot of fun. It's much better to prevent a clog from happening in the first place. Here's some tips on how you can keep your bathtub drains free flowing.

• Use strainers in all your drains to stop hair from going down the drain. It's easier to clear out a strainer once a month than unblock a drain every six.
• Don't just drop small pieces of soap down the drain assuming they will dissolve and wash away. That's how soap builds up in a drain.
• Once a month, pour a kettle full of boiling water down the drain. This will melt any grease (body oil) and wash it away before it can build up. (Don't do this in a toilet; the boiling water could crack the porcelain).
• Every three months or so, pour a half cup of baking soda in the drain then slowly add a half cup of vinegar. Let the mixture sit in the drain for a few minutes and then rinse it away by running lots of hot water down the drain. This will not only keep your drains free running, but clean smelling as well.

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