How to 'stop' a leak with scotch tape and a bottle

I will show a very simple method of collecting water from a leak (ie a ceiling dripping) using scotch tape and a bottle. The tape acts as a guide to let the dripping water flow into a bottle. This is almost the same as the classic method of putting a pot right under your leak, but it doesn't require that the pot be directly under the leak. You can also use only one pot for multiple leaks.
What you'll need:

- A good amount of scotch tape, it must be connected in a long roll, so individual strips won't do.
- A collector bottle, I used a large blue jug from a water dispenser like in an office. But I think smaller ones would work, like a 2 liter, or even a pot/pan.
- A leak which must be dripping from somewhere higher than where your collector will be.

You probably get the idea by now but I guess I need to have steps.

Here is a video of the setup:

Step 1 Get your scotch tape and attach it to the leak

You will need to get a roll of scotch tape and fix one end where the leak is coming from.

You can also attach a few small pieces to insure that the tape doesn't come off when it gets wet. Or if there are multiple leaks you can attach a few pieces and connect them all to the central piece which leads into the bottle.

Comments

[chinmoy1955]

It would be a pretty sight to see 10 ribbons of scotch tape coming down from various places of my bedroom ceiling into a plastic bottle full of dirty water!! Don't you think it would be a better alternative to simply get that ceiling repaired by a mason? Then you won't have to move around the room carefully not to displace any of those ribbons trailing down from the ceiling? Good effort, but not of much practical use.

[michel moltrum]

best and easier way to stop a leak from a leaking pipe is wrapping it with a bicycle tube (i mean the thing inside the tire (i'm from argentina, not usa, english is not my language). i know this instructable is not about that, i know, just saying...

[Browncoat]

Good idea, but agree with fkuk & illdoyourdrugs.

[fkuk]

thats not stopping it thats a way of collecting it

[illdoyourdrugs]

How to 'DIVERT' a leak with scotch tape and water jug. Hows that sound? Your not stopping anything and i wouldn't call that a bottle.

[maruawe]

I live in an apartment and there are always leaks from the upstairs ac. I attach a piece of twine to accomplish the same thing, while I never thought of tape, it is a good idea.. PS: the twine is the string type not the plastic stuff.

[xcoastie]

thanks, simple, effective, and I never would have thought of it before seeing this.

[rimar2000]

Very clever. Does not functions thread or rope?

[ycc2106]

Smart! I'm going to try it straight away. =)