How to 'stop' a Leak With Scotch Tape and a Bottle

Intro: 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.

STEP 2: Put the Other End in the Bottle

Now stretch your tape roll until you have enough slack to put the free end into your bottle. Give a little slack so it's not really tight, also make sure that the water won't drip outside the bottle by sticking the tape about an inch down into the bottle so the water will definitely get inside.

STEP 3: You're Done!

Hopefully water should be flowing right into your 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. =)