Leak in PVC pipe right where it touches my slab

[Adam Preble]

I notice in this house I got recently that there's a leak in a drain pipe in the garage. At the least, I know the washer is connected to it, and I can see a little water leak out right at the slab after the washer has drained. I've been able to get the same leakage after pouring about

3 gallons of water down that drain. The leak isn't an emergency, but the carpet in the room touching the garage is getting moist.

I don't think the water is coming from higher up. There is a T-junction where the washer drain meets this vertical pipe. I guess the seals failed after time and they are now duct-taped together. Having wrapped that in turn with paper towels and taping together, I caught no moisture whatsover. A paper towl taped around the pipe just an inch above the ground is also dry.

This leak wasn't caught in the inspection since the inspector didn't test this drain. The inspector also happened to miss a ground wire following the plywood on the roof, but lets not start ranting about that now. This pipe goes through the slab and I presume it meets up with the rest of the drainage someplace, somewhere. It must be leaking at or near where this pipe first touches the slab.

What are my options? Is this exclusively the domain of plumbers? I fear I'll have to get somebody to break down the concreate around this pipe so they can do anything. The only fix I can think of right now is sealing that pipe to the concreate using Plumber's Goop, but that too will likely fail quickly. Any ideas?

[No]

Please don't goop anything. It will fail and make proper repair more difficult. Plumber will do the job. Yes, if the leak is below the slab, you will need to break out enough slab to get to the leak. Assuming this is PVC drain. You will need to remove the damaged section or leaking joint, replace with new. There is no patching of PVC that is reliable and replacement of the joint or section is usually easier anyway. Once the repair is made you can just patch the concrete. Not really that difficult as long as your sure where the leak is you will not need to break up too much.

[maradcliff]

The pipe might be snapped right at the cement line. Cement tends to heave and shift. If the pipe was secured tightly, it may have broke. Get a magnifying glass and look closely.

If it is broke right at the cement, you might be lucky and be able to chip away at the cement using hammer and chisel. Then put a rubber "Fernco" coupler on it.

If this occurred, the rubber will allow some flexing, but I'd use straps above it that allow for some movement. That gray plastic that comes in a roll should work.

Mark