Got a friend with a small leak on an aluminium pipe on the air con system leading to the condenser.

Now the pipe itself is about £20 including new seals, but labour is £80, plus a top up on top of this.

Right now them finding £200 isn't an option.

So the question of the metal repair epoxy/putty came up and I have to say, I couldn't think of a reason why this wouldn't work.

Can anyone think of a reason not to give this a go at £5?

There is just something niggling me saying £5 repair, on a line to a condensor shouldn't work.

I can't however think of anything and it's worked on other things for me in the past.

Thoughts..

That pipe will get very cold with the AC running, and its under pressure so whatever you use it will have to deal with temperature extremes and outward pressure.

I was thinking it was a high pressure side pipe, so none of the cheapy cheap clue type things would be much use.

I know some of the epoxy steel things claim to be good for sealing engine blocks (Hmm) water pipes, which I've done it on personally, and good to -30 degree or even lower in some instances.

I can't see the A/C pipe getting to -30, but then I could be wrong.

Something else of course, is that if it's easy to get at, then if they get all the parts, I could just DIY it for not much more and let them use the £80 on filling up and a beer for me. (Of course I'm assuming the system has dumped the gas and there isn't pressure there, which is probably a bad assumption).

if they have a small leak its proberbly lost all the gas anyway, the issue you will have is moisture in the AC system itself. As well as changing the pipe, you will most likely need to replace the cleaner / dryer as well, especially if the system has not worked for sometime.

The garage in question told them they wouldn't change it as most systems can be evacuated, although I did question this myself.

I think the epoxy in question is something like these:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_199433_langId_-1_categoryId_255230

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_173026_langId_-1_categoryId_165625

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_242097_langId_-1_categoryId_255230#tab2

Edited 25 May, 201214 yr by cheezemonkhai

Not a chance you will repair the pipe and it being gas tight.

If the pipe itself only 20 quid then why not replace it yourself then get the system regassed

Pipe is on order along with the seals and a couple of new bolts/clamps.

As you say, you can spend £10 p*ssing around or £20 and do it properly.

Whether I do the fitting or they get the garage to do it is out of my hands, but the I to had the gas tight point of view.

Bearing in mind how easily that stuff gets out, it would have got out anyway.

...you can spend £10 p*ssing around or £20 and do it properly...

You can spend £10 p*ssing around AND THEN £20 and do it properly

You know it makes sense.

You can spend £10 p*ssing around AND THEN £20 and do it properly

You know it makes sense.

That was kind of what I was getting at.

£10, plus a top up, plus a failure, plus a real fix, plus another top up....

What's the point.