Haha, silicone sealant is definitely a bit messy at first, you're not kidding. I remember my first attempt—I think more ended up on my hands and shirt than on the pipe. But you're right, once it sets, it's solid. For anyone worried about the mess factor, try taping off the area first, like painting trim. Saves you from cleaning silicone off everything later...trust me, been there, scrubbed that.
Good call on the tape trick—definitely saves some headache later. Couple more tips from experience:
- Wear disposable gloves; silicone sticks to skin like crazy.
- Keep a damp rag handy, wiping excess immediately helps a ton.
- If you do get dried silicone on your hands, rubbing alcohol usually does the trick.
Good tips overall, but honestly, disposable gloves annoy me more than they help. Silicone sticks to them almost as badly as skin, and then I'm fumbling around with slippery gloves on top of everything else. I usually just dive in bare-handed and keep some paper towels handy. The rubbing alcohol trick is spot-on though—saved my hands more times than I'd like to admit...
Haha, glad I'm not the only one who finds disposable gloves more trouble than they're worth. Last weekend, I tackled a leaky pipe under my kitchen sink for the first time since moving in. Thought I'd be all pro and organized—had my gloves, silicone, wrench, flashlight, everything lined up neatly. But about two minutes in, it felt like I was wrestling a greased-up octopus. Silicone everywhere, gloves slipping off, flashlight rolling away into the abyss behind the trash can...
Ended up ditching the gloves entirely and going bare-handed like you said. Honestly, it was way easier to just deal with sticky fingers afterward than to keep fighting those slippery plastic nightmares mid-job. And yeah, rubbing alcohol was my saving grace too—got that silicone residue off way quicker than soap ever could.
Also learned the hard way: keep a bucket handy. Even if you think you've shut off the water completely... you probably haven't. Trust me on that one. My kitchen floor got an unexpected mop-down that day.
But hey, at least now I know exactly how NOT to fix a leaky pipe next time around. Homeownership is basically just a series of "well, won't do THAT again" moments, right?
Haha, I feel your pain about the gloves slipping everywhere—been there more times than I'd like to admit. Quick question though: did you end up using plumber's tape on the threads when reconnecting everything? I've found that skipping it (or not applying it correctly) can lead to those sneaky drips that show up hours later, even after everything seemed secure. Also, curious if your leak was at a joint or from an actual pipe crack? If it's from the joint, sometimes just replacing the washer or gasket makes a huge difference...cheaper fix too. And yeah, buckets are your best friend—ever had to deal with an unexpected geyser when the shut-off valve decides to betray you mid-job? Not fun.
