Quick fixes for surprise water disasters - does pipe tape actually work?

Sometimes I wonder if these quick fixes last longer in certain spots - like horizontal runs versus vertical ones where gravity’s working against you.

Funny you mention that. I once patched a pinhole on a horizontal copper line behind my washer with silicone tape and it held for almost four months, but the same stuff on a vertical pipe in the basement started leaking after a week. Maybe gravity does play a role, or maybe it’s just luck of the draw. I always rough up the copper before epoxy too - feels like it helps, but hard to say if it’s placebo or not. Quick fixes are always a gamble for me.

I’d be cautious about blaming the four-month versus one-week result mainly on gravity. On a pressurized pipe, the leak pressure and the condition of the surface usually matter more than whether the pipe runs horizontally or vertically.

A vertical pipe can also let water track under the tape, especially if the copper wasn’t completely clean and dry or the wrap wasn’t stretched tightly enough to fuse to itself. Pipe movement, corrosion, and the size of the pinhole can make an even bigger difference. Roughing up copper can help epoxy bond, but it needs to be free of oxidation, grease, and moisture first. I’d treat that four-month result as a lucky temporary seal, not evidence that horizontal runs are reliably safer.