My husband drilled a 5/8' hole into the toilet exhaust pipe running up the wall. He was trying to hang a cabinet and thought he was drilling into a stud. Now, hours later that toilet is constantly running and can not be flushed. I am worried about sewer gas excaping into the walls and house. Should we open the wall and try to patch the hole with silicone or do we need a plumber to professionally fix this? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hi Zabrnaz...

I don't see the relationship between a hole being drilled in a VENT pipe and the toilet now running constantly and can't be flushed... how did that happen? Let me know more, OK?

Patching the hole is simple enough... they sell a PLASTIC EPOXY PUTTY at most home improvement stores. Just sand the area around the hole and then plug and smooth the plastic epoxy to the pipe for best result, OK? *HINT* Using a little water to feather out the edges makes for a real smooth/water-tight fix.

The silicone is OK, but could eventually pull away from the edges of the hole and leak behind the wall so I don't recommend that as a fix.

Let me know more about the toilet issue(s)...

Mark

Seems that the toilet problem is a coincidence as it occurred soon after the drilled hole.. we need to investigate further today. I'll keep you posted!Thx! I appreciate your help and the pics of the products to purchase!