Self Amalgamating Tape Review: Can It Hold a Burst Pipe Until the Plumber Comes?

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Self amalgamating tape is the roll I reach for when something needs to be watertight now and fixed properly later. I’ve used it for years to waterproof electrical cable joints and glands, and for temporary fixes on leaking pipes. There’s no glue on it at all. You stretch it as you wrap, and the layers fuse into one solid sleeve of rubber.

This self amalgamating tape review covers what it is, how to wrap a leak so it actually seals, and why the YoiYee roll, 25mm wide, 3m long and black, is the one worth keeping in the drawer by the stop tap. Pipes never leak at ten on a Tuesday morning when the plumber’s free. They wait for Christmas Eve.

What Is Self Amalgamating Tape?

Self amalgamating tape, also sold as self fusing tape, is a stretchy silicone or rubber tape with no adhesive on it. It bonds only to itself. Wrap it under tension and each layer fuses into the one below, so a few turns become one seamless rubber sleeve that’s airtight and watertight.

Because it doesn’t rely on glue, it leaves no sticky residue, and it moulds around awkward shapes: pipe joints, bends, fittings and cable splices. It’s the tape electricians reach for to waterproof a joint, and the one a plumber would rather you’d used than the parcel tape they usually find.

It isn’t PTFE tape (the thin white tape for pipe threads) and it isn’t insulating tape (PVC with glue on the back). Neither of those is made for sealing a leak on the outside of a pipe.

How I Use Self Amalgamating Tape

I’ve used self amalgamating tape for two jobs more than any other.

The first is waterproofing electrical cable joints and glands: where a cable goes into a junction box, an outside light or a garden socket, a few stretched wraps over the gland keep the weather out. Power off before you start.

The second is temporary fixes on leaking pipes, to stop the drip and buy time until the pipe can be repaired properly. That’s the job that earns it a place in an emergency kit. If you want one tape for water leaks in the house, this is it.

How to Wrap a Leaking Pipe With Self Amalgamating Tape

1. Turn the water off at the stop tap.
2. Dry the pipe as well as you can.
3. Start a few centimetres before the leak.
4. Stretch the tape as you wrap. The stretch is what makes it fuse.
5. Overlap each turn by about half the tape’s width.
6. Carry on a few centimetres past the leak, building up several layers over the leak itself.
7. Press the whole wrap firmly together when you finish.

Done properly, you can’t see where one turn ends and the next begins. It looks like a rubber sleeve, not a bandage.

Then ring a plumber. Self amalgamating tape is pipe repair tape for the gap between the leak and the repair, which is exactly when the damage to ceilings, floors and the box of Christmas decorations under the stairs happens.

Why Self Fusing Tape Sometimes Doesn’t Seal

When self fusing tape lets a leak through, it’s nearly always down to how it went on:

• Not stretched. Wrapped slack like insulating tape, it won’t fuse.
• Gaps between turns. Every gap is a path for the water.
• Wet pipe. Dry it first, even if that’s just a tea towel.
• Water still on. Wrap with the water off, so the layers fuse before the pressure comes back.

Get those four right and it does the job. Most of the one-star reviews you’ll find for any brand are somebody who wrapped it like a bandage.

Self Amalgamating Tape for Electrical Joints and Glands

Away from plumbing, this is where self amalgamating tape earns its keep all year. The YoiYee roll is rated for electrical insulation up to 8,000V, and it’s made for insulating exposed outdoor wiring, terminals and heavy-duty cable splices.

It goes over a properly made joint to keep water out. A shed supply, an outside light or a garden socket that’s let the rain in after a wet winter storm is exactly the sort of small job a roll in the drawer sorts out.

Why the YoiYee Self Amalgamating Tape

Plenty of rolls do this job. The YoiYee self amalgamating tape is a sensible all-rounder for a house:

• 25mm wide and 3m long, wide enough for household pipes, hoses and cables.
• Silicone that bonds only to itself, with no adhesive and no sticky residue.
• Stretches up to 3.5 times its resting length, so it moulds over joints, bends and fittings.
• Works from -54°C to 260°C, from frozen outdoor plumbing to hot engine hoses.
• Electrical insulation rated up to 8,000V.
• Black, so it doesn’t look like a first aid job on the outside light.

The cold end of that range matters most. A pipe that splits in a freeze needs wrapping while it’s still cold outside, not when the weather’s turned nice again.

Where to Keep a Roll

Somewhere you can find it in the dark, with water on the floor:

• In the drawer or box nearest the stop tap, with a torch.
• In the car kit, for a split hose.
• In the tool box, for outdoor cable jobs.

If you’ve got a lot of exposed pipework, in a loft or an outbuilding, keep two rolls.

What the Rest of the Team Think

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Pros and Cons

Pros

• Self amalgamating tape bonds only to itself, so no adhesive and no sticky residue
• Stretched layers fuse into one watertight, airtight seal
• One roll covers pipes, hoses, cable joints and glands
• Works from -54°C to 260°C
• Electrical insulation rated up to 8,000V
• Small enough for a kitchen drawer, car kit or tool box

Cons

• It has to be stretched as you wrap, or it won’t fuse
• Pipes need the water off and drying before you wrap
• On water pipes it’s a stop-gap until a proper repair
• Once it’s fused it has to be cut off
• Worth keeping a second roll if you have a lot of exposed pipework

Frequently Asked Questions