I've presented this before and was guided to check out the baseboard heating register. No leaks. So the pin hole I guess is below the hardwood floorboards and most likely the sub-floor beneath that. There is a finished sheet rock ceiling in the room below with no leak showing anywhere.
I'm hoping there is something like motor-magic that can be fed into the hot water heating system which would find its way to the leak.
Anyone have any good ideas??? Thanks
So...how do you know there is a leak if you don't see it in the room below?
snipped-for-privacy@fdcx.net wrote in news:rtgpo75v6doo37mq017jf808seevkfl1me@
4ax.com:
Find a copper pipe that fits inside the broken one? It will reduce the capacity a bit, but you need only access to both ends.
open sheet rock cieling and inspect line. leak might be caused by anything. its best to open it up and take a look....
+1
It's not that big of a deal to cut a hole in sheetrock, fix the leak, then repair the ceiling. If you try to use some leak-stop product, how about if it works for 6 months, then it fails with a real flood instead of a drip?
theres a possiblity the leak is from a drain line, or roof leak following some line , or even condensation from a AC duct.
for the OPs safety the cieling should be opened for inspection.
otherwise one day a small drip might turn into a flood when no one is home
Never heard of boiler sealer? Irontite Ceramic Sealer comes to mind. Was used a lot in iron piping - and I've used it to stop up a bad head gasket on a junker, as well as a cracked engine block. The stuff is durable.
SealTyte is another brand.
Not sure if the pipes will be hot enough to set the product.
PurePro makes 2 broducts -BoilerWeld and Hydronic Leak Seal. Boiler weld comes in powder or liquid - you would want the liquid.
the issue is this.....
OP really doesnt know what is leaking .......
and those stop leak products probably arent meant for drinking water
OP could buy at harbor freight one of those cameras with lights that go thru a hole to look around while ding minimal drywall damage. but its probably not worth it.
or just forget about the leak till theres a flood and make a claim on homeowners insurance. but thats really not how it should work.
as a friend used to say you cant make scrambled eggs without breaking some eggs.
in this case some drywall must go
If your quest is really to mitigate the leak, here's what I'd do:
Option #1 - Re-route the plumbing with new materials.
Option #2 - Close off the problematic area.
He mentioned the baseboard heating register - by which I assume he meant radiator - so I ASSumed he was talking the heating system.
I've followed this thread for awhile and I know this was posted in the past as well. I really dont understand the whole thing. OP says there is a leak, yet cant see any wet areas on the sheetrock below. Thus, how does he know there is a leak? I support the DIY method, but this sounds like a call to the pros might be in order. Cutting out a section of sheetrock is not that big a deal, and it can be patched easy enough, but I get the feeling this leak is all imaginary. At no point does he state that there is a *known* leak, or why a leak is suspected. Seems he just points a finger at that pipe, and says "that pipe must be leaking".
Unless there is a known loss of water from this cooling system, or obvious leakage that can be seen, then it seems that the leak does not exist, and he is just imagining it. At no time has he said any reason to expect a leak. He just claims there is a leak in that pipe, and yet sees no staining or water dripping from the ceiling below. This just makes no sense to me.
If I had reason to believe there was a leak and an indication of the location of that leak, I'd cut out a small section of sheetrock and check. Heck, drill a 1/4" hole in the ceiling and see if water drips out. A dab of caulk can fix that tiny hole. Otherwise, call in the pros, and let them investigate and inspect the system. There are times that the homeowner just cant take care of these things, and this OP dont sound like the most knowledgable home repair guy.
Using sealers made for auto radiators may or may not work. They need enough heat to seal a leak. Then comes the question how does one get the sealer into the system? There is not radiator cap to remove. Finally, using a sealer in a car coats the radiator and engine block, which makes the cooling of the engine less effective. I'd think that such a product would make heating less effective as well, which would result in wasted fuel, thus paying a higher fuel bill. Not to mention that if this stuff coated the pipes, this could result in a very costly replacement of the whole heating system.
If there is some actual sign of leakage, call the pros. If not, quit worrying about something that dont exist. Then again, if this leak is only imaginary, but the OP continues to stress over it, an inspection by the pros would be cheaper than a psychiatrist, and he would not do something that might be harmful to the heating system and cost a lot more later. Even if they charge $100 an hour, I'm sure they could inspect the system in an average size home in an hour or less. Maybe the'll even tweak the system to operate more efficiently, and save a few bucks on the heat bill. Spend the money and call the pros, because you dont seem to understand this problem (of there is one).
In hot water heating systems, during the heating season, it is entirely possible (and in fact common) for minor leaks to be "dry leaks" which only show up as a mineral deposit at the site of the leak because the warm water evaporates from the pipe before it turns into a drip.
Same thing happens if you have a minor seapage at a soldered joint or a union on the outlet of your water heater.
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