A long time ago I needed to cap a pipe, so I decided to try a SharkBite End Cap just to see what they were like. It worked so well that I said to myself, "Self, maybe you should toss a couple of End Caps in the plumbing drawer just in case you need to cap a pipe in an emergency."
So, here it is, 9 PM on a Friday night and I walked down into the basement to find that the pipe from the water heater has developed a pin hole leak.
So, off with the main, a couple of quick cuts to remove the bad section, push on 2 caps and back on with the main.
No showers tomorrow morning, but at least we have water tonight. Tomorrow, I can take my time replacing the bad section.
...and that's why I keep SharkBite End Caps in the shop.
I don't know. The pinhole was on a short (4") section of pipe between a T and a 90. I cut the pipe exactly at the pin hole, leaving about
1" sticking out the T. (That left me enough room to put the cap on. I'll need to replace the T and the 90 tomorrow)
Anyway, after I cut the pipe I noticed that the pin hole had begun to turn into a slit, I assume from the pressure of the cutter. That tells me the leak was about to get much bigger.
As I said, I cut the pipe exactly at the pin hole and this is what I found inside the pipe right at the cut. (Ignore the outside of the pipe. I had cleaned the outside before cutting it.)
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I can't tell if the "scale" that you see is buildup or what's left behind from disintegrating copper. It extends down about 1/2" but it is all around the inside of the pipe at the cut, not just on the side where the hole was.
I have a plumbing supply house that I like, so I may take the piece over there and have them tell me what's going on. In any case, the rest of that short piece of pipe will be gone first thing in the morning.
Let us know what they say. I'm curious. I'll be repiping my galvanized soon with copper. Because I don't have my threading tools anymore, copper pipe is cheaper, and it might make a difference in the house's resale value. The piping is 58 years old. No leaks, but the flow is getting restricted enough that it's time to do it.
I'd also consider PEX. Easy to work with. Personally, I'd not buy a house with galvanized that was slowing down so it is a good thing to replace it if you are eventually selling.
I finished sweating in the new section. I noticed that when I tried to use the same type fittings as the originals - a T and a 90, the horizontal pipe from the WH would not line up with the 90.
One of the issues (I think) is that the pipe that goes to the upstairs bathroom from the top of the T is not a straight run. They apparently used a bender to put some curves in the pipe. Therefore the pipe coming out of the bottom of the T was not at a right angle to horizontal pipe to the water heater, even though they had used a 90 to connect those
2 pipes.
In the image linked to below, you can see the curve in the pipe as it comes through the sub floor.
I think the original installation was under tension, although things didn't really "spring" when I cut out the leaking section last night. I wonder if the tension had relaxed because the original 4" section that came out of the bottom of the T had weakened over time and eventually failed. Just a guess.
What I was able to do was use two 45's instead of a single 90. You can see one coming out of the bottom of the T and another about 3" down. I also put 1/4" spacers between the bottom of the joists and the horizontal pipe that comes out of the middle of the T. This set up allowed everything to go back together in a "relaxed" manner.
The new section starts with the T and ends with the repair coupling near the electrical wire. The leak was in that short pipe between the two
45's. Originally that pipe had a 90 at the bottom and went directly into the bottom of the T.
"Although pinhole leaks could happen in any copper pipe or tube within a ho use, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) reported that the m ajority of pinhole leaks that their customers had reported were in cold-wat er, horizontal copper piping. Most of the leaks were in older homes, and 80 percent of the reports involved homes built prior to 1970."
house, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) reported that the majority of pinhole leaks that their customers had reported were in cold-w ater, horizontal copper piping. Most of the leaks were in older homes, and
80 percent of the reports involved homes built prior to 1970."
Most common in type M copper too. (the cheap stuff with the red print) Less common in Type L (blue print) and almost unheard of in Type K (green print)
L ang K are available soft as well, while M is hard only. Hard L and K can be annealed if a small bend is required.
M is only .028 thick. L is .040 and K is .049
If buying a house anf it is plumbed with M (red print) pipe, figure on doing some major replumbing before too long. If you don't have to, you come out ahead. If you don't plan for it and do have to, you loose pretty big-time.
are you certain that still code? PEX is actually less likely to leak since it can all be home runs from a manifold to fixture. no fittings buried in walls etc
890 appendix A, table A. Delete "Approved Building Drainage/Vent Pipe", "Approved Materials For Building Sewer", "Approved Material For Water Service Pipe", and "Approved Materials For Water Distribution Pipe" and replace with:
Approved Materials For Water Service Pipe Material Standard Ductile iron water pipe AWWA C151; AWWA C115 Copper or copper alloy pipe ASTM B42; ASTM B302 Copper or copper alloy tubing (type K only) ASTM B75; ASTM B88; ASTM B251 Approved Materials For Water Distribution Pipe Material Standard Copper or copper alloy pipe ASTM B42; ASTM B30 Copper or copper alloy tubing (type K or L) ASTM B75; ASTM B88; ASTM B251 Galvanized steel pipe ASTM A53
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