Leaking T

Feb 03, 2009 8 Replies

I recently repaired a T fitting in galvanized pipe that was leaking because someone had messed up the threads during installation. The T was going to be a real pain to take out so I brazed the inside of the T and then taped it with an NPT thread. It has been holding for over a month with no leaks. Do you think this should be a good fix.



Jimmie


I like it. Clever.

Eventually, maybe decades, corrosion may set in but it probably won't matter.

t'other Jimmie

Tapping would have been better. What kind of tape? :-)

On 2/3/2009 4:01 PM 1D10T spake thus:

That's the way I read the original post too.

*Tape*? To fix a leak in a tee???

Tap, tape, tapping, taping. Some people don't know the difference.

That's a tip top tip, about taping. Actually, if the tape had been tapped, it would have been the top of the liklihood to tip the tape which had been topped off.

"If a woodtip could tip wood....."

I have no idea how long it will take but I suspect the iron, zinc, and brass will set up galvanic corrosion which will eventually cause it to leak. I would probably have tried an epoxy repair instead of brazing. If you have to repair it, there are rubber bushed repair unions which are very easy to use and seem quite reliable, from my limited experience with them. Two have been buried on my son's galvanized main water line which was corroded in two when we bought his house 19 years ago.

Don Young

if its a water supply line replace the entire thing with PEX, dirt cheap, easy to instyall no more leaks and much better flow...

galavanized is just a problem guaranteed to occur, not if just when.......

if its a water supply line replace the entire thing with PEX, dirt cheap, easy to instyall no more leaks and much better flow...

galavanized is just a problem guaranteed to occur, not if just when....... I agree with you but this repair only involved exposing about a foot of the line, a few minutes with a saw, and installing the two couplings with a new pipe section. It will eventually fail but has given 19 years of service and is still okay. The line itself is probably around 50 years old. We plan on replacing it before doing some paving in the area.

Don Young

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