Leaking copper pipe join - repair?

[jamma-plusser]

One of the (half inch?) copper pipes that connects to the hot water radiator in my bathroom has a VERY SLIGHTLY leaking join, probably creating one drip of water every two hours or so (I'm thankful it's such a small amount!).

On looking at it closely it must have been like that for some time as there is patchy blue surface corrosion below the join, I've just never noticed it before (never looked either).

Short of calling out the plumber to repair it, is there anything I can do? Perhaps there is something that I can put on the join to seal it?

I don't have any plumbing skills, but am okay at fixing things.

Thanks

[Clive George]

How good is "okay"? You could take the opportunity to learn a bit of plumbing.

What sort of joint is it - soldered or compression?

If soldered, I'd guess you'll have to take the thing apart and remake it - which for me would involve draining the system :-(

If compression, you might get away with something else.

cheers, clive

[Derek Geldard]

Don't forget it's probably being eveaorated away by the heat. I recently had my kitchen ceiling damaged by a 30 year old end feed "T" fitting that had not been soldered properly in 1976.

You can get that from flux residues without it leaking .

It's best to remake the joint. If it's a compression joint it might respond to tightening up, or being re-assembled with new olives, but not if the pipe ends have been damaged at some point, even years ago.

If it's a straight joint there are extra long compression fittings for mending available from B&Q which would enable you to cut the old one out and join the two ends, alternatively if it's a "T" fitting you could cut a bigger section out and fit a push fit plastic replacement

• plastic inline joints, It all depends on access etc.

You don't need very much with modern fittings

Tell us what sort of fitting is leaking and what access is like ...

DG

[The Natural Philosopher]

I 'repaired' (bodged is a better term) a much worsee leak from a corroded ball valve at the inlaws house (threatened to bring the ceiling down) by wrapping it with lots of PTFE tape.

Surprisingly this held for about 5 months until they decided to redo the entire bathroom..

If its a compression joint it may be possible to tighten it as well.

[jamma-plusser]

Many thanks for the replies.

Looks to me like it's simply soldered on.

Couldn't I just get a blow torch and some suitable solder and drip some on?

Then again, guess I'd need to isolate the radiator first?

[Andrew May]

No, The water in the pipe will conduct the heat away faster than the blow torch can heat it. Even a small amount of residual water will cause problems.

DAMHIKT

Andrew

[The Natural Philosopher]

Only if yo empty the water out first. At which point you may as well redo the whole thing properly anyway.

Soldering pipes full of water is a complete waste of time.

And drain the system, or that part..

[jamma-plusser]

Okay, I'll avoid the solder route.

[fred]

In article , jamma-plusser writes

You also need to dismantle the joint and scrub the pipe and the inside of the fitting with wire wool until they shine, reason being that the join didn't flow correctly when it was first made (hence the leak) so you need to fix that problem first. You may find it easier to start with a new solder ring fitting, don't forget flux.

[Cicero]

================================== Have a look here:

sell the epoxy putty mentioned in the article. I haven't tried it so I have no idea how effective it will be but it's worth a try. A slow drip rarely cures itself and it can cause a lot of damage, so best to find some kind of cure.

Cic.

[robgraham]

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The snag with going the 'bodge' route is that if it doesn't work and with time they rarely do, you will have to undo the bodging - ie if you use epoxy, you will have to get it off.

Shopping List

Small gas blow torch and cylinder Steel wool Solder Flux Replacement joint

Certainly under =A320 and a quarter at least of what you will pay a plumber, plus you will now be learning a new trade !

Rob

[Cicero]

================================== Very true! Un-bodging can be more trouble than doing the job properly in the first place. I suspect the OP here is just dithering between becoming a true DIYer or a person whose only tool is his wallet.

One of these might be a gentle introduction (subject to space considerations) but either way he'll have to learn how to drain down and re-fill:

Ubuntu Linux Windows shown the door ===================================

[adder1969]

Radweld? :-p

[jamma-plusser]

Ouch!

Yes, I'd like to do it myself, but I'm not convinced that I could do it right if I opted to do it 'properly'.

I'm pondering on it - if I decide not to do it then the tool that is my (already nearly empty) wallet will have to do the job.

[jamma-plusser]

What kind of damage?

As this is in the bathroom it's just the occasional drip every few hours onto a vinyl floor.

[Cicero]

================================== It was a general comment on the possible damage that occur from an apparently small leak. Many people doing repairs or renovations come across damage such as rotten joists / floors etc. caused by long-standing slow leaks which may have gone un-noticed for years.

Cic.

[Cicero]

================================== Well, I did point you towards a DIY page which offered a couple of DIY solutions. It's up to you to decide what to do, but, as pointed out, bodges can be more trouble than they're worth.

If you can give more details or post a picture you'll get more specific help. This is really a fairly simple DIY job to do properly but you've got to decide to take the rather momentous step of paying out for a few tools rather than just paying a plumber. It's stating the obvious, I know, but if you buy tools they'll be there for next time. Pay a plumber and you have to pay another next time something goes wrong.

Cic.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Its easier to do it properly than to bodge.

As I said, wrap with ptfe, or drain dismantle and replace. Nothing else I have ever tried works..

[Peter Scott]

The other thing to say is that you should not overheat the joint. That is a common cause of badly made joints. Heat it evenly until the solder just appears in the gap between the pipe and joint or, if you are applying solder, until it just gets sucked in to the gap. Once the metal colours it is too hot and you have to start again. Also put something heat resistant behind the joint as you work.

Peter Scott

[Martin Crossley]

Well, either way, it sounds like the system will need draining down and re-filling and corrosion inhibitor adding when re-filling. (If it's not a Primatic cylinder.) That takes chargeable plumber's time and mark-up on the inhibitor, so that, at least, would be worth d-i-y.