Among common plumbing issues that we take care of in our day-to-day work, pinhole leaks in copper pipes are among the most frequent. Copper pipes are corrosion-resistant, but there’s a special type of corrosion, pitted corrosion, that can affect them. This corrosion comes from chemicals often found in water and is difficult to prevent. When small pinhole leaks start up, however, they aren’t difficult for professional plumbers to fix. We’ll take you on a little tour of some of the ways that we solve these plumbing aggravations.
The Fast Fix
Often, a leak needs to be stopped right away so there’s time to come up with a long-term solution. For a stopgap method, a plumber places a small piece of rubber against the leak, and then secures a jubilee clip around both the rub stopper and the pipe. Once the jubilee clip is secured and tightened, it will provide a water-tight seal that should last for a long enough period for the plumber to find the best permanent fix.
Slicing and Compression Fitting
A plumber doesn’t need to replace the whole pipe because of a pinhole leak. What really needs to happen is cutting the pipe apart at the point of the leak, then using a compression fitting to clamp the two ends together. A plumber uses a pipe slicer (no need for a hacksaw!) right at the pinhole leak to make a clean cut. The compression fitting goes into place and is screwed down, providing a secure pipeline once again.
Soldering
This is the most advanced technique, and it provides a fully sealed off pipe. Once again, the plumber slices open the pipe at the pinhole leak. Then, flux is brushed onto the two pipe ends and they are placed back together. A soldering torch is then applied to the spot, and the pipe is restored. (This must be done by a professional plumber! Handling a soldering torch without training is dangerous.)
Red Rock Mechanical LLC serves Burlington, VT and the rest of Northwest Vermont and the Plattsburgh, NY area.
