Plumbing Leaks

There are all kinds of plumbing leaks. Some can flood your home, while others are not nearly so damaging. Your approach to stopping a leak depends on the type of leak it is. If the leak is at a joint, tighten the joint. If the leak is in a pipe, remove the section that is leaking and replace it with a new section. Unfortunately, this is more easily said than done. For example, when you turn a threaded galvanized steel pipe to unscrew it from its fitting at one end, you tighten the pipe into its fitting at the other end. With copper pipe, the new section must be sweat-soldered in place. Most pipe replacement jobs are best left to a plumber, but, as a do-it-yourselfer, you may consider an alternative: the pipe patch.

You'll find patch kits for plumbing leaks at the hardware store, or you can make your own with a piece of heavy rubber from an old inner tube and a C-clamp. Another possibility is to use a hose clamp with a rubber patch. Factory-made kits contain a rubber pad that goes over the hole in the pipe and metal plates that compress the rubber pad over the hole. A quick and easy way to stop a leak, the patch kit can even be used on a permanent basis if the pipe is otherwise sound.

Q   I have a small leak at an elbow joint in a copper water line. How do I go about fixing this?

A   Are you feeling lucky? Try this first fix and find out. This will be a quick and easy fix or it will try your patience.  Shut off the water at the main valve in your home and open up nearby faucets to completely drain the pipe with the leaky elbow. Dry the outside of the elbow and sand (120-grit paper or cloth) around the leaking joint to remove all surface corrosion. Apply soldering flux around the whole joint and apply heat with a torch until the old solder melts. Add new solder until a shiny ring of solder shows all around the joint. Let the pipe cool for five minutes, then turn the water back on and cross your fingers that you stopped the leak.