A pipe heading from the first floor bathroom to the basement had a leak in the copper tubing. The customer could not use that bathroom anymore because she was afraid of a flood that would lead to a great deal of structural damage.
One of the reasons that copper pipes leak is the formation of pinholes due to corrosion. Water flowing through the pipes can sometimes cause these small holes to develop. Corrosion can result from hard water, but also soft water with a pH of more than 8.0. Sometimes a failure is caused by improper installation. If the tubing is too small and water pressure is too high, this can lead to erosion of the pipe’s protective coating. This is especially prevalent in areas where water changes direction in plumbing, such as tees and elbows.
The typical repair for this type of problem is replacing the section of the pipe that has failed. However, in some instances all that is needed is a bit of external soldering. If your problem is extensive, then one option may be to replace the copper piping with PVC plumbing.
Call Essig Plumbing and Cooling today if you ever have any kind of problem with your copper pipes!
Copper Pipe Leak in Reading
