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plumbing leak in wall

mrfixitusa | Posted in General Discussion on May 2, 2009 02:55am

Yesterday we tore out water damaged sheetrock from a wall.

This is a bank repo home that has set empty for 6 mo’s or so.

Behind it was copper plumbing which had leaked at some time in the past (it had leaked where the pipe ran through a stud – through the hole which had been drilled in the stud)

THE COPPER PIPE IS NOT LEAKING NOW.

Is it possible it leaked in the past and the corrosion has sealed the leak?

There is a lot of green and white powdered corrosion on the copper pipe in the area where the stud got wet in the past.

How could a pipe have leaked months and years ago and yet it’s not leaking today?


Edited 5/2/2009 8:03 am by mrfixitusa

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  1. User avater
    Sphere | May 02, 2009 03:07pm | #1

    Sounds like screw or nail pierced it and it ate away and froze up the pinhole. I'd cut it out and add a new section.

    Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

    Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

    "If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"
    Jed Clampitt

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  2. jimAKAblue | May 02, 2009 03:18pm | #2

    That happened  to me before.

    Back in the early 80's I moved into a new house and the fitting to the laundry tub leaked. It was down in the basement and I procrastinated. It didn't leak enough to cause puddles but it definitely leaked. And then, after it gathered enough of that green gunk, it stopped leaking.

    20 years later it still didn't leak.

  3. DanH | May 02, 2009 03:47pm | #3

    Yep, I've seen slow leaks in copper stop after a few weeks or months.

    The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
  4. DanH | May 02, 2009 03:48pm | #4

    (Of course, the pipe should be repaired.)

    The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
  5. User avater
    BillHartmann | May 02, 2009 03:53pm | #5

    This is such an obvious reason for this I am surprised that no one else has mentioned it.

    "This is a bank repo home that has set empty for 6 mo's or so."

    The WATER IS OFF!

    Of course it won't leak then.<G>

    .
    William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
    1. User avater
      Sphere | May 02, 2009 04:00pm | #6

      My place was empty for almost a year. Water was still on. She sold the washer and dryer and the bozo that removed them, broke a pipe in the laundry room , CPVC right before the shut off valve.

      She got her water bill in the mail and KNEW something was way wrong, it had been running for over a month, full stream...Of course  I had to tear out drywall, and the subfloor..what a mess.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

      Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

      "If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"Jed Clampitt

      View Image

    2. mrfixitusa | May 02, 2009 04:01pm | #7

      We're just starting to work on the house and I worked til 7 or 8 pm last night and was tired and walked out the door and got in my car and I drove awayI got a block away and thought about the copper pipes and my luck they will spring a leak and flood the house and so I drove back and turned off the main shut off valve.I'll take sphere and dan's advice and replace that section of the copper pipes.The cheap way is with copper coupling at a cost of 50 cents or I guess I can go buy a shark bite coupler at a cost of $10.I'll probably go with the shark biteSomething else that was odd about this is that the hot water pipes were wrapped with fiberglass insulation.AGAIN THIS IS ON AN INTERIOR WALL

      1. User avater
        Sphere | May 02, 2009 04:05pm | #8

        FG insul was trying to cut pipe heat loss I'd guess.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

        Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

        "If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"Jed Clampitt

        View Image

      2. User avater
        BillHartmann | May 02, 2009 04:08pm | #9

        A large number of people will think that insulating the pipes will keep them from having to wait for hot water.That could have been the reason that it was wrapped..
        William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe

      3. DanH | May 02, 2009 08:06pm | #11

        The insulation was an attempt to keep the water hot. It sorta works.
        The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith

      4. User avater
        Dinosaur | May 02, 2009 08:51pm | #12

        Don't forget to put protective plates on the studs over the pipe run to avoid the same problem re-occurring when you button up the wall with Piffin screws....

        Dinosaur

        How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....

  6. JTC1 | May 02, 2009 05:11pm | #10

    Have seen this phenomena before in copper piping - corrosion seal is my assumed answer.

    DW's and my first house - galvanized supply piping - sprung leak in supply pipe to 2nd floor bathroom.  Cut out a piece of the living room ceiling to gain access.

    Found pinhole leak and drip from the cold pipe above the ceiling wet spot  - looked down the pipe runs and saw about 6 other rust spots - ancient leaks which had sealed themselves - as I cut out the ceiling, I found old plaster repairs under each of the rust spots.

    I replaced H & C pipe runs for their entire length - you should probably do similar, at least where the pipe shows evidence of leaking in the past.

    Jim 

     

    Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.

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