The War Against Pin Hole Leaks In Copper Pipes
Copper pipe pin hole leaks, are rare, but when they occur they are a nuisance. Merely locating the leak can be a long and costly procedure, which in the end may involve removing part of a wall or ceiling to expose the pipe. In the mean time, before the leak has been found, it can be spewing out water which is rotting wood in the frame of the house. And over time, the rot will lead to depreciation of the house, termites, mold and mildew, an increase in homeowner’s insurance premiums and visible damage.
The discovery of one leak is also troublesome because it is a sign that the pipe might be corroding, and vulnerable to forming more pin sized hole leaks. All in all, the prevalence of pin hole copper tubing leaks is trouble enough that at least two states, Maryland and Washington State, have formed task force to study the problem.
Step one in the war against pinhole leaks is the process of defining just what they are. According to the Maryland Taskforce on pin hole leaks, the leak is a small breakthrough in the pipe from the inside out, which was proceeded by and caused by internal long standing pitting corrosion of the copper tube. There is currently a vast amount of copper plumbing tubing in homes, and the task force stated that discovering a way to recognize inner pipe corrosion before it results in a pin hole leak is an important priority.
While the utility department in Maryland has literally thousands of reports of pin hole leaks in copper piping, they have no way of compiling accurate statistics about the incidence of the problem, because many people go right to their plumber and the utility department never hears about it.
The Washington D.C. sanitary department studied their records, and concluded that most pin hole leaks in copper piping occur in cold water pipes. The leaks mostly occur along a horizontal surface and they mostly occur in older houses. At the time of that report, sometime before 2003, it was noted that 80% of all the leaks were occurring in homes built before 1970. The report does not say why.
If you see signs of a hidden or obvious leak from a copper pipe, you should contact a plumber immediately. If you live in the Baltimore metropolitan area, contact A-1 Plumbing of Baltimore. The Baltimore plumbers of A-1 are experienced in fixing copper Pipe leaks , and will come right out to your house to help you.
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