I have fixed several small pinhole leaks in the hot water lines in my home the last two years and have a die-electric union on the water heater, but am still getting leaks. The house was built in 1997 and continues to spring leaks in copper pipe. What should I do? Replace all pipes with pex will be quite an undertaking! Any suggestions would be really appreciated.

Thanks,
Dave O.

Afraid you are going to have to replace the piping. For what ever reason the pin holds occur (there is much debate about why) it has occurred through the pipe. You can keep patching and the pin holes will keep developing.
The danger is that a pin hole will turn into a geyser while you are not there.

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Originally Posted by barncleaner

I have fixed several small pinhole leaks in the hot water lines in my home the last two years and have a die-electric union on the water heater, but am still getting leaks. The house was built in 1997 and continues to spring leaks in copper pipe. What should I do? Replace all pipes with pex will be quite an undertaking! Any suggestions would be really appreciated.

Thanks,
Dave O.

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Is there a water softener or a reverse osmosis system installed?

Acidity in the water after treatment is a prime culprit when it comes to copper tube failure in such a short time span.

As for reclaiming the tubing in place, you can always opt for an epoxy treatment that will fix the problem.

Not all copper pipe is the same. Most common found in my area are K,L, and M. K is the thickest and I would not recommend M for domestic water. Can you still read the type designation on your pipe, I am thinking type M. Need to start planning on how to use PEX. BTW not all PEX is the same so do your homework. You want Pexcel. Replacing Brass Water Pipes with PEX Tubing - BobVila.com

Agree with other Experts. Start thinking about repipe.