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Bbruprec · Jun 10, 2013, 08:08 AM

I had a copper pipe spring a leak between my first and second floor... ceiling was opened, pipe repaired, ceiling repaired and painted. Now, six months later, it has happened again... same ceiling... some feet away. The home is forty years old... my question is... if I have a is similar repair done, what are the chances this will happen again... my plumber says he's never seen this happen twice in the same house... and, what other help or suggestion can you suggest?

speedball1 · Jun 10, 2013, 08:31 AM

Before I can answer I have to more about the leak,
Was it at a solder joint?
Was it a pinhole in the copper pipe?>
Was it a faulty fitting?
Tell me more!
Back to you. Tom

Bbruprec · Jun 10, 2013, 10:19 AM

It was a pinhole leak... I'd turned off the water at the main source... When the plumber looked, he initially saw nothing, but then had me flush toilets and run water and then he saw the leak.

speedball1 · Jun 10, 2013, 11:12 AM

It was a pinhole leak. My plumber says he's never seen this happen twice in the same house..

Then your plumber hasn't been in plumbing very long.
Pinhole leaks in copper pipes are caused by electrolysis. This now becomes a electrical problem as well mas a plumbing one. And it will keep happening time after time again until you locate the source of the short.
Electrolysis is cause buy the house wiring touching your pipes. This can be checked by a AC meter with one lead touching the pipe and .the other back to a earth ground. A electrical will know what electrolysis.is even if your plumber doesn't. Simply repairing then pipe just sets you up for it to happen again. Have it checked out. Good luck, Tom

Mike45plus · Jun 10, 2013, 01:13 PM

You have not indicated if the leak was from a water supply pipe, or a drain line. What is the source of the drinking water, and has it been tested? Water with low PH ( less than 7 ) will cause pin hole leaks in the supply piping, and will erode the stream path of the drain piping paper thin.
Slopply initial installation practices, i.e. not cleaning the leftover flux from soldered pipe & fittings, will leave a film of acid on the surfaces that will continue to clean the copper, and, over time can cause leaks...

Bbruprec · Jun 10, 2013, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by Mike45plus

You have not indicated if the leak was from a water supply pipe, or a drain line. What is the source of the drinking water, and has it been tested? Water with low PH ( less than 7 ) will cause pin hole leaks in the supply piping, and will erode the stream path of the drain piping paper thin.
Slopply initial installation practices, ie not cleaning the leftover flux from soldered pipe & fittings, will leave a film of acid on the surfaces that will continue to clean the copper, and, over time can cause leaks.....................

Thanks! Leak is from a water supply line.

speedball1 · Jun 10, 2013, 02:29 PM

Water with low PH ( less than 7 ) will cause pin hole leaks in the supply piping,

If you're on city water I believe we can discount that. So what's that leave? That's right, sports fans, electrolysis! Not flux or PH. Check it with a AC meter. Cheers, Tom

Mike45plus · Jun 12, 2013, 05:50 AM

Bbruprec:
I am only offering the benefit of my experience so you don't close the ceiling before you identify the exact problem. Good troubleshooting includes identifying all possible contributor's, and then use an orderly process of elimination to find the cause for the effect.
Testing for stray voltage is easily done, and a water test can determine if the problem is connected to water quality; softened water can negatively affect parts of a plumbing system , as can dissolved chlorides, and, the water test may reveal something else about your water that you didn't know. A careful visual inspection of pipe, valves, fittings, & connections will tell you a lot about the quality of the materials used, and the quality of the installer.
I have seen failed, leaking pipe and fittings caused by improper piping and pumping of domestic hot water recirculating sytems; increased velocity is not always beneficial
Don' discount your water supply without testing it, we have many public and shared community water systems here with various water condition issues...

speedball1 · Jun 12, 2013, 07:38 AM

Don' discount your water supply without testing it,

Are you on a well? If not then you're on a public water supply. If it's in the water then all your neighbors would have pinhole leaks. Everything you're told us points to electrolysis, And now you're getting the benefit of my, over 60 years in the trade, experience. Have your system checked. Tom

Mike45plus · Jun 12, 2013, 07:54 AM

Bbrupec:
Speedball1 makes an excellent point, consulting with your neighbors may be beneficial. There could be common denominators including the obvious pin hole leaks, same original installer, same type, age, condition of piping. Some neighbors may have water conditioning equipment. Gathering as much information as is available, and sorting through it, always results in learning, and somewhere along the line you'll be successful...