Ask the Colonial Plumbers: What Is a Pinhole Leak?
We understand the urgency when you have a leak, and we also understand that you need answers quickly. That’s why our Colonial Plumbers will get right to the point.
A pinhole leak in a copper pipe is a tiny, pin-sized perforation that starts as corrosion inside the pipe wall and finally breaks through. Unfortunately, it’s also a sign that you most likely have corrosion issues throughout most of your pipes, and many others could be at risk of springing pinhole leaks.
So, if you’ve got a little green crusty spot that suddenly turns into a mist, a drip, or a ceiling stain… you’re not crazy for thinking, “What else is about to pop?”
We go into detail regarding the whole corrosion issue along with what we do for copper pipe pinhole repair when you call Colonial Plumbing for help.
Why pinhole leaks happen in copper
Copper is a great pipe material, but under certain water conditions it can develop pitting corrosion. This type of corrosion creates tiny pits on the interior surface until one finally penetrates the wall.
What causes the pitting in the first place? Well, what we’ve found repairing pinhole leaks is that the cause is usually a combination of factors:
Water chemistry and disinfection
Municipal water treatment and local water chemistry can influence how copper ages. Multiple utility investigations and plumbing engineering sources point to conditions like high pH, disinfectants like chlorine, and other chemistry factors as potential contributors to copper pitting and pinhole leaks.
And that’s exactly what we see on the ground during repair calls. Pinhole leaks tend to hit pipes in our city service areas harder than our clients in rural areas because city water tends to be “harder.”
Erosion-corrosion from water velocity
Erosion corrosion is another factor. This is when high water velocity wears away the protective interior layer of the pipe and accelerates damage. This type of corrosion is most often found by our plumbers when they are inspecting areas where pipes change direction and around valves and fittings.
Excess soldering flux
We’ve found that excess soldering flux from the installation process is associated with pinhole problems in copper.
Excess flux is acidic, and if it isn’t fully cleaned out after soldering, it can sit inside the pipe and erode the copper from the inside out. Over time, localized corrosion creates tiny pits, then one finally breaks through as a pinhole leak in a copper pipe.
Unfortunately, once pitting starts on a pipe run, the entire pipe wall across the run is experiencing issues. That’s why copper pipe pinhole repair on one portion of the run does the job for a bit. But all too often, more pinhole leaks start popping up. To mitigate this issue, we often will suggest replacing the entire run.
The warning signs before a pinhole leak forms
According to our Colonial Plumbing team, the number one sign to look for is blue-green corrosion staining on the copper pipe. This can also present as a crust on the pipe that looks like it is “blooming” around a tiny point.
From there, you are looking at warning signs that a leak has already sprung from the pinhole leak in the copper pipe. You might first notice a fine spray coming from the pipe or new ceiling spots or drywall bubbles that grow.
“How to fix pinhole leak in copper pipe” — what actually works, and what’s just buying time
At Colonial Plumbing, we have years of experience in fixing copper pipes with pinhole leaks and also cleaning up the issues that other plumbing companies couldn’t fix. We want to cut through the myths and point you in the direction of solutions that actually work.
If you’re Googling “how to fix pinhole leak in copper pipe,” you’re going to see epoxy putty, clamps, tape wraps, and a lot of “quick fix” content. Those can be useful…but you need to understand what you’re doing and when a quick fix won’t cut it.
Temporary stopgaps
Temporary fixes can buy you a few days and at most, a couple weeks. For example, a clamp or epoxy can slow a leak if you’re in a bind and need to prevent damage until a plumber can get there. Unfortunately, sealing one spot doesn’t stop the pipe wall from being thin in the next inch over.
Permanent repair
The only way to do a permanent repair a pinhole leak in a copper pipe is to remove the compromised section and replace it with new pipe.
When we are on the job, here’s our copper pipe pinhole repair decision tree:
A targeted repair makes sense when it’s one isolated leak, in an accessible area, and the surrounding copper isn’t corroded.
However, replacement is often better if you’ve had more than one pinhole, especially on the same run or leaks are showing up in finished ceilings or walls. Finally, after an inspection shows widespread corrosion signs, it is time to replace the run.
That doesn’t mean we are going to have to repipe your entire home or business. Most times, we can just replace that specific piping run.
How Colonial Plumbing Handles Copper Pipe Pinhole Repair
When we arrive, our inspection will tell us where the pipe failed and more importantly, why the pipe failed.
To come to our conclusions, we examine your piping runs for visible corrosion patterns and whether leaks are concentrated on hot or cold lines.
It is the “why” that drives the repair approach. However, before we begin anything, we explain both the “where” and the “why”, along with the reasons we made a certain repair suggestion.
Contact Colonial Plumbing to Fix a Pinhole Leak in a Copper Pipe
A pinhole leak in a copper pipe is small…but the consequence isn’t. If you’ve got one pinhole, the smartest move is to fix it and confirm whether it’s just the beginning of a repeat pattern. Call Colonial Plumbing & Heating Co., Inc. at (804) 526-8415, and we’ll be to your property as soon as possible to help.
