Cold weather usually means water leak repair time for plumbers. At Advocate Master Plumbing we repair all leaking water pipes. The pipes freeze and burst then down comes the ceiling and up floats the carpet. But water leak repair is necessary all year round.
Types Of Water Leak Repair
There are various types of water pipes. So it stands to reason that there are many types of water leak repair. Let’s discuss copper pipe water leak repair.
Copper Water Pipes
Copper water pipes are the most common type of water leak repair. That’s because they’re the most common type of water piping used. There are a number of reasons for a copper pipe water leak.
- Failed solder joint. Probably poorly soldered.
- Friction from metal hangers.
- Screws into pipe during remodels
- Freezing and bursting
- Transition to different types of pipe
Copper Pipe Repair
To make a proper copper pipe water leak repair you should always cut off the leaking section of pipe or pipe fitting and replace it. As a rule, you always want to replace it with the same type of material. This is so it looks uniform and professional. But it’s also to minimize internal water agitation. Too much agitation and the water could cut holes in the pipe.
Here are a few ways to make a copper pipe water leak repair:
- Quick Fittings – A quick fitting is a large brass connector that is pushed onto a clean piece of copper, cpvc or pex pipe. The most common brand is Sharkbite. It comes in all the same fitting types as copper fittings. This is probably the best option for the average homeowner. They’re easy.
- Soldering – If you’re properly trained then soldering is the best and most professional way to make a copper pipe water leak repair.
- Copper Pipe Repair Clamps – Another way to make copper pipe water leak repair is to simply use a repair clamp. These are generally considered a temporary repair. You simply seal the leak by clamping over the leak. It buys you time.
- Propress Repair Fitting – Propress is a way of joining copper pipes with a clamp style wrench similar to the pex tool. I don’t recommend this unless you’re a professional doing a lot of copper pipe water leak repair. These tools are very cost prohibitive as are the fittings.
- Call A Professional – I highly recommend you call a professional when ever needing a copper pipe water leak repair for a frozen or burst water pipe. Water is the #1 insurance claim. It’s second only to fire for being such an all encompassing home tragedy. Just don’t.
More To Come
This has been a brief overview of water leak repair options on copper water pipes. I really can’t stress how big a deal it is when attempting to make a repair of this type. A professional master plumber is what you need. Otherwise, you may have a very upset family with no toilets, showers or drinking water for a weekend.
In the coming weeks I’ll discuss other types of water pipes dealing with water leak repair. I only discuss this so that my customers can make an informed decision when hiring your local Lees Summit plumber at Advocate Master Plumbing. Where your best value is our motivation.