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If it's practical to depressurize the pipe, you can make a pretty good temporary repair with epoxy. Get the kind that comes in a stick that you break off a piece, knead it to mix the two ingredients, then apply to the properly cleaned leaking area. You want to use something like brake cleaner to remove any contaminants from the surface, and you want to at least wire brush the area to remove any loose corrosion. Needless to say but I will say it, you need to do your cleaning well before you knead the epoxy. The difference between getting the surface really clean and a half-hearted effort will be huge, so get that surface CLEAN.
Harry is right though, you have serious corrosion and it could let go suddenly. If you try my little trick, remember, it's a *temporary* repair. You need to keep an eye on it until you can do or have done a comprehensive repair. Because of this, I would avoid any sort of rubber and compression type repair. This can be fine if the pipe is in good shape but you don't know how much corrosion has weakened the pipes here. Last thing you want to do is be reefing down on a hose clamp and break what's left of the pipe.
If you can't figure out how to depressurize this pipe, you won't know how to stop the leak if it gets worse, so you really need to figure that out.
Second that - know of a situation where 3” copper sewer pipe was temporarily “fixed” with marine epoxy.
Think it is 15 years or so ago and still going…
The best one is marine type epoxy - get that!
Read directions first before buying - to make sure you could follow the instructions precisely in your situation
Alternatively- maybe you could read how to fix it yourself?
What is this leaking pipe? What material is it made of?
I am only familiar with copper pipes.
Not sure if you can find the same metal: you can’t mix different metals so for your fix you may have to go with plastic type pipes?
Not a fan, but one have to do…
They gonna hang me here for the suggestion below
Home Depot sells plumbing books and you could even attempt to use sharkBite products? They don’t require any solder and it has push connectors
Tread lightly and maybe even practice on a piece of pipe first?
If you don’t have money to cover cost then check with your home insurance or get a small loan but get it repaired properly soon. It’ll be far cheaper to repair properly than to bandaid fix until the pipe bust completely.
My family is short on extra cash these days, so finding a small drip coming from a small rusty spot on
pipe threads concerns me.
This is in the ceiling of our basement level, up under a bathroom. It's a sideways pipe with a drop of water forming periodically close to wear the pipe turns to threads.
My question is, how many different ways might I combat this without calling a plumber just yet?
Once we get some cash flowing, I am willing to have it fixed correctly.
Please see photo.
Thanks! Any advice is appreciated.
You are dealing with OLD galvanized pipe which may be 60 years old or older. Heck, it might be 80 to 100 years old. As such, you need to tread cautiously.
From looking at the picture, I have my doubts that a clamp would work since it is where the pipe threads into a larger fitting. Besides, tightening a clamp onto the pipe runs the risk of further damage to the fragile old pipe.
If you can get some type of epoxy that will set under wet conditions, that would be your safest temporary solution. Apply gently and hope for the best. Otherwise, just put a pan under it to catch the drip and hope it doesn't get much worse before you have the money to fix it right by replacing it with copper pipe and fittings.
BTW, what is the approximate diameter of this pipe? I'm assuming it is a supply line and not a drain line.
If you don’t have money to cover cost then check with your home insurance or get a small loan but get it repaired properly soon. It’ll be far cheaper to repair properly than to bandaid fix until the pipe bust completely.
Don’t talk to homeowners insurance. It could bite you in the ***** - or they could even cancel it on you
Can you sell something?
Or ask a plumber for an installment payments, even ask for no interest installment plan:someone may agree to help you out.
Ask plumbing suppliers if they know any retiree plumber who wouldn’t mind this type of arrangement?
Depending on the state - some have programs for low income if you qualify for an emergency cash - for the situation like yours or could point you out towards some charity perhaps? Maybe church would be able to help you out as a loan? Or have a small fundraiser for you?
And if you heed the advice on learning a bit of plumbing - you could go with pex flexible piping as replacement with the sharkbite - you could do it.
If it's practical to depressurize the pipe, you can make a pretty good temporary repair with epoxy. Get the kind that comes in a stick that you break off a piece, knead it to mix the two ingredients, then apply to the properly cleaned leaking area. You want to use something like brake cleaner to remove any contaminants from the surface, and you want to at least wire brush the area to remove any loose corrosion. Needless to say but I will say it, you need to do your cleaning well before you knead the epoxy. The difference between getting the surface really clean and a half-hearted effort will be huge, so get that surface CLEAN.
Harry is right though, you have serious corrosion and it could let go suddenly. If you try my little trick, remember, it's a *temporary* repair. You need to keep an eye on it until you can do or have done a comprehensive repair. Because of this, I would avoid any sort of rubber and compression type repair. This can be fine if the pipe is in good shape but you don't know how much corrosion has weakened the pipes here. Last thing you want to do is be reefing down on a hose clamp and break what's left of the pipe.
If you can't figure out how to depressurize this pipe, you won't know how to stop the leak if it gets worse, so you really need to figure that out.
To clarify a bit. Getting the pipe depressurized will allow you to keep the outside surface dry. It will also allow the completed epoxy repair to fully harden without being subjected to water pressure while it's hardening. While the water is draining away, use solvents and abrasives as needed to get the surface clean.
I would suggest making a ring of epoxy that goes around the leak area annularly, rather than just putting a small patch on that relies on adhesion between the epoxy and the pipe to keep it in place. With an annular ring you have the full tensile strength of the epoxy working for you, which should be plenty strong for ordinary household domestic water pressure. I would do the repair in the evening and leave the pipe depressurized overnight so the epoxy can set up fully. This may or may not be inconvenient depending on how much of your domestic water system you have to turn off in order to depressurize this pipe.
You didn't say, but is this a cold water pipe or hot? If it's hot the thermal expansion and contraction will probably damage the epoxy over time.
You need to look around, I doubt this leak is the only place where the pipe is thin. What part of the country are you in? Most of the east has rather acidic water and galvanized pipe does not "live long and prosper" there. Oddly enough here in the west, the ground water is alkaline and galvanized pipe stays in surprisingly good shape, even if it's 60+ years old. A truly comprehensive repair might involve replacing a good bit of pipe.
I personally have no experience with PEX and I don't know if I would go there or not. That stuff has only been around a few decades and who knows how it holds up over several decades of service. You may have a professional plumber propose to just bypass your existing galvanized pipes and run PEX around them. I personally wouldn't do that, although it might be your cheapest comprehensive repair.
(Cue "Mission Impossible" theme song...) In any case, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make a good temporary repair to stop the leak for now, and then investigate what else beyond this one length of pipe needs repair/replacement. Good luck.
To clarify a bit. Getting the pipe depressurized will allow you to keep the outside surface dry. It will also allow the completed epoxy repair to fully harden without being subjected to water pressure while it's hardening. While the water is draining away, use solvents and abrasives as needed to get the surface clean.
I would suggest making a ring of epoxy that goes around the leak area annularly, rather than just putting a small patch on that relies on adhesion between the epoxy and the pipe to keep it in place. With an annular ring you have the full tensile strength of the epoxy working for you, which should be plenty strong for ordinary household domestic water pressure. I would do the repair in the evening and leave the pipe depressurized overnight so the epoxy can set up fully. This may or may not be inconvenient depending on how much of your domestic water system you have to turn off in order to depressurize this pipe.
You didn't say, but is this a cold water pipe or hot? If it's hot the thermal expansion and contraction will probably damage the epoxy over time.
You need to look around, I doubt this leak is the only place where the pipe is thin. What part of the country are you in? Most of the east has rather acidic water and galvanized pipe does not "live long and prosper" there. Oddly enough here in the west, the ground water is alkaline and galvanized pipe stays in surprisingly good shape, even if it's 60+ years old. A truly comprehensive repair might involve replacing a good bit of pipe.
I personally have no experience with PEX and I don't know if I would go there or not. That stuff has only been around a few decades and who knows how it holds up over several decades of service. You may have a professional plumber propose to just bypass your existing galvanized pipes and run PEX around them. I personally wouldn't do that, although it might be your cheapest comprehensive repair.
(Cue "Mission Impossible" theme song...) In any case, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make a good temporary repair to stop the leak for now, and then investigate what else beyond this one length of pipe needs repair/replacement. Good luck.
Agree with you regarding PEX - not my favorite.
They say it may facilitate the biological growth unlike copper.
If you don’t have money to cover cost then check with your home insurance or get a small loan but get it repaired properly soon. It’ll be far cheaper to repair properly than to bandaid fix until the pipe bust completely.
Or check on plumbers that let you make monthly payments. We have some here where we live.
They have thread sealer aka, (pipe dope), you can spread on the threads and will possibly seal up, can also go with sealant wraps for plumbing, most hard ware stores have them. watch a you tube vid when its time to take on the task of replacing or patching that one section of piping. It is not hard, and its something you most certainly can do without paying a plumber.
Agree with you regarding PEX - not my favorite.
They say it may facilitate the biological growth unlike copper.
We lived in a house built in 1965 and plumbed with copper. Around 2005 (40 years) we started seeing pinhole leaks at several joints and found that the water chemistry in our area eventually wrecks even copper pipes. Copper is no panacea, it has a service life like any other tubing.
Regarding this galvanized pipe, it appears to be at the end of its road, it’s rusted from the inside out and I can only imagine the color of the water coming out the other end. All of these temporary fixes are delaying the inevitable and that joint will fail completely when the rusting inside progresses far enough. There are likely other rusted spots just like this one the OP has not discovered yet.
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