If you talk to people about their homes, you are bound to encounter nightmare stories involving pinhole leaks in copper piping resulting in costly damage and repairs. Unfortunately, these are not isolated occurrences, but failures afflicting scores of homes in Indian River County alone in recent years — and the problem is expected to worsen. Accurately and ominously described, the occurrence is called a “spontaneous” pipe leak.
In our lifetimes, copper has been considered the preeminent material for potable water delivery in homes. To be sure, copper is an ancient material, corrosion resistant, formable, joinable, dependable, recyclable, and toxin safe.
That said, the useful life of copper piping in Florida is — get ready for this — only 20 to 25 years. Which means, for homes built before 2000, copper piping could be an accident waiting to happen. And as these sad stories make abundantly clear, it only takes one tiny leak to wreak havoc.
Causes of Pinhole Leaks
There is no one culprit, but rather a list of contributing and interrelated factors, some posing a greater or lesser risk depending upon geographic location. Leading contenders include: high levels of chlorine in the water supply, corrosion particles from rusting water heaters, water stagnation and microbial activity, unduly high water pressure, high pH levels in water, improper electrical grounding of pipes producing electrolysis. In addition, copper piping in beachside homes, exposed to elevated levels of salt and humidity, has been found to have significantly shorter life spans compared to piping in inland homes.
Mechanically, copper piping is most likely to fail where flowing water encounters resistance, turbulence, and friction, such as that produced by elbows, tees, and joints. Notably, any irregularity inside a pipe — e.g., a tiny burr, residual flux after soldering — can cause pitting and corrosion.
The thickness of installed copper piping and quality of manufacture are also issues. Builders have been known to install undersized (thus raising water pressure) and thin copper piping to cut costs. Unsurprisingly, cheap copper piping imported from China and used widely in the 1980s was thinner and less dense than copper piping used in homes today. Accordingly, some plumbers report that they find more leaks in homes built in the 1980s than those built in the 1970s or even 1960s.
In response to the large number of homeowners reporting copper piping failures, Indian River County has periodically commissioned studies to identify sources of corrosion in the water supply and to recommend corrective actions. Unfortunately, reported findings shed no new light on a leading cause, and the effects of recommended adjustments to the water treatment process (e.g., raising pH levels, reducing lime and carbon dioxide concentrations) — will take years of analysis following implementation to understand. The takeaway here for homeowners is simple: don’t count on a systemic fix, focus on your piping.
Detecting a Pinhole Leak
Pinhole leaks are analogous to certain types of cancer: by the time a symptom is detected, significant damage may have already occurred.
Look for water stains or discoloration (often subtle) on walls, baseboards, wood floors, carpeting. Peering inside a wall opening or crawlspace with a flashlight: is the floor wet, do you hear water dripping, can you see mold and mildew?
A true story. A guardhouse at the entrance to a gated community contained a toilet and sink. One day a member of the HOA board — inspecting the building on a whim — spotted moisture on the concrete slab in a closet. Further investigation revealed standing water on the entire slab, spanning wall partitions, soaking linoleum flooring. Worse still, various types of mold and mildew covered both wood framing and drywall. Breaking into the wall behind the toilet, the plumber discovered a hairline fracture in a copper elbow. None of the guards had noticed the wet concrete; the plumber couldn’t date the leak. The HOA board inherited a $15,000 project (no budgeted reserves) to remediate extensive surface mold, replace copper piping, drywall, and flooring, and clean air conditioning ducts.
What to Do With a Pinhole Leak?
Discovering a leaking copper pipe, what should you do? Simply put, there are two choices: fix the leak, or re-pipe a wing or entire home. Here is a decision guide plumbers recommend.
When to repair a pinhole leak:
•It is your first pinhole leak (could be a fluke), or second (could be a trend) •Your copper piping is less than 15 years old
•The leak is located at an elbow, tee, or solder joint
•Leaks are all located in the same length of pipe (thus defective segment)
When to consider completely re-piping a wing or entire home:
•You experience three or more leaks, in different locations, in a six-month period or less
•Your copper piping is greater than 15-20 years old
•Homes built by the same builder, of the same age, have experienced leaks and been re-piped
•You are a part-time occupant of the residence, absent for periods with no one to inspect its status regularly
After your first or second leak, it comes down to probability and risk: Are you willing to bet there won’t be additional leaks, and are you willing to spend the money required to repair damage should an additional break occur? It’s worth emphasizing that water damage can be minimal if discovered early and located in a favorable space, while costs can be astronomical should the opposite occur. For many homeowners, one leak proved sufficiently catastrophic — e.g., under their concrete floor slab — to warrant re-piping.
Re-Piping Using PEX
Traditional copper and galvanized steel piping for potable water supply in homes — both new construction and renovations — is currently being replaced with cross-linked polyethylene (PEX), commonly recognized in rolls of red and blue plastic tubing. PEX is available in a variety of lengths and diameters, and three grades of flexibility (imparting ease of using it). PEX is not a new product; it’s been around since the 1980s and improved incrementally over the years.
The key benefits of PEX include: no soldering required, but uses specialized fittings, connections, tools; it does not corrode; waters flows silently through it; color coding readily identifies hot and cold supplies; can be connected to copper/steel pipes with correct fittings.
In renovating our home, we used PEX and were relieved to learn about this solution. Above our ceilings, red and blue PEX tubing of different diameters runs here and there, descending into walls to supply bathrooms, appliances, hose fittings. The manifolds are easily located and inspected. It just takes a brief adjustment in thinking: your water supply resides overhead, not under foot.
Most readers, I assume, will be surprised to learn about the limited reliable timespan of conventional copper piping — indeed, I was. Few homeowners with older structures, nonetheless, will rush out and re-pipe their homes preemptively — and who can blame them given the expense? Realistically, the practical thing to do as one’s home (and piping) ages is to be super observant for anything out of the ordinary. If you see or hear something odd — and may involve water — investigate immediately.
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