How would you rate the reliability and durability of your plumbing pipes? Are they full of pinhole leaks? Have you had to call numerous plumbers to your building to stop the leaks? Leaks can be a real problem in new and older buildings. The good news is that there are several ways to fix pinhole leaks. Let’s examine all the repair methods.
What Are Pinhole Leaks?
Pinhole leaks are caused by very small holes in metal plumbing pipes, including copper, cast iron, galvanized steel, and brass. While plastic pipes are less prone to the types of damage that cause pinhole leaks, they can still get them. Typically, pinhole leaks span from the size of a pin, hence the name, to about 1/8th of an inch. While this may not sound bad, pinhole leaks can quickly grow and cause significant water damage.
What Causes Pinhole Leaks in Plumbing Pipes?
Pinhole leaks can be caused by a variety of issues, including corrosion and chemical infiltration, but the causes of the pinhole leaks can vary by the type of material used to construct the pipe.
Causes of Pinhole Leaks in Metal Pipes
- Corrosion is the top cause of pinhole leaks in metal pipes. When water flows through a metal pipe, the minerals in the water react to the metal. This can corrode the metal, leading to pinhole leaks.
- Acidic water can lead to the degradation of your metal plumbing pipes. Now, it’s important to understand that acidic water isn’t acidic like battery acid, which has a 0 pH. Pure water has a pH of 7. Acidic water has a pH below 7. Rainwater typically has a pH of 5.5, and acid rain has a pH level of around 4. Water with a low pH level can accelerate the degradation of the plumbing pipes.
- Galvanic corrosion occurs when dissimilar metals, like copper and steel, are connected in the same run of pipe.
Causes of Pinhole Leaks in Plastic Pipes
You may think that your plastic pipes, like PVC and PEX, are immune to pinhole leaks, but that’s not the case.
- Alkaline or acidic water can cause pinhole leaks in PVC and PEX pipes.
- High water pressure can cause pinhole leaks in plastic pipes due to excessive wear and tear.
- Pouring chemicals, like drain cleaners, into your plastic plumbing pipes can cause pinhole leaks.
- Plastic pipes can also suffer from material defects, which make them more prone to developing leaks.
How Can Building Owners and Maintenance Staff Identify Pinhole Leaks?
When it comes to identifying pinhole leaks, it’s best to be vigilant. This is because many plumbing pipes are located behind walls or in spaces that can’t easily be seen. Pipes are hidden in order to make the interiors of buildings more aesthetically pleasing, so unless the leak is under a sink or at the back of a toilet, it can be hard to find.
- Listen for dripping or running water when the water is off.
- Take a look at the water meter when all the faucets and showers are off. If no water is running, the meter shouldn’t move.
- Pay attention to your water bills. Sudden, unexplained increases can indicate a water leak.
- Look for discoloration on the outsides of metal pipes. Copper may appear blue or green. Metal pipes that aren’t copper may show signs of rust.
- Look for water spots on the walls. They can appear yellow or brown.
- Pay attention to black spots. This can be a sign of mold, and mold grows where water is present.
- Examine areas that appear to have peeling or bubbling paint or wallpaper. This could mean that moisture has infiltrated the drywall.
Why Is Looking at My Water Bill Important for Discovering Leaks?
The water bill for your building indicates how much water you’ve used for the month. If it’s excessively high, you could have a major water leak. For example, if your building has a single faucet that leaks one drop of water per minute, it wastes 250 gallons a month. If you have ten faucets leaking, it can waste 2,250 gallons a month. Now, imagine a pipe leaking at one drip per minute and dropping 250 gallons of water behind your walls.
What Can You Do Once You Realize You Have a Pinhole Leak?
Once you realize that you have a pipe that’s leaking, the water to that pipe should be turned off to avoid excessive water damage. Once you turn off the pipe, you should call a professional plumber in Chicago.
If it’ll be a few days before the plumber can reach your building, your maintenance team may be able to cut through the wall or ceiling and apply an epoxy putty, rubber plumbing sheet, or plumbers tape over the leak to stop the flow of water while still allowing water to flow through the pipe. It’s important to understand that this is only a temporary fix, and the pipe will still need to be repaired by a qualified plumber.
What Are Some Permanent Solutions for Fixing Pinhole Leaks?
There are two ways to fix a pipe leak, including a traditional pipe repair and epoxy pipelining.
Traditional Pipe Repair
There are several fixes for a leaking pipe. The first method that you might think of is replacing the affected pipe. Replacing a plumbing pipe involves reaching that pipe and a traditional plumber will cut through your drywall or ceiling or remove floor tiles to expose the pipe. Once the pipe is exposed, the plumber will cut it out of the system and replace that section with a new pipe.
Removing the leaking section and replacing it with a new section of pipe is effective at stopping the leak in that area. However, it doesn’t help the rest of your system. If all of your pipes are older, and you’ve already called for a leak repair multiple times over the last few months, you may want to consider either replacing all of the pipes in your building or going with an epoxy pipelining company.
Epoxy Pipelining
Epoxy pipelining helps seal leaks in entire runs of pipe, not just the area that’s currently leaking. This is because the pipe coating or epoxy pipeliner can be cut or mixed to cover the entire run of the pipe. This helps prevent future corrosion and deterioration of the entire run of pipe, and the process can be repeated for every pipe run in your building. This helps ensure that your current leaks are fixed and that your chance of experiencing a future leak is greatly reduced.
At NuFlow, we even have a new technique called Picote Brush Casting that can precisely line pipes because the machine applies the epoxy with a rotating brush instead of relying on air pressure, and it’s safe to use brush-cast epoxy on both potable water and drain lines. Additionally, unlike epoxy putty, epoxy pipelining is a permanent fix. Pipes that have been lined with epoxy can last another 35 to 50 years.
How Can NuFlow Help With My Pinhole Leak Problem?
If you’ve experienced numerous leaks in your plumbing pipes this year, epoxy pipelining might be the right choice for your Chicago building. Epoxy pipelining can be used to line pipes inside residential, commercial, and municipal buildings. We even line pipes inside historic buildings, and we’ve lined pipes inside entertainment and sporting venues.
The entire pipelining process typically takes less time than a traditional pipe repair or replacement, especially when you consider the time it takes to fix drywall and replace finishes. It’s also a green technology. Epoxy pipelining has a lower carbon footprint than pipe replacement, and it doesn’t contribute to landfill waste. This means that if you’re concerned about the environment, epoxy pipelining may be the right choice for you.
However, if you’re still debating on how to fix your leaking pipes, you can get a building pipe assessment. These assessments aren’t free, but they do provide you with valuable information. This is because building pipe assessments include camera inspections. Camera inspection can provide a lot of information when it comes to your plumbing pipes. We can view corrosion and blockages and assess the conditions of your pipes. You’ll also get a detailed estimate so that you can compare it with the costs of a traditional pipe replacement and make an informed decision.
If you’re ready to schedule a building pipe assessment or learn more about epoxy pipelining, give us a call at 815-790-9000.