Video / Tarzana / Leak repairs
One pinhole leak, $623.68
Dan and Dave find a pinhole leak in a half-inch copper hot-water line, explain why pinholes start past bends and unreamed fittings on a recirculation loop, and show the repair.
What Dan says in the video
Dan and Dave from Westlake Village fixed a pinhole leak for $623.68. All the family could see was a wet spot on the laundry wall. They opened the wall and ceiling to find it. It was a pinhole, in a half-inch copper hot-water line. Most people figure copper lasts forever. Here's what's going on inside. Oxygen in the water builds a thin skin inside copper pipe. That skin protects it. This line is on a recirculation loop. A small pump keeps hot water moving, so it's ready at the faucet. It's a great feature. It just has to be set up right. Pinholes like this usually start in one kind of spot. Guess where. Just past a bend. Fast, hot water churns as it turns the corner. Over time, that can wear the skin through. Fittings can do it too. Cutting copper leaves a small burr, a lip of metal, inside the pipe. It's supposed to be reamed smooth. When it isn't, that lip spins the water, and it can wear a pinhole just past the elbow or coupling. They cut out the bad section, put in new copper, pressure-tested it, and bled out the air. They also set the pump's timer to the family's schedule, so it runs when they use hot water. If you have a recirculation pump, have a plumber check its size and timer. For more, call Dan's Plumbing or visit dansplumbing.la.
From the job
$623.68 Copper Hot-Water Line Leak Repair
How we traced wet laundry-room drywall to a copper hot-water line and repaired it for $623.68 in Tarzana.
Read the full job story, with photos →Need something like this looked at? Dan’s Plumbing serves Westlake Village and the Conejo Valley.
Call (805) 330-3111