# leak under my own house!



## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

I was sitting on the mug, getting ready to take my after work shower. I could hear something, but couldn't place it. I checked all the faucets, nothing. I kneel and stick my ear over the register and could clearly hear water dripping. I sigh, and put my work clothes back on. Crawl under the house and see a pinhole on a 3/4" hot line spewing. I had to laugh, because I had a call out to a school for the very same thing on Tuesday. I cut the pipe at the pinhole, clean it, and burn a coupling on. 
Now I am thinking about a pex repipe because this pinhole was in the middle of a about a 3' run between tees. Our pressure in town is about 45 psi, and it wasn't erosion/corrosion, or too much flux. My neighbor has about 4 random pinholes over about a 5 year span, it didn't stop until I installed a ground rod. My service is PE, but after the meter it's all copper. There is a ground strap on a 3/" cold line, and a jumper on the w.h. 
I am leaning towards pex because I am a Chicago 130 plumber, not by choice, and I don't like being associated with most of those schmoes. I am also the plumbing inspector in town and I had the town board adopt the Illinois Plumbing Code with no restrictions, so pex is allowed.


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## AndersenPlumbing (Jan 23, 2010)

Yeah, pretty lame 130 absorbed 422. Looks like they will do the same with 501. I'm a former member of 501 of 10 years....before they kicked me out! I'm happy things played out the way they did with me though :thumbsup:


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## Hillside (Jan 22, 2010)

Same crap happened to me the other morning, heard water hissing, shift! crawled under the house, actually couldn't get to the leak cuz it was 14" of space, called my guy over to fix it hahahaha he said there was 3 other couplings on 10' of 1/2" m......... Great....... Doing a repipe in L with a house filter when we slow down


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## ironandfire (Oct 9, 2008)

Interested in the ground rod comment. Was the piping not bonded ?


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

ironandfire said:


> Interested in the ground rod comment. Was the piping not bonded ?


At the water heater, I call them jumpers.


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

How do you know it wasn't flux?


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## saysflushable (Jun 15, 2009)

I repiped my upstaires in pex because of pin hole leaks in 3/4 copper. I think it was a defective piece of pipe.


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2008)

In the middle of my 50 yr house Kitchen redo ! 2" copper DWV had rotted out on me ,, dumping mess into wall and crawl space . 
Glad we are doing it ! Wife deserves new , and it'll be nice to have good stuff . Heading into crawl today to repipe 50 yr old 1/2" m with pex & gas line in csst . 
Wolverine Brass faucet , Pro series disposer , GE Profile appliances ,,,
All stuff I sell & install so i need to show i trust it all !!!

It is almost embarrassing when our on stuff springs a leak isn't it ? :-/


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

I live in a 1963 home with hard type L copper. Not a single leak. I got lucky and bought one that was built right. When I have cut out any copper for additions I noticed they reamed their cuts and used very little flux and it appears to be non-corrosive.


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

Protech said:


> How do you know it wasn't flux?


Because it was a horizontal run, between two tees, on the side of the pipe. Plus when I cut the pipe apart, I looked in and didn't see any green residue, ie, flux.


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

422 plumber said:


> Because it was a horizontal run, between two tees, on the side of the pipe. Plus when I cut the pipe apart, I looked in and didn't see any green residue, ie, flux.


And you didn't take pics and share?!? :confused1:


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

Protech said:


> And you didn't take pics and share?!? :confused1:


Bruh,
I had to dig my dirty work clothes out of the hamper, and head out the backdoor, cell phone was in it's charger by the front entrance. I was pretty sure it was going to be muddy, it was. Only good thing was that at my job earlier in the day it was a lab at a refinery for palm oil, and they gave me a huge piece of white pig blanket to soak up some water. I still had it in the back of my truck, so I brought that in the crawl, and laid it over the worst of the mud.


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## Piper34 (Oct 10, 2011)

I'm going with elecrolisis on this one


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## localguy630 (Jan 26, 2012)

That's so funny, you don't know how many times I've had to dig my dirty work close out of the hamper to go do some b.s.:laughing:


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

RedRubicon2004 said:


> Yeah, pretty lame 130 absorbed 422. Looks like they will do the same with 501. I'm a former member of 501 of 10 years....before they kicked me out! I'm happy things played out the way they did with me though :thumbsup:


Curios. Where do the get these union numbers from ??


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

And what is a register ?? I think of a cashier. But I know that's wrong


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## SewerRat (Feb 26, 2011)

Piper34 said:


> I'm going with elecrolisis on this one


Dude I totally disagree. I'm betting it's electrolysis.


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## Pipe Rat (Apr 5, 2009)

My kitchen faucet started dripping about 3 months ago,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I'm gonna get around to it one of these days :whistling2:


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## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

Pipe Rat said:


> My kitchen faucet started dripping about 3 months ago,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I'm gonna get around to it one of these days :whistling2:


Just like mechanics drive shïtty cars...:laughing:


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Took me a year to caulk the tub after I noticed it was cracked.


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## MIbassmaster (Mar 16, 2010)

you don't ask a mailman to go for a walk when he gets home.


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## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

I won't mention the bad flapper that took me 6 months to change...
:laughing:

There is a line said by the Joker in "The Dark Knight"...

"If you're really good at something, never do it for free."

Now that in no way applies to my plumbing skillz, I just like the quote... :jester:


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> Curios. Where do the get these union numbers from ??


I think originally it was in the numerical order the locals organised and applied fot a charter.


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

MIbassmaster said:


> you don't ask a mailman to go for a walk when he gets home.


I am going to be using this.^^^

She Who Must Be Pleased will probably not be amused. :laughing:


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## MIbassmaster (Mar 16, 2010)

plbgbiz said:


> I am going to be using this.^^^
> 
> She Who Must Be Pleased will probably not be amused. :laughing:


I've got a hundred of 'em... It's one thing I paid attention to during apprenticeship.


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

MIbassmaster said:


> I've got a hundred of 'em... It's one thing I paid attention to during apprenticeship.


I have an apprentice that is threatening to write a book of Johnisms. 

Apparently that is all I paid attention to in my apprenticeship as well. I've been replaying them ever since.


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## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

Pipe Rat said:


> My kitchen faucet started dripping about 3 months ago,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I'm gonna get around to it one of these days :whistling2:


Want me to come fix it? While you're at work. :laughing:


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## phishfood (Nov 18, 2012)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> Took me a year to caulk the tub after I noticed it was cracked.


Friggin' overachiever. 

The wife has been *****ing about that AS Cadet toilet occasionally needing a double flush for years. It has finally gotten bad enough that I am considering cleaning the rim holes. Or maybe I will just bring a new toilet home from the supply house next trip. 

Any bets on how long the new toilet sits in the hallway?


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## MIbassmaster (Mar 16, 2010)

My wife has been after me to change the upstairs toilet, problem is... it's upstairs.


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## Pipe Rat (Apr 5, 2009)

Optimus Primer said:


> Want me to come fix it? While you're at work. :laughing:


ROFLMAO!!!! I bet you would. Ha Ha


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## TerryO (Oct 12, 2012)

I always tell my wife "paying customers come first." We'll one time she got me, hired another plumber to do it, yikes!

Terry Ohlmann / www.ActionAirPlumbing.com


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

422. Dam you u. U Jenksed me bad 

Go outside to check on dog and see a wet spot. Humm. Look around and trace it back to the tub wall. Great. Like I wasn't busy enough


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Wife says. That wet spot has been ther for a while. I say. What. Why didn't you tell me. I don't she says


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