# leak



## godric2099 (Nov 14, 2015)

This leak I have is relentless. I had to tear through a wall under a stair case... the pipe went under the floor so i tore the floor out.. It is a galvanized pipe and it is leaking in the elbow. I am not going to replace the entire pipe.. I rent and the landlord lives in another state and wont help.. I am moving in a couple months but i need a quick fix to keep my water from being in the hundreds until then.. i tried apoxy but it found its way out of that.. i tried this silicone stuff but it found its way out of that. this leak sprays by the way and its a hot water line. please can anyone suggest something


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## havasu (Nov 14, 2015)

Nothing short of a pipe replacement will work. a few unions and a new elbow will cost less than $20 and should stop concerns for a few months.


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## slownsteady (Nov 14, 2015)

I know you said galvanized, but you might find some ideas here.....http://www.instructables.com/answers/How-to-fix-leaking-soldered-copper-elbow-in-water-/
The second answer had some possibility as a temp fix.


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## JoeD (Nov 14, 2015)

I know you said epoxy didn't work but I don't know what you actually tried.
I use JBweld to repair a leaking coolant pipe on a diesel generator. It held up to the heat and pressure.
JB weld might work if you do it correctly. 
Turn off the water at source and open some taps to release the pressure.
Clean and dry the area.
Sand or file the area to give the epoxy grip.
Apply a generous amount of JBweld to cover the crack or leaky area.
Let setup and then turn the water back on and hope for the best.


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## Snoonyb (Nov 15, 2015)

godric2099 said:


> This leak I have is relentless. I had to tear through a wall under a stair case... the pipe went under the floor so i tore the floor out.. It is a galvanized pipe and it is leaking in the elbow. I am not going to replace the entire pipe.. I rent and the landlord lives in another state and wont help.. I am moving in a couple months but i need a quick fix to keep my water from being in the hundreds until then.. i tried apoxy but it found its way out of that.. i tried this silicone stuff but it found its way out of that. this leak sprays by the way and its a hot water line. please can anyone suggest something



You also have a *habitability* concern.

Consider the potential for mold growth from the moist conditions created by the spraying water, let alone having to go to the H/W heater to turn the water on and off when you need to bathe, or having to boil water for casual use, which affect your utility and water expenses.

Do you think a letter from a code enforcement officer, to your landlord might move him?


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## bud16415 (Nov 15, 2015)

Fast and dirty, and not to code. Saw off the pipe both ends of the elbow about 6 inches back. go to the auto part store and find a piece of radiator hose that fits the pipe fairly close about 18&#8221; should do it. Get 4 or 6 hose clamps put them on and tighten them down good 2 or 3 each end. Leave it all open so when you leave the next person wont have to look for the leek in 20 years when it starts up.


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## CallMeVilla (Nov 17, 2015)

bud16415 said:


> Fast and dirty, and not to code. Saw off the pipe both ends of the elbow about 6 inches back. go to the auto part store and find a piece of radiator hose that fits the pipe fairly close about 18 should do it. Get 4 or 6 hose clamps put them on and tighten them down good 2 or 3 each end. Leave it all open so when you leave the next person wont have to look for the leek in 20 years when it starts up.



BUD you are a wild man!  I was going to suggest cutting out the failed elbow to remove only the fitting, leaving all the original pipe possible.  Easy to do with a sawzall.  Then try a Sharkbite elbow which requires no soldering and get a positive lock immediately.

Does the diameter of the Sharkbite work on galvanized?  Don't know.  But it seemed logical to me ... and not as radical as a radiator hose!  :beer:


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## nealtw (Nov 17, 2015)

CallMeVilla said:


> BUD you are a wild man!  I was going to suggest cutting out the failed elbow to remove only the fitting, leaving all the original pipe possible.  Easy to do with a sawzall.  Then try a Sharkbite elbow which requires no soldering and get a positive lock immediately.
> 
> Does the diameter of the Sharkbite work on galvanized?  Don't know.  But it seemed logical to me ... and not as radical as a radiator hose!  :beer:



No, they have an adapter for that but you need threads on the pipe.
http://www.sharkbite.com/product/threaded-adapters/


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## frodo (Nov 18, 2015)

on galvinised pipe you have to use a dresser coupling 


Dresser coupling_


the rubber hose will come off,  their is not any barbs on the pipe to hold the hose.

at night city water pressure spikes,because of no use, every one is in bed. thats when it will pop


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## nealtw (Nov 18, 2015)

Hire a pro and deduct it from the rent.


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## bud16415 (Nov 18, 2015)

Shark bites as far as I know won&#8217;t work on iron pipe. PVC, copper yes. 

Yes the automotive hose deal is crude. I made a temp shower in the basement of my old house because I was ripping the one and only bathroom apart and didn&#8217;t want to take a chance on not having a shower for a few weeks. I did it with auto hose and it worked fine and the temp shower is still leak free 20 years later. Kind of turned into the &#8220;dirty man shower&#8221;

I agree with Frodo the clamp may not hold that&#8217;s the reason I suggested 3 clamps. A true redneck wouldn&#8217;t stop at 3 on each side put 4 or 10 sooner or later it will hold. Most country people have wells that do these repairs and 40PSI is about it.   

I like Neal&#8217;s idea best. The whole reason you pay high rent is so you don&#8217;t have to deal with this stuff.


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## Chris (Nov 20, 2015)

You should be able to get a super grip 90 and coupling that fits galvanized pipe. We use them on water services in the street so it should work for that repair. There is also wide range couplings made by romac or smith Blair. We carry small 3/4" and 1" ones in case we hit a line while digging to do a quick repair.


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## frodo (Nov 20, 2015)

nealtw said:


> Hire a pro and deduct it from the rent.



tou-ch'e    chris


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## frodo (Dec 17, 2015)

It has been my experience, when you run into old galvy piping.  it is not worth fooling with or fixing.

over time it rust and becomes thin,  you put a wrench on it, it will start leaking farther down the line.

it is like playing wack-a-mole at the fair.

replace all of it, forget trying to patch it.  you will wind up replacing the whole thing with patchs

at 3 times the cost of a simple repipe.

as mentioned, have the house repiped, deduct it from the rent.


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## frodo (Dec 17, 2015)

this might help


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## mike607 (Oct 18, 2016)

Bathtub leaking from 2nd floor through my ceiling


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