Guys & Gals - Price was trying to nail some ceiling material in our basement ceiling when the nail slipped and punctured a small hole in our copper hot water pipe!~! In trying to find a quick and easy repair in the middle of a crisis!!! - I came upon this web site.
We are ordering "The Pipe Repair Kit" for the future here at home and for our Argosy. We actually had a leak in the trailer when we first brought it home. The pipe was located in a small cabinet area that could not be reached easily with any kind of tool. I think if we had had this, it would have saved alot of headaches and money! I called the 800# and was told it can only be ordered thru American Trade Products. The small kit is $13.95.
Tell me what you think. If anybody has had occation to use this product, would love a review. Leigh
The copper pipe costs less than the repair kit and it would probably be faster to change than wrap and wait to see if it worked. If you want to do temporary so you can shower, etc. use a hose clamp with a piece of thin rubber over the puncture.
When I first got my 24' Argosy T/T last summer, the hot line had a leak in it - I bought something similar (it was epoxy? based - rub two claylike substances together [they heat up], set it around the pipe and let it dry) hoping to make just one local weekend trip. It worked great - however the hot line had three more leaks
This spring I'm going to tear out all the hot copper and redo. The wrap / special putty items would work (however) as a temporary solution if in a bind on the road or camping. Especially since the old plumbers rule is never start a plumbing job without 4 extra hours of the plumbing store being open - BEYOND when you think you'll be done!
Repairing problems by properly replacing a bad pipe/tubing is agreeably the best thing to do, however there are times that "patching" is the only practical thing to do for DIY.
For example, a freeze-caused split in a copper tubing also swelled the adjacent tubing. Couldn't cut the tubing back far enough to get back to standard tubing O.D., therefore regular couplings wouldn't fit. Tried the next size tubing over the swelled tubing, it fit fairly good but the slight gap was too much for solder to suck into it all the way around. Ended up using Plumbers Putty, a stiff 2-part epoxy that doesn't sag, over the solder joint. Has held up leak-free for several months.
Also, I found out when trying to solder some copper tubing, that the propane torch doesn't worked when tipped so can try to work lower than the bottle.
My point is, for DIY in particular, if it works, go for it.
The feedback I get when I post to this forum is one of the best parts!!! I really appreciate when people speak of that which they know - it helps to save time and trouble. This looked like the perfect thing for someone like me - nadda plumber - but now I will look a little more carefully. When I called the 800#, for info, they did indicate they sell product thru Home Depot (but only in Florida??) and it has been selling well with no complaints. If there are other like products maybe we will look at those as an emergency type like someone mentioned for on the road. Still would love to hear more from those who might have used this or other similar products to see how well/long they hold up. Ya never know!! Thanks, Leigh
Originally posted by roessler Also, I found out when trying to solder some copper tubing, that the propane torch doesn't worked when tipped so can try to work lower than the bottle.
The next time you need to do some soldering pick up a flexible torch head, basically a torch head on a rubber tube. Set the propane canister down and all you have to do is hold the torch head where you want it. That should help when you have to get to those hard to reach spots that are so common on trailers :-)
Sweating in a proper splice is not very difficult. It honesly doesn't take much more time to do it right then it takes to do it wrong.
Propane torch is cheap. The splice is 50cents. You will also be wise to buy a tubing cutter (a lot easier then using a hack saw). some emery tape (it's water proofe sand paper in a roll it will be with the plumbing stuff), Solder and solder rosin.
The biggest problem with plumbing work is getting the line empty. If there is water present the solder will not flow correctly or as you heat it will make steam in the line. You also want to leave a faucit open so as you heat the pipe if it build pressure it's not blowing the solder out. Clean the ends till it's shinny copper as well as the inside of the sleeve. Light coat of solder rosin. Heat it for a about 30 seconds as far around as you can. Touche the solder to the seam and if the pipe is hot enough it will instantly melt and be drawn into the seam. Remove heat. That's the same perment fix a plumber would do in about 5 minutes and charge you $100.
I have a "Weller Pyropen". It's a butane soldering iron but it is not effected so bad by the angle like a propane torch is. Nice and compact and might make a good addition to a travel tool kit. I have used it for plumbing in a tight location where I had trouble getting a full size torch in.
Not cheap but if you like to solder electic wires then you might like it. Personnaly the one with the ignigter is nice but We use them at work and they don't hold up to constant use. I have never had a problem with the one you have to light with a lighter. The solder tip can be removed and then it's open flame that's good for about 800 degrees (good range for pumbing). http://www.rato.be/en/pyropen.htm
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1959 22' Caravanner
1988 R20 454 Suburban.
Atlanta, GA
As the son of a plumber, I can tell you this. Those are temporary measures at best. They should not be thought of as "the final solution".
howdy I am puzzeld that some of the copper in my 71 sov. apears to be between 3/8 and 1/2 inch my ? where the heck can one find this weird stuff and fittings as well. do you know? it dang sure aint at the local hardware store.
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