Introduction: How to Fix a Pinhole With Plumbing Solder

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What’s up everybody, in today’s article I’ll be showing you if it possible to temporarily fix a pinhole in a copper water line by soldering it with normal plumbing solder.

Step 1: WHAT'S a PINHOLE?

Pinholes occur throughout the years where corrosion eats up the inside of the pipe just enough to make a small pinhole. You might not notice it right away, but pins holes can wreak havoc on any type of property as its silent killer.

Step 2: HOW DO I TEMPORARLY FIX IT?

So to start of the first thing to do is to shut off the water, the method I’ll be using necessitate that there is no water in the pipe.

Secondly, you’ll need a torch, some 50/50 solder and all that is required to complete a full solder.

The first step here is to clean the affected area with an emery cloth or sandpaper or else your solder won’t adhere properly.

Next, apply some flux to the repair area. Without flux, you won’t be able to make the repair so make sure you have some handy.

Once that’s done, it’s time to start soldering. Grab your torch and start heating the area. Don’t overheat as to not burn off all the flux, just enough so your solder will melt.

Now here comes the tricky part, you’ll have to heat up the pipe just enough so the solder melts, but not too much or the solder will just drip off.

The trick here is to use your torch to heat the pipe up at the right temperature, to do this, keep it close in the beginning and when the solder starts to melt remove the heat from the pipe and alternate just like this to keep the right heat on your work area.

When the gap is filled, wipe off any extra flux and inspect your work.

50/50 solder contains lead, so make sure you come back and fix this the correct way.

Step 3: THIS IS ONLY a TEMPORARY SOLUTION

If you are hesitant, now is the good time to add into it seeing there’s no water in the pipe. If you feel comfortable turning the water back on, do so but do keep an eye to see if there are no leaks, and you’re done.

Of course, this is a temporary fix, you should use the proper coupling to permanently fix it but this could get you outta trouble if you don’t have the appropriate fitting at the right time for whatever reason.