What a day!

I'm not sure what compelled me to go out into the garage this afternoon at the time that I did, but I'm glad I did. It was probably so I could admire the tidiness of my garage after a 2 week cleaning spree, knowing it won't last long. Anyway, as I was out there admiring my clean garage, I heard a hissing sound and saw what looked like water dripping from the ceiling onto the water heater below. My first though was that mice had chewed through the small diameter PVC tube that runs from the water softener, up into the attic area above the garage, and over into the kitchen area and the Reverse Osmosis machine. The tubing was in just the right spot to have been causing a leak from the ceiling in that exact spot, but I could not find any leaks in the PVC tube.

After some careful sleuthing, I discovered the leak wasn't coming from the ceiling at all, but rather from the copper flex pipe on the hot water side on top of the water heater. There was a pin-hole leak in that copper flex pipe and the water was squirting up and hitting the ceiling, which then was dripping off the ceiling so that it looked like the leak was coming from the ceiling. I had to look very hard to see the tiny spray of water from the water heater pipe (in fact I found it first by feel, not by sight).

So I turning off the main water valve inside the house and the tiny leak eventually died off. Then I drove 30 miles into Albuquerque to buy a new 18" flex pipe (which would need to be soldered on on the one end and then there is a screw fitting on the water tank side).

Anyway, I got to Home Depot and found the required flex pipe, only to discover I had left my wallet at home! Arggg! So I drove back home, got the wallet, then back to Home Depot to buy the flex pipe.

I just got finished installing the new flex pipe and now we have running water once again (and it's after 10PM!). Now I just have to repair the damaged drywall in the ceiling where the water damaged it.

Ah the joys of home ownership; but at least I'm glad I didn't have to spend $250 to have a plumber come out for the repair.

Glad you discovered it before it did more damage. I have wireless water sensors in all the "wet areas" to detect possible leaks. If any one senses moisture it shuts off the main supply to the house and sends me a text alert.
Here's the shutoff valve...

sounds like you dodged a bullet there boss.

I recall a number of years ago helping friends renovate a kitchen - they were off to the cottage as we were installing the appliances so I told them to go ahead while I did the dishwasher. Was just cleaning up and head a little "tck" sound - and a tiny fountain of water started from a cracked nut - I still wonder about how that might have played if it had happened five minutes later - I think they were gone for two weeks.

JPSmit said:

.....I still wonder about how that might have played if it had happened five minutes later - I think they were gone for two weeks.

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While my mother-in-law was in a nursing home a toilet tank in her house cracked (no one in the house at all), when my wife went over to collect the mail she discovered that the water was flowing out of the broken tank for four days! The result was $75,000 of damage. That's why I put the main shutoff with water sensors in my house.

Good catch there boss. I'll spare you the gory details but my similar experience was driving a nail through the new base shoe into a copper pipe through the bottom plate 1/2 inch above a slab floor at 7 pm one Sunday evening many years ago.

Are you an a well?
If you are have you checked the PH of your water.

Our well water is on the acid side and we would get a blue stain in the bathtub. Was told it was Copper Sulphate and if I added Soda Ash to the water it would bring it to neutral. The hot water was eating the heat exchanger in our water heater.
It is a problem in this area for well supplied homes with copper pipes. You get pin holes in the pipes.

David

DavidApp said:

Are you an a well?
If you are have you checked the PH of your water.

Our well water is on the acid side and we would get a blue stain in the bathtub. Was told it was Copper Sulphate and if I added Soda Ash to the water it would bring it to neutral. The hot water was eating the heat exchanger in our water heater.
It is a problem in this area for well supplied homes with copper pipes. You get pin holes in the pipes.

David

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No, we are on city water, but it is very hard. However, before it gets to the heater (or anywhere else in the house) it goes through a Kenetico water softener.