cc_rider wrote: 
Or at least a lil OCD.....perhaps that is why it appeals to me

 islander wrote:  Sounds like a real weirdo.

c.

 cc_rider wrote:

He liked Neil Young and the Velvet Underground... Shenanigans!

 islander wrote:  See what happens when you take advice from perfect strange... err, 'trusted sources'?

c.

 cc_rider wrote:
 
Some nutjob turned me on to that idea years ago when we did our house.

This is before it was cleaned up and then sealed in the wall:

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 cc_rider wrote:
 

Also, putting it in contact with concrete will corrode it too, right?

 cc_rider wrote: 
yeah I guess its the hot new thing for mobile homes and RVS too.  Much better than that old crap that you could actually taste in the past.

 pigtail wrote: 
Yeouch, that sounds painful.

Copper is susceptible to the minerals (ions) in hard water, it's a big problem in Austin where the bedrock is limestone. East of Austin where we are now, the water is very alkaline, and causes other issues, particularly on fixtures.

PEX is good stuff. A quick Wiki read says it's high-density polyethylene, with cross-links to make it a thermoset (does not melt). Normally HDPE is a thermoplastic (melts), like milk jugs and such. HDPE was first cross-linked in the 30's, using radiation (!?), far too expensive for widespread use.

The hot new(ish) plumbing design is a 'home run' system, with a central manifold and individual lines going to each fixture. Besides saving some water on the hot side (less piping to heat up), it greatly reduces the number of connections, i.e. failure points. Also the tubing itself is cheap, but the fittings are $$. You may have a lot more actual pipe length, but less overall cost. You can even use the manifold like a circuit breaker, to turn off the water to individual fixtures for repairs or whatever. Pretty slick.
c.

 islander wrote: 
Our cracker box, built in 1994 had 3 leaks in the last 24 years.  Leaks in the walls, under sinks, the slab.  The last was an actual slab leak that nearly sank our entire front yard before we discovered it.  The most extensive and expensive since our home owner insurance would not cover a slab leak.  Finally we had to repipe the entire house.  Personally I feel that it should've been done after the first leak when the plumber wrote in his repair record that the copper was thin and not up to current building codes.  I went round and round with the insurance but ended up paying out of pocket over 7k.  At least now I know it will never happen again but it still hurts to think about.  And yes, my point to this story is pex was the winner and has served us well thus far.

 cc_rider wrote: 
Remember to support pex better than copper. I did at least every 2 feet. Because it flexes more, it is susceptible to water hammer, and other nuisance movements. 

 buzz wrote: 
You can solder it, and it'll stop leaking for a little while. But it's better to replace the whole section if possible, or at least cut the leaky bit out and solder in a sleeve.

If it's in a fairly long length of pipe, I would consider replacing it with a length of PEX. The stuff is cheap, and with Sharkbites it's easy to work with.

Otherwise you're looking at ongoing problems, and eventually a $100-200 repair bill.

Good luck!
c.

 buzz wrote: 
If you can do sweat fittings, you'd be better off to cut out the section with the hole in it and put a coupler in there.

Edit: Those shark bite things really do work well, if you're not feeling like taking your chances with a torch.

 cc_rider wrote: 
I used a stretchy repair tape and it seems to be holding. can I solder a hole like this?

 cc_rider wrote:
 
Sharkbites seem really dodgy but I've never managed to screw one up. They're rated as being okay to put inside walls, so that sort of means something.

 Coaxial wrote: 
Yep. Copper isn't as corrosion-resistant as you would think, especially if the water supply isn't great.
If you can move the pipes enough, those push-on 'Sharkbite' connectors work well. I just used a couple on some PEX but they work on copper too. Expensive, but for a little repair like that, way cheaper than a plumber.

c.

 Coaxial wrote: 
please make it stop. I aint got time for this.

 buzz wrote: 
The corrosion inside the pipe finally made its way through.

How does one get a pinhole leak in a copper pipe without having poked said pipe with a pin?

 Red_Dragon wrote: 

 Alexandra wrote: 
Maybe a bit of fiberboard and some weatherstripping?