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Copper pipe in basement ceiling leaking. Cut water to house or slide and let do?
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Date: April 18th, 2026 3:36 PM Author: Opaque house tank For the second time in as many years, a copper pipe in the basement ceiling has sprung a small leak.
The area under the pipe is drywall, which got soaked, so I cut it away.
Now what? I shut off the water to the house, but it's a big pain not having water. Should I turn it back on and let do until a plumber can come? No one is coming today, and it'll cost an arm and a leg when they do. The leak looks like it'll get more drywall wet if I turn the water back on. |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:01 PM Author: well-lubricated property striped hyena How the fuck is this a question? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825480) |
Date: April 18th, 2026 4:09 PM Author: Vibrant gay temple candlestick maker Simple solution: https://flexsealproducts.com/products/flex-tape?variant=32929754185837
Go to your local locally-owned hardware store and cop this, wrap the pipe, and it'll last until the plumber gets there. |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:15 PM Author: Opaque house tank Is that product flame? Could it really hold? I just cut away more drywall, went to local hardware store, and copped something this: https://www.acehardware.com/departments/plumbing/parts-and-repair/pipe-hangers-and-straps/41834?
Wish me luck |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 9:58 PM Author: Vibrant gay temple candlestick maker FlexSeal tape works fine, but that should work too (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49826358) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:11 PM Author: Opaque house tank https://ibb.co/4RgD62vL
Looks like plumber who repaired pervious leak nicked this adjacent pipe while removing drywall to get at the pervious leak. That has now caused today's leak.
How mad should I be? I texted him. No reply so far. |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:23 PM Author: vivacious umber ceo boiling water You can’t fix this yourself? It’s like $75 dollars in tools and supplies and would take 30 minutes max. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825526) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:28 PM Author: Opaque house tank Fix how? With a clamp like this? That seems easy enough but temporary.
https://www.acehardware.com/departments/plumbing/parts-and-repair/pipe-hangers-and-straps/41834?
Or a by cutting out the area with the leak, putting in a new piece, and soldering it? |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:34 PM Author: vivacious umber ceo boiling water That clamp is beyond worthless.
YouTube can show you how to sweat pipes. It’s very easy. You need a MAPP( yellow) torch, cutter, flux, solder, short length of pipe, and two no stop unions. Get a few more and practice on one. You have lots of room to work in. |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:46 PM Author: Opaque house tank Cr re having lots of room to work in with this leak. Didn't with the previous one.
Link to video?
Is clamp cr to get me until I can attempt repair, or should I just let it drip into bucket? I want to turn the water back on. |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:30 PM Author: Opaque house tank Also, how mad am I within my rights to be about the plumber who fixed the previous leak? Should I demand he rush over here right now? Given the framing of the house, the previous one was much tougher to reach. This one looks very easy to reach, except for the straight joint it's right next to.
https://ibb.co/PvCzvL8s |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:35 PM Author: vivacious umber ceo boiling water How long ago was the first leak? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825559) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:47 PM Author: Opaque house tank About 20 months ago (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825575) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:53 PM Author: navy startled double fault Lol is this flame? The same plumbing company probably isn't even in business anymore as the same LLC (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825582) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:04 PM Author: Opaque house tank Dang. For real? It was a well reviewed, small local place. And they gave me some advice before the earlier leak about fixing a water heater issue over text, before they'd even done any work for me.
Still no response to my text, btw. |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:06 PM Author: navy startled double fault I mean it was two years ago man that's a long time
Yeah the guy probably fucked it up with the Sawzall or did a poor soldering job but who's to say you didn't mess it up yourself somehow in the last two years
I'd ignore your call too if I was them. You may be an honest stand up guy but most homeowners are not and are constantly trying to pull bullshit where they fuck things up and then try to blame it on tradesmen and get shit fixed for free |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:11 PM Author: Opaque house tank This seems pretty cut and dry. (Pardon the pun.) There is a very clear saw mark on the pipe in the place they were sawing to get through the drywall to fix the prior leak. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825691) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:15 PM Author: navy startled double fault Looks like you cut away the drywall yourself with a Sawzall, Champ. Who says you weren't the one who nicked the pipe and caused the leak....? Or some other tradesman who was there doing something else in the area (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825711) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:18 PM Author: Opaque house tank Disappointing to think of a dishonest plumber. I hope he's better than that. Should I leave a bad review? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825722) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:23 PM Author: navy startled double fault Dude you have to be flame right
It took two years for it to start leaking lol. He probably thought it was fine. And it was, for two years
These kind of things happen all the time and it's just not a big deal and it's unreasonable and unrealistic to call up somebody who did work at your house two years ago and expect them to take you seriously when you tell them that there's some random problem you're experiencing now that was supposedly caused by some indirect action they took when they were at your house two years ago(!) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:35 PM Author: Opaque house tank Clear as day, there is a saw mark in the pipe.
The saw mark is right above the spot where they sawed the drywall previously to fix the other pipe.
It's now leaking at that saw mark.
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:41 PM Author: navy startled double fault I just actually looked at your pictures and I'm pretty sure you're the one who nicked the pipe when you cut away the drywall lmao the nick looks fresh. So I think you're fucking lying!
Also the leak looks like it's coming from the soldering failing anyway which yeah is the plumber's mistake but again it's been two years
I hope this exercise has demonstrated to you why this plumber is ignoring you, because 99% of homeowner complaints and demands are like this, bullshit from homeowners trying to blame stuff on the tradesmen and trying to get shit for free |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:50 PM Author: Opaque house tank This is slanderous, erroneous, and salacious. I won't stand for it.
The leak is coming from the cut, not the soldering.
The cut and leak existed before I cut any drywall there today. Today's leak is why I cut the drywall.
The cut is from the plumber's vibrating saw. I used a wallbaord handsaw that wouldn't have cut the pipe like that, and I didn't touch the pipe while I was sawing.
Also--The soldering in the pictures next to the leak isn't what the plumber soldered 2 years ago. He soldered an adjacent pipe. He nicked this one while removing drywall to access that one. |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 6:41 PM Author: Opaque house tank I turned back on the water. It's now streaming out of the gouge that the plumber made with his saw about 2 years ago. https://ibb.co/R87TQhH |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 8:15 PM Author: vivacious umber ceo boiling water Have you tried duct tape ? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49826179) |
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Date: April 19th, 2026 9:59 AM Author: Opaque house tank I put a table under the leak, with another table on top, and a 5 gallon bucket on top of that. I have the water streaming into that for now. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49826993) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:12 PM Author: Deep Overrated Windowlicker Ya just turn the water back on what’s the worst that could happen (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825509) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:30 PM Author: hyperactive persian Okay, I lol'd (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825544) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:25 PM Author: Opaque house tank I cut away more drywall and have a nice clean leak going into a bucket, seemingly with no additional dry wall damage.
Now I'm on the fence about letting the leak drip into the bucket until next week or attempting to deploy the pipe repair clamp i got at the hardware store. The leak is about 3/4 of an inch from a small, straight joint, so I'm not sure I'll be able to get it on tight and without harming this nearly 100 year old joint.
https://ibb.co/PvCzvL8s |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:29 PM Author: vivacious umber ceo boiling water Looks like it was damaged quite recently by a vibratory saw. It’s bright. Did you do this while cutting drywall?
Does not look like anywhere close to 100 years old. At all.
This is very easy to access and you should DIY this. Or wait until after Shabos and send in the goys. |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:43 PM Author: Opaque house tank I'm nearly certain plumber hit it with vibrating saw about 2 years ago. The background context:
House is almost 100 years old. I presume copper pipes in basement ceiling are too. The drywall was presumably installed when the basement was finished, which I suspect was 20-30ish years ago.
About 2 years ago, we got a small leak in a pipe that ran along some framing by the basement stairs. Very hard to reach place. I called a plumber who couldn't get at that leak directly, so he cut the pipe in an accessible, unfinished part of the basement (https://ibb.co/nqYSX29G) and on the other side of the stairs and framing and replaced the length of pipe between them.
To access that pipe on the finished side of the basement, he cut away the drywall. All seemed well. No issues the last two years. Now, I see this pipe running perpendicular to the previously repaired pipe was nicked and has started leaking.
This one looks much more readily accessible, especially now that I've cut away the wet drywall.
But, I'm not sure where to begin. I bought that clamp leaked above, but I'm not sure if that's a long term fix, and the leak is right next to that straight joint. |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:46 PM Author: demanding soul-stirring lodge weed whacker plumber did a piss-poor job at soldering connection, its basically plumbing101 in the plumber training manual/handbook/memo (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825570) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:49 PM Author: Opaque house tank Which connection? This one? https://ibb.co/nqYSX29G
If I attempt on my own to fix this new leak--that they almost certainly caused--what should I try to do differently or better? |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:14 PM Author: demanding soul-stirring lodge weed whacker home fix will take you all day and part of tomorrow, and youll have to buy a bunch of stuff anyway so, go HomeDepo and speak to the oldest guy in the plumbing department, be prepared to talk about plumbing with him for at least 40 minutes, and eventually he will release some plumbing scholarship that will solve your problem, either a new stopleak product or the number to a reputable plumber that will come out on Monday and do a decent job fixing the leak. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825708) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:23 PM Author: Opaque house tank Dang. Is home fix really that tough and time consuming? It's in a spot that looks reasonable to reach. Other posters itt are saying it's easy enough and I should go for it. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825731) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:46 PM Author: demanding soul-stirring lodge weed whacker soldering is a bit tricky, is all, and it will be Monday in ~40 hours. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825797) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 8:17 PM Author: vivacious umber ceo boiling water Don’t sweat the small stuff. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49826181) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:53 PM Author: Purple Fragrant Brunch Trump Supporter (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825583) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 10:03 PM Author: Vibrant gay temple candlestick maker (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49826365) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 4:54 PM Author: navy startled double fault This is fixable yourself but it will probably take you a full day to figure out what to do, get all the stuff, patch the drywall, etc (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825586) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:08 PM Author: Opaque house tank What's the idea? Cut a couple inches on either side of the leak, put in new pipe, solder it with straight connections to the existing pipe on either end? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825672) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:12 PM Author: navy startled double fault Easiest way imo is to cut it and use a coupling yeah. I forget the name but if you just go to a plumbing supply store they will know
You can literally just take a pic of it and ask AI too lol not flame it will walk you through every step of the way |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:20 PM Author: vivacious umber ceo boiling water (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825727) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:33 PM Author: Opaque house tank Put aside patching the drywall. How difficult and time consuming are we talking here? I have done some moderate amount of home improvement projects. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825757) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:54 PM Author: Opaque house tank Is using two of these SharkBite fittings cr? People online are saying they are easy to work with. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825832) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 8:21 PM Author: Aqua Comical Market Professionals would take multiple days -- plumber doesn't do drywall (and you don't want him to do drywall), and then once it's drywalled he might want to paint it. And paint doesn't look good unless you do the whole area. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49826182) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:08 PM Author: Motley awkward telephone You don't really need running water in your home, just leave it off. Electricity too. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825673) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:20 PM Author: demanding soul-stirring lodge weed whacker he could also just sell house and move into a non-leaking one which would be substantially cheaper than getting a weekend plumber in to repair the leak (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825726) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 5:39 PM Author: Opaque house tank Update: Plumber called me back, which is pretty nice to do on a Saturday. He said it wasn't them. If they hit this pipe while repairing the other pipe, it would have leaked sooner, and almost 2 years after the original repair is too late. If I want someone to fix this new leak, it'll be $450 and someone can come on Thursday.
I'm pretty confident this is their fault: That's very clearly a saw mark. It's right in the line of where they cut drywall away previously. And the leak is at the site of the cut. That the cut didn't go all the way through and it took a while before it started leaking at the cut doesn't mean this wasn't their fault. |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 6:22 PM Author: Cyan floppy theatre You should go down to the shop and give this guy a piece of your mind. Be sure to wear your powdered lawyer’s wig (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49825942) |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 6:44 PM Author: Opaque house tank Look at this clear as day gouge with this clear as day stream of water coming out of it.
They hit my pipe with their saw, and I'm left dealing with it. |
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Date: April 18th, 2026 10:11 PM Author: Vibrant gay temple candlestick maker Seems that the oxidation right at that location finally ate through the .1mm of pipe that was left after they nicked it.
But obv they're not going to accept responsibility. Just Flex Seal until you can get a plumber to to this for $450 (unless you affirmatively enjoy doing things like this and don't mind spending 8 hours and $250 in tools that you'll never use again) |
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Date: April 19th, 2026 9:57 AM Author: Opaque house tank Yes, exactly. It's clear as day that's a saw mark from their cut that took time to start leaking because it originally just barely didn't go all the way through.
Once it did, it messed up a bunch of the ceiling drywall and water seeped under the cheap laminate flooring.
I'm perturbed and want justice, but it's not worth the time to do anything.
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Date: April 18th, 2026 8:22 PM Author: Aqua Comical Market wow imagine being this gay lmao (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49826185) |
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Date: April 19th, 2026 10:56 AM Author: carmine parlor Just fix it. Watch a YouTube video. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5858143&forum_id=2),#49827054) |