How to Fix a Burst Pipe

If you re lucky, you re dealing with a trickling leak and preparing for a patch situation (see How to Patch a Pipe, page 327), but a more serious leak requires a more serious fix replacing the affected section of pipe with a new section. Again, due to the combination of the desperation you re likely to feel while staring at a burst pipe and Murphy s Law, 

Tube cutter or hacksaw Torch (propane, MAPP, or other) Measuring tape Pencil Wire brush Safety goggles Safety gloves 

Before you start cutting, make sure you have the pieces needed to replace what you remove. Modern plumbing should exclusively use type L copper pipe, diameter Vi or Keep extra lengths of both in your plumbing tool kit, along with couplings of appropriate size to cover the joints between sections of pipe. 

Rarely, you might need to replace a fixture, which can require a trip to the hardware store. 

Use the tube cutter to cut the copper pipe on either side of the leak to remove the broken section. If the broken section is near a valve, joint, or coupling, you may be able to heat the section with your blowtorch, grip it with pliers, and twist it free instead of cutting it. Pulling pipe from an existing joint is slightly preferable, as it removes the 

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PIPE LEAK. In some cases, the leak m ht not be in the showerhead at all, and you ll need to explore farther up the pipes. Is there a visible crack in the pipe Is the leak coming from inside the wall If so, you ll have to go in and fix it. First check to see if the shower s supply pipe is accessible firom the back, perhaps from a closet. If not, you ll have to cut a hole in the wall. When cutting around pipes and water, consider using a hand-powered keyhole saw. The leak may be upstream, downstream, or in the middle of the elbow joint that connects the pipe running vertically up the wall to the pipe that sticks out into the shower. Once you find the leak, you ll know what section of pipe needs to be replaced. If the leak is downstream of the elbow joint, use a propane torch to heat the joint until the solder loosens and then use two pairs of pliers to pull apart the joint. Cut new copper pipe to match the removed sections and sweat the joints as described in How to Fix a Burst Pipe, page 325. 

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