repairing leak on older/smaller copper pipe advice wanted

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Billfig

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Hi, so I want to repair a couple leaks at my brothers house which is a somewhat older ranch. Its at the sink & below- in the basement. Seems its mixed sizing from 1/2" & a smaller size(3/8")? I never even knew they had such a size in pipe..not tubing. all the copper was brush painted to years ago?
 

Jadnashua

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Where are the leaks? In the middle of the pipe or at a fitting? If in the middle of the pipe, how far from a fitting? The reason I ask is if a pinhole away from a fitting a good distance, it is either a defect in the pipe (and there are likely to be more coming) or it was rubbing on something. If it's within about a foot of a fitting downstream, it could be from erosion from an improperly prepared pipe. There's a reason why there's a pipe reforming tool on a pipe cutter...if you leave the bevel caused by cutting the pipe with one in place, it can cause turbulence and erode the pipe away from the inside, especially if the pressure or flow is high.

Then, note that some water supplies are corrosive to copper piping. Do any of the neighbors have similar problems? In some places, the only pipe that survives is plastic.

Exposure to lots of chemicals can also affect the pipe - say lots of bleach from the washing machine, or even the dryer if it is not properly vented.
 
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