I hear you on the patching—my “quick fix” with duct tape and a prayer lasted about two weeks before I had a mini indoor waterfall. Is there any way to tell if the whole line needs replacing, or just a section? I keep hearing horror stories about hidden corrosion...
Had a similar situation last year—thought I could get away with patching a copper line, but it just kept springing leaks in new spots. In my experience, if you’re seeing pinhole leaks or greenish corrosion in more than one place, it’s usually a sign the whole run’s on its way out. Sometimes you can get lucky and just replace a section, but hidden corrosion is sneaky... I’ve seen pipes that looked fine on the outside but were paper-thin inside. If you’re already dealing with an “indoor waterfall,” I’d lean toward replacing more rather than less. It’s a pain now, but saves you from bigger headaches down the road.
- If you’re seeing greenish corrosion or pinhole leaks popping up in different spots, that’s usually copper’s way of saying “I’m done.”
- Patch jobs can get you by for a bit, but honestly, once the pipe starts going, it’s like playing whack-a-mole.
- I’ve pulled out lines that looked okay on the outside, only to find the inside was basically Swiss cheese. Not fun.
- Water damage is a nightmare—trust me, you don’t want to deal with mold cleanup or ruined drywall if you can avoid it.
- Swapping a whole section (or even the full run) is a pain in the wallet and the back, but it’s almost always cheaper than emergency repairs after a big leak.
- If you’re worried about cost, sometimes you can just do the worst areas first...but don’t ignore those “minor” leaks. They rarely stay minor.
- My rule: if I’ve got more than one spot with issues or if I see green crusties in multiple places, time to start replacing. Pipes don’t heal themselves, unfortunately.
Honestly, I’d rather spend a Saturday sweating pipes than a Sunday mopping up a flood.
I hear you on the “pipes don’t heal” thing. Here’s how I usually tackle it: First, check for green corrosion or any damp spots—don’t just look, run your hand along the pipe. If you find more than one sketchy area, I’d cut out and replace that whole section. If it’s just a single pinhole, maybe patch it for now, but honestly, that’s just buying time. I’ve seen folks ignore a tiny leak and end up with a ceiling collapse... not worth it. Better to be proactive even if it means a weekend under the sink.
Title: When is it time to swap out old pipes?
If you find more than one sketchy area, I’d cut out and replace that whole section. If it’s just a single pinhole, maybe patch it for now, but honestly, that’s just buying time.
I get where you’re coming from, but I’ve learned the hard way that even one pinhole can be a red flag. Had a spot under my kitchen sink that looked harmless—just a little greenish crust, barely felt damp. Figured I’d slap some epoxy on it and keep an eye out. Fast forward two months, and I’m mopping up water at 2am because the “patch” gave out. Turns out the inside of the pipe was way worse than what I could see.
I’m not saying every little drip means you need to rip out all your plumbing, but I do think a lot of us underestimate how fast things can go south. Especially with older copper or galvanized lines. Sometimes you cut out a bad bit and the next elbow down is already thinning out. It’s like playing whack-a-mole.
That said, I get not wanting to spend a fortune or lose a whole weekend to something that might be fine for another year. But after dealing with water damage (and the insurance headaches), I lean toward replacing sections sooner rather than later. Patching feels like putting a band-aid on a busted dam.
One thing I do now is check the pipe’s thickness if I’m already cutting—if it’s paper-thin anywhere, I just bite the bullet and swap the whole run. Saves me from crawling back under there in six months.
Guess it comes down to risk tolerance and how much you trust your pipes. For me, once they start showing their age, I’d rather be safe than sorry... or soggy.
