Spent 4 hours hunting a steam leak that turned out to be a pinhole in a 20 year old pipe

I was working on a boiler at the old grain mill in Decatur last Thursday. Kept hearing this hissing sound but couldn't find it anywhere, checked every joint and valve twice. Eventually I gave up and just ran my hand along a 6 inch pipe near the back and felt a tiny puff of air. That pinhole took me half an hour to patch after all that searching. Anyone else ever chase a phantom leak for way too long?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles9193d ago

Not to be picky, but a pinhole leak in a 20-year-old pipe usually means the whole section is about done. In my experience, patching those buys you maybe a year tops before another one shows up nearby. Just something to keep an eye on down the road.

morgan_butler3d ago

Those 20 year old copper pipes from the late 90s always seem to fail in clusters around the joints, not random spots in the middle. Did you see the pinhole happen right at a solder joint or was it out in the open on the straight run?