Help--Water Leak

[Goose]

Friday night and I find a pin hole leak on the water heater's copper hot water line.

It is a 2001 Adriane Mobile Home, and I can't find the water shut off. We are on a well. There is a pump outside. A holding tank under the house, and the water heater is in a closet. I can't find a cut off anywhere.

She had to get the holding tank replaced when she bought it. Is that where the cutoff would be. Did they not put a new one in?

Oh. does anyone have any ideas how to temporarily plug the leak? I will go to Lowes and replace the pipe in the am.

[Harry]

Hi

You can turn the pump off (the power switch) and open a spigot...if you can not find the cut off.

Harry

[Goose]

Glad your on Harry. I had a spigot on next to the pump, and flipped every breaker. No dice. I guess it's not on a breaker?


Edit: I just flipped the main breaker, and water was still flowing strong.

[Greg]

Goose, It sounds like you need to do some upgrading to your water system. Mobile homes are notorious for no shutoff valves.

The first thing you need to do is get the water off and cleaned up. The tube(s) replaced and add a few shutoff valves also. I recommend brass gate or Ball valves, Stay away from stop valves since they are known to either not shutoff fully or not open fully.

Then it's time to get the breaker box circuits labeled so you can get things shut off in a hurry when you need to. Greg

[Goose]

Thanks Greg. It has shut offs at the toilets and sinks, but not the hot water heater. They will be going on if I can get the water off.

Is it possible for the pump to run when I flip the main breaker?

Edit: Well some modeling clay and a half a roll of duct dape stopped the leak, or at least made it a slow drip. Put a big pot under it for tonight.

I will get up under the house and kill power to the pump in the daylight. Time to put a cut off in. An electrician will have to run the pump to the breaker box.

[troyster]

Hey Goose same thing happened to me about 3 years ago. all I did was take a small hose clamp, wrapped electrical tape around clamp 4 or 5 times , then slipped clamp over copper pipe till tape on clamp contacted pin hole then tightened it as tight as i could till it stopped leaking. still have that clamp on my hot water copper line and maybe one of these days i might fix it lol.

[Greg]

You also should add a 1/4 turn main shutoff just after the pump that would allow a total shut off of the system. Greg

[Goose]

I found the main shutoff today. It is a ball valve that is about 12 feet from the water tank. Of course it wouldn't budge. Someone had already broke the handle off of it.

I disconnected the wiring to the pump, and replaced the hot and cold lines on the water heater. Flushed it out too.

Picked up a new ball valve today too. We just got nice weather, so I probably won't change it until next weekend.

Thanks for everyone's help.

[oldfart]

Aye Goose..keep in mind that since yer on a well the water doesn't stop flowing as soon as the breaker is turned off. The pressure-tank/bladder tank maintains pressure for a while..so the water keeps flowing. Now for a quick and easy fix..snatch up a footlong piece of common garden hose or automotive heater hose and split it up one side. Apply it to the afflicted pin-holed copper pipe and double-clamp it down tight. OR... if it's possible.. cut the pin-holed copper pipe right at the leak... and slide the length of garden hose or auto-heater hose over the 2 sections and clamp it without splitting it lengthwise. I had to use this band-aid solution in my bathroom and it held for 10yrs. until I remodeled. When time/money/circumstances permit..add in ball-type shut-off valves and on occassion open and close them to prevent them sticking and malfunctioning. Audie..the Oldfart..