Homeowner Forum / Plumbing / July 2008

Hello All,
   I was installing new base molding behind the toilet in our basement
bathroom and ended up puncturing a hole in a 3/4" cold water copper pipe
inside an interior wall. The pipe is punctured slightly more than one inch
above the concrete foundation. The hole diameter is about 3/32 inch in
diameter. At first I tried cutting a curved piece out of a pipe fitting and
pre-soldering the inside surface with lead free solder. I brushed and fluxed
the pipe the same way but when I went to coat it with solder, I couldn't get
it hot enough to melt the solder (tried using a MAPP torch). The pipe still
has water in it and since it is the lowest pipe in the house with no spigot
being as low, I don't know how to get the water out. Right now I have a
sheet metal screw with a piece of auto heater hose as a washer and it is
holding its own. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I would repair
this hole? The copper is of the coiled type but as I recall when they
installed, a pretty rigid coiled type. I don't know if I could cut the pipe
at the hole and then drain the pipe fully and put on a slip fitting and
solder it. I'm not sure i could bend the upper part of the pipe enough to
get the slip fitting on. Also the pipe has a gradual bend / flattening to it
further complicating matters.  I was thinking of using a heater hose clamp
and a square of heater hose to put over the hole and cinch it very tight but
that is probably not a good long term fix. Any suggerstions?

Bob