How to go About Fixing a Concealed Broken Pipe

What Even Causes a Pipe to Break?

Concealed pipes have their pros and cons. One of the major criticisms addressed to concealed pipes is that when they crack or break, they cause a lot of mess around the place. In this article, we are going to first tell you about the main causes of pipe damage and then discuss the steps in fixing them. There are several reasons why your pipes might break:

• Corrosion 

No matter the materials that the pipes are made from, corrosion will happen. Even with materials like copper which are more corrosion-resistant, problems will occur down the line. Black patches will form around weak points and then create pinhole leaks.

• Rust

Iron pipes will significantly deteriorate after being exposed to water and oxygen without regular maintenance.

• Backup

Your pipes can clog up if you are flushing potentially wasteful materials down the toilet. The build-up of waste occurs near a joint and it results in water leaking from the pipes. 

• Freezing

When the pipes are exposed to really low temperatures, they tend to freeze and explode. This is the worst-case scenario that can happen with pipe problems.

How to Find Leaks and Burst Pipes

Surprisingly enough, when you see ice form around a pipe, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the damage is at that point of the pipe. The ice can simply be creating a blockage while the real problem occurs somewhere else, where the pipe is weakest. There are 3 ways to find the origin of the leak:

1) Look Over Exposed Pipes for Corrosion

A simple way of identifying a leak (or a potential one) is by looking at the state of the pipes. If you notice any corrosion, moisture, or mould, then it’s time for a repair to take place.

2) Look for any Signs of Water Damage

Examine the walls where your pipes are located at. See if you can notice any damage around them, once you have finished this, go back to the place where you saw the largest amount of damage done. Most of the time, this will be the spot where the leak is located at.

3) Find the Smell of Sewage

This might be an unpleasant way of finding the origin of the leak, but it is an effective one. A rotten smell of sewage that is coming from a pipe will not only tell you that you have a broken pipe, but also that it's a sewer pipe.

Possible Solutions

There are 2 ways of dealing with pipe issues:

• You can have some minor repairs take place

This usually means cutting into the wall and finding the broken pipe in question. Afterwards, you can replace the damaged part of the pipe (if it is contained in a single section of the pipe), or you can patch over the leak.

• You can replace them completely

For more severe and spread-out damages to the pipes, you will need to contact a plumber to replace them completely. This is the better option if your pipes are old and have the possibility of even more leaks or breaking down completely in the future.

The Cost of it All

The prices will vary from problem to problem. But, generally, the pricing depends on the type of pipes in question. 

• Gas Pipe Replacement

When gas pipes get broken and need to be replaced, it will cost anywhere from $120 - $1,400. Generally, most homeowners pay around $500 for gas pipe replacements.

• Water Pipe Replacement 

Water pipes are the most common ones that need replacing. The cost will depend on a variety of factors. Replacing/repairing water pipes usually costs around $150 - $350. If you do not know where the leak is located, you will need to pay around $100 more. Then comes the wall. Repairing the drywall (if it’s been significantly damaged) will cost you around $250 - $700. Obviously, the size and severity of the damage will impact how much it costs to repair the drywall. In the worst possible scenario, if a pipe has frozen and burst, you will need to pay anywhere from $350 to $2,100 to repair it.

• Sewer Pipe Replacement

Sewer pipes are a bit more tricky. When they leak, plumbers shouldn’t recommend small repairs (unless they want to leech you of your money). Doing a small repair will only delay the problem for a bit. The most optimal solutions are trenchless sewer repairs or conventional sewer repairs. Trenchless repairs cost around $60 - $250 per foot. The price will be influenced by how easy it is to navigate the pipe network, the state the pipes are in, and how accessible they are. Conventional repairs cost about the same. The price will really begin to increase as more and more repairs are needed, leading to a possibility of a $20,000 bill. This is why you want to have a solid foundation and high-quality house rendering, to avoid the possibility of such large-scale problems occurring down the line and costing you a small fortune.

Guest Contributor: Tim Tylor