Twisted copper piping during new kitchen faucet install

13 years ago

Hi Guys,

Wannabe DIY-er here. I recently installed a Moen kitchen faucet. During the process of trying to tighten the copper connection to a three way brass tee (due to the use of an instant hot device) I stupidly twisted the cold water copper piping (used one wrench instead of two) and instead of being nice and round in diamater, the copper pipping ended up bent and compressed inward a good amount. Kind of like when you're bending up a straw. :P

http://henhowc.bol.ucla.edu/IMG_0467.JPG

So far there have been no leaks and water doesn't seem to have any trouble getting through the piping and out the faucet. However I'm a bit paranoid about it as I'm obviously not a plumber and don't know how well these things hold up in the long term. Should I be worried?

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Comments (7)

Billl
13 years ago
"Should I be worried? "

I wouldn't worry, but I would fix it. You've damaged the pipe and created a possible point of failure.

A plumber will be able to fix this very easily. If you want it as a DIY project, it wouldn't be a bad place to learn. You would need to cut the pipe back to an undamaged area. If your faucet connectors have enough play, you can sweat a new male threaded connection to the existing pipe. If you need the pipe to be at its original height, you may need to put in a short piece of copper tube to replace the damaged section.
stash-hdy
13 years ago
Give Moen a call and explain what happened, they may replace the faucet. Its worth a call!!
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davidro1
13 years ago
The image at http://henhowc.bol.ucla.edu/IMG_0467.JPG is too close up ; a photo taken from farther away will help me figure out more clearly where the bend is, in the entire set up. It might be, that this copper pipe cannot be repaired easily by a DIYer.

For now there is no immediate risk (no large risk), and maybe for a long time to come too... Yes this is a good thing to learn how to repair and it is a good idea to repair it this season, or to replace it. Personally I would want to "diagnose" this more before hiring a handyman, or a handyman repair plumber, or a Master plumber. Without being there and seeing it, I'll ask for one more photo. : - )
weedmeister
13 years ago
It looks like you're bent the pipe enough to restrict the flow a bit. It will probably work like this for a long time to come.

If you remove the faucet from the counter, you will have better access to the pipe. You should be able to cut out the damaged section of pipe, then either sweat in a new section or just join the two ends of pipe.
henhowc
Original Author
13 years ago
@david - Sorry for the poor photo. I'm not even a big guy but it still feels like I'm playing Twister whenever I'm under the sink. I'll see if I can get a better overall shot.

Plumbing has always worried me as you always hear those horror stories about people that have pipes break or some minor leak that goes undetected and costs them thousands later down the line.

I was fearing the worst but it looks like it won't be anything major that requires immediate attention. I literally did this two nights ago...so yeah sort of been on edge the past few nights. LOL Trial by fire...

Thanks for the quick responses and for not making fun of me (I know its hard)! LOL
criticalmass048
13 years ago
Don't worry, I was just like you a few short years ago!

About two years ago, suddenly our kitchen cold water pressure dropped to virtually nothing. Hot water worked fine. Not really knowing what I was looking for, I decided to climb under the sink. It seems that the guy who originally installed the sink (no, not me!) crimped the line similar to yours.

I turned off the water, pulled out the faucet, put a new end on it, reconnected, turned it on, and the faucet began sputtering and spitting all over. I was worried, because I had no idea what had happened. I removed the aerator, and it was filled with particles. These, presumably, were the particles that were trapped at the crimp point, which is probably what finally caused the blockage after all those years.

So yes, I'm sure it will last a while, but it will eventually clog, I'm sure.
henhowc
Original Author
13 years ago
LOL. I'm guessing worst case scenario is I get lazy and leave it as is and it eventually comes back to haunt me.

I was imagining things like going away from the weekend and finding my kitchen flooded. Yes I obviously know a lot about plumbing... o_O

Twisted copper piping during new kitchen faucet install

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Twisted copper piping during new kitchen faucet install

Comments (7)

Billl

stash-hdy

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weedmeister

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