Repairing Leaks in Pipes
Frequently a cast or malleable-iron pipe fitting will leak through its side, the water oozing, drop by drop, from a pinhole—ordinarily due to a sand hole in the casting. Sometimes the leak can be stopped by hammering the affected spot with the ball end of a hammer. If this fails, it is necessary to replace the fitting. Where the leak is around a thread, screwing the pipe or fitting tighter constitutes the only, and usually effective, corrective.—L. A. Merton, St. Louis, Mo.