I just had an inspection for a hot water heater that we recently had installed, and while the installation passed, the inspector noted a leak at one of the copper joints in the hot water pipe. She thought the pipe might have been jostled as the plumbers were getting the water heater installed, causing the joint to loosen.
She then mentioned that using salt on the joint might cause it to reseal itself. I've searched all over, and can't find anything suggesting this might work. Has anyone ever heard of this before, and/or tried it?
PS: I've sent a message to the plumbing company that installed the water heater, so hopefully they'll come out and fix it for not too much money. Just curious about the salt fix.
Best Answer
It could reseal itself in the same way that rust could "seal" an iron pipe.
"Copper is one of the least resistant metals to salt-related corrosion." source
It is certainly not the most correct thing to do, but could it work? I suppose so. Copper radiators clogged from corrosion all the time.
What's the difference between a clog and a seal, after all?