Pipe through stud: Snug or loose?

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ToolsRMe

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I need to run some3/4 pipe through a stud. A 7/8†spade bit cuts a hole that is just about perfect; quite snug.

I’m worried that the hole will be too small if the pipe heats up (domestic hot water) and that I will eventually have a failure.

Should I worry? Should I cut the hole larger? What’s the best way to make sure that the pipe does not rattle if it’s in a hole?
 

Gary Swart

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Probably the easiest way is to use a jig saw, recip saw, or keyhole saw and just carve it out enough to make room. You could redrill it if you happen to have have a 1" steel bit, but don't try it with a spade bit. For new holes, get a 1" or larger spade bit.
 

ToolsRMe

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Gary Swart said:
Probably the easiest way is to use a jig saw, recip saw, or keyhole saw and just carve it out enough to make room. You could redrill it if you happen to have have a 1" steel bit, but don't try it with a spade bit. For new holes, get a 1" or larger spade bit.

What I did that work well is to use a RotoZip set to a 1/8" depth and ream out enough so that a 1" spade could sit on the larger lip. That provided enough "anti-dance" material so that I could drill down with the 1" spade.

Now that we have that solved, what would have happend if I had let the pipe be snug in the wood? I had spoken to the, uh, expert at Home Depot and he said that he had done a lot of new construction exactly that way.
 

Gary Swart

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You would just lose any play that you might need to fit pieces together. Other than that, I don't think it would actually hurt anything to have the tight fit. Sounds like the Roto Zip worked well for you.
 

hj

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hole

What might have happened would be that you would come back here and say that you hear a "drip" in the wall when the hot water is run, but you do not see any water on the floor.
 

ToolsRMe

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hj said:
What might have happened would be that you would come back here and say that you hear a "drip" in the wall when the hot water is run, but you do not see any water on the floor.

That's interesting and unexpected.

I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying that there could be an actual leak but that I wouldn't see it but could hear it?

Or are you saying that I would hear something that isn't really there? If this second one, what would cause such a phenomenon?
 

hj

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noise

You might hear a "ticking" sound as the pipe rapidly expands while it heats up. That sound, to the unitiated, sounds like a pipe dripping. It will also make the sound as the pipe reverts to ambient temperature, but since that happens at a much slower rate the sound usually is not loud enough to hear it.
 

Khayes

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HJ is right on. We have a copper water pipe running through the ceiling over our downstairs den and when hot water is requested upstairs, it sounds very much like a drip, a hard tap kind of sound. It is the pipe expanding and rubbing against the joist it is drilled through. Once the pipe is fully warmed, the noise stops. I've had a plumber verify this - it's been doing it for 15 years and there has never been evidence of any leaks - we've gotten used to it. So go for a larger hole.
 
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