Corroded pipes are a nightmare for any homeowner. This plumbing issue might be so dire that you might have to do a whole-house repipe based on the nature and extent of corrosion. The rusty pipes are a risk to your home since they might result in cracks in the plumbing system, making them spring leaks. Should this go unnoticed for long, the crack or fracture might enlarge and result in extensive water damage.
With this in mind, you should hire a licensed plumbing expert for plumbing system inspection and maintenance. This could save your home from serious structural damage, expensive repairs and restorations, and molds. The plumbers recommend that you don’t install cast iron, copper, or galvanized steel plumbing pipes because they are vulnerable to corrosion. This can happen when they are exposed to various environments and conditions. This post will go through the main causes of pipe corrosion and how you could prevent it. So, let us first consider the causes of corrosion.
Causes of Pipe Corrosion
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
The total dissolved solids (TDS) are among the main corrosion causes within the plumbing pipes. Several minerals, salts, metals, and other organic materials dissolved in water affect its purity. The TDS in Lighthouse Point, FL, might arise because of fertilizers and pesticides with sulfur, lead, calcium bicarbonate, and nitrogen. Most dissolved solids such as salts and metals in the water indicate harmful chemicals and hard water.
The harmful chemicals can accumulate in your plumbing pipes resulting in corrosion and also affecting their efficiency at the same time. The plumber might charge you more for system maintenance due to the high levels of the TDS. However, you could avoid this by having a plumbing expert install a water softening solution to soften the incoming water. Further, you can have a professional repipe your drains with non-corrosive pipes such as PVC and CPVC.
pH Values
Do you have copper pipes in your plumbing system? Then you should have a plumber replace them. This is because copper pipes are highly sensitive to low pH values, making the drainage system or the water line fail or deteriorate. The higher pH values alter the color of your water. The pH is a measure of acidity levels within the water. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 denoting a neutral pH. The values from 8-14 denote a base, while those from 0-6 are usually acidic.
Hence, a low pH could make the pipes in your plumbing system, especially copper and galvanized steel, corrode due to the acidic properties of water. The acidic properties oxidize the copper ions, resulting in rust that changes the color of the water at your home. Whenever you notice that your water isn’t clear, enlist a plumbing technician to inspect the cause of the issue and resolve it promptly.
High pH also is an issue for your plumbing pipes, and it results in pitting corrosion on your copper pipes. Hard water having a pH of about 7.8 makes the water lines begin rusting, develop leaks, and even break. Although alkaline water having a pH of over 8 might not cause cracking in your copper pipes, it affects the water. The water flowing from your faucets may have traces of blue. A professional and properly-trained plumber will recommend that you replace the copper water lines if your home gets hard water from a well of the municipal water utility lines. This is because the copper pipes will develop cracks and pigeon holes in their entire length.
Drain Cleaning Chemicals
Some homeowners resort to using liquid drain cleaning products to avoid incurring drain cleaning expenses to pay a professional. These acidic chemicals threaten your copper and galvanized steel drainage system pipes. The harsh liquid drain cleaners can clear clogs and blockages but are just temporary solutions. Hence, besides not cleaning the drainage system effectively, they also contribute to or promote rusting of the pipes that make your drains. This leaves the drainage system pipes with pigeon holes and fractures that require the plumber’s attention to replace them entirely or only the affected sections.
Oxygenated Water
Corrosion in copper and galvanized steel drainage and water lines is inevitable when the water that flows into your Lighthouse Point, FL home is oxygenated. Oxygenated water contains oxygen and nitrogen, meaning the risk of oxidation that results in corrosion of the metallic plumbing pipes is high.
The oxygen dissolved in the water enables or facilitates pipe corrosion. This leads to the weakening and thinning of your home’s water lines, an accumulation of dust particles, cracks, and pinholes. Cracks on the plumbing pipes might result in adverse plumbing issues that might need the urgent services of a plumber to avert further or any water damage.
Preventing Plumbing Pipes Corrosion
Non-Corrosive Pipes
The most effective measure of preventing pipe rusting is having a plumbing service install water as drainage lines that are non-corrosive. These include PVC, PEX, and CPVC pipes which are non-corrosive, non-toxic, lightweight, and have a high tolerance to acidity.
Using Water Filtration Systems
Because galvanized steel and copper pipes are sensitive to TDS and mineral content dissolved in hard water, a plumber can resolve or avert the issue by installing a water filtration system at your home. This protects the pipes from rusting and corrosion. The water softeners use the process of ion exchange to remove the minerals that make the water hard.
However, reverse osmosis is the best way to filter a large amount of TDS in water that flows into your Lighthouse Point, FL home drain and plumbing pipes. This significantly reduces rusting that might cause severe plumbing issues like pipe bursts and high water bills. The professional might also recommend deionization and distillation to safeguard the copper plumbing from any damage from rust.
Electrical Connectivity
To avert improper grounding, a plumber with electrical skills and knowledge should check the grounding of the electrical connections to your water pipes. This ensures continuity in your piping system.
Plumbing Professionals in Lighthouse Point
Corrosion is a bane to the existence of your galvanized steel and copper water and drainage lines. Based on the water pressure, it weakens the pipes, making them spring leaks or even burst. As you can see from above, it can result from various factors that a plumber can help avert. Hence, ensure that you enlist a professional plumbing service to take measures to prevent rusting. Are your pipes corroding, or do you need the assistance of a plumbing company to protect them from corrosion? Call us at MainLine Plumbing today.