How Can You Avoid Home Plumbing Pipe Corrosion?

Home plumbing pipe corrosion is one of the most prevalent issues impacting home water supplies and systems. It degrades the overall quality of the water and produces a foul flavor. Furthermore, copper and lead may seep into drinking water and create health hazards.

Copper poisoning in water can cause intestinal issues in the short term and liver and kidney damage in the long run. Lead poisoning can harm children’s physical and mental development. Let us first explore some of the most prevalent causes before we discuss measures to avoid home plumbing pipe corrosion.

  • Industrial plumbing systems incorporating copper pipes can reduce the water’s pH level and cause corrosion in the water.
  • Oxygenated water can form rust in metal pipes that damages the lines and causes severe health hazards.
  • Mineral buildups can reduce the water quality and form clogs
  • In some systems, hot water can cause home plumbing pipe corrosion and make them toxic.

Cleaning the Pipes Before Installation

Pre-installation pipeline cleaning is one of the most efficient strategies to avoid water. Everyone should clean the lines of commercial or residential plumbing systems before installation and remove all dirt to extend the plumbing system’s life.

Use a cleaning solution to fully clean your home’s water system and prevent home plumbing pipe corrosion. The water should be flushed out of the system frequently until clean and clear water emerges.

prevent plumbing pipe corrosion

Why Do We Need to Clean Pipes Pre-Installation?

You can find Mill scale, jointing compounds, and a variety of other materials associated with the industries and constructions in newly created water pipes.

Systems not thoroughly cleansed of these impurities before use may accumulate sludge and germs over time. As a result, home plumbing pipe corrosion, obstructions, and biodegradation can occur, resulting in inefficiencies, leaks, and other expensive system failures.

Inadequate cleaning can leave suspended particles, biofilm, grease, and other impurities in your system, forming an impenetrable coating on the piping. As a result, inhibitors will not reach the metal surface and will be unable to prevent further corrosion, amplifying the home plumbing pipe corrosion.

Maintaining a Steady PH level in the water.

It is critical to keep water’s pH stable to have healthy drinking water and prevent water pipe corrosion. A healthy pH level implies it should be neither acidic nor alkaline. It should have a pH level of 7 that is balanced. If the pH level of the water is greater than 7, it is alkaline; if the pH level is less than 7, it is acidic. Rain that falls on the ground is generally acidic because it takes up carbon dioxide as it falls and converts it to carbonic acid.

The soil’s limestone and dolomite (calcium magnesium carbonate) can neutralize the acid, making it more alkaline. Water containing calcium and magnesium salts is less corrosive because these minerals cover the inside pipes, protecting against home plumbing pipe corrosion.

Prevent Home Plumbing Pipe Corrosion by Using Phosphates

Phosphates are occasionally added to water supplies to prevent water pipe corrosion. They operate as a corrosion inhibitors, preventing metals from leaching from lead and copper pipes. When inorganic phosphates are introduced to the water supply, an insoluble protective mineral scale coating forms on the interior of service pipes and domestic water lines. This protects the lines against home plumbing pipe corrosion.

Compared to a typical adult diet, the quantity of phosphate in a water supply is relatively small. But it’s crucial for phosphates and other chemical water treatments to be handled by specialists who know how to determine which treatment is best suited to avoid home plumbing pipe corrosion while not making the water toxic from these chemicals.

prevent plumbing pipe corrosion

Using Chlorine to Prevent CPVC Home Plumbing Pipe Corrosion

Chlorine is widely used to keep hazardous germs at bay and to prevent material buildup in cooling towers and recirculating systems. But it’s vital for home plumbing pipe corrosion safety; remember that chlorine can cause damage to other pipes besides CPVC. As the name chlorinated polyvinyl chloride implies, CPVC is inherently very impervious to chlorine and the degradation it can cause to other materials.

Therefore, adding chlorine tablets to the water supply is one of the most significant ways to avoid water corrosion if your property utilizes CPVC pipes. Chlorine serves as a disinfectant and may destroy bacteria and pathogens. This is an efficient method of protecting water and avoiding home plumbing pipe corrosion for drinking while also killing bacteria that cause water corrosion.

How to Avoid Galvanic Corrosions

Not every metal gets along. Galvanic corrosion occurs when one metal draws electrons from another; as a result, the structure is weakened. For example, if aluminum and carbon steel are joined and submerged in seawater, the aluminum will corrode faster, but the steel will be protected. Let’s look at two of the most common ways how we can avoid home plumbing pipe corrosion for this issue:

Insulating the Metals

Metals such as copper are excellent conductors of electricity but are susceptible to electrolysis and galvanic corrosion. Underground copper or brass pipes can rot away if not shielded from this type of home plumbing pipe corrosion. PVC or plastic irrigation tubing can be utilized to insulate these metals. Paints, coatings, oils, and greases are also acceptable.

Using Home Plumbing Pipe Corrosion Inhibitors

The most efficient galvanic corrosion inhibitors remove dissolved oxygen from the electrolyte solution. Removing oxygen reduces the likelihood of reduction occurring at the anode, and the home plumbing pipe corrosion process is halted.

 

What are 5 Different Types of Home Plumbing Pipes?

Residential plumbing systems have come a long way from the clay piping used in ancient Greece to supply water for homes and carry sewage and wastewater away. Plumbing supply manufacturers produce pipes from various materials that can provide hot and cold water to every plumbing fixture in your house. Residential plumbing pipes also create a vital drain and vent system for your house. Although there are different types of home plumbing pipes, five of them are used more in homes, which are:

  • PEX Home Plumbing Pipes
  • PVC Residential Plumbing Pipes
  • ABS Pipes
  • Copper Plumbing Pipes
  • Galvanized Pipes for Home Plumbing

Although all types of home plumbing pipes are practical in specific applications, not every piping is suitable for all situations. Additionally, some of the lines are not up to code. Modern building codes set forth measures your system must adhere to to ensure public safety and protect your home from damage. Now let’s get to the details about these home plumbing pipe types.

PEX Home Plumbing Pipes

PEX or cross-linked polyethylene home plumbing pipes are affordable plastic tubing famous for residential water supply lines since they do not leach traces of corrosion or rust into the water like some other old types of pipes.

Installing cross-linked polyethylene residential plumbing pipes is considerably easy and also, since they are a flexible material, working with PEX tubes is much easier.

One of the best things about these home plumbing pipes is that you can use several connection methods, which allows you to work with different plumbing tools.

PEX home pipes come in three primary colors: blue for cold water, red for hot water, and white for cold or hot water.

PVC Residential Plumbing Pipes

PVC or home plumbing pipes made from polyvinyl chloride are often used for home sewage systems. Professional plumbers use DWV, a type of home plumbing piping used in your house’s drain, waste, and venting systems.

PVC plumbing pipes are suitable for applications with low pressure and low-temperature requirements. With this said, you should use these residential plumbing pipes for the toilet drain line and not for carrying hot water.

ABS Home Plumbing Pipes

Residential plumbing pipes that have a black appearance and are used in a sink, toilet drain, or tubs are generally made from ABS or Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene,

ABS home plumbing pipes are another type that you can find in DWV systems, and it functions similarly to PVC piping. Most of these residential plumbing pipes come in the exact sizes as PVC piping. However, ABS is not as popular as it is currently.

ABS home plumbing pipes are more durable than PVC but should not be exposed to direct sunlight.

Copper Home Plumbing Pipes

Copper home plumbing pipes have been used in residential plumbing systems for decades. So it is likely to find them around showers, sinks, tubs, and other plumbing fixtures in older and newer houses.

These residential plumbing pipes are the most popular type of water supply lines since copper does not affect drinking water quality.

The biggest drawback of copper home plumbing pipes is that the installation process requires a propane torch that is not DIY-friendly. If you do not apply enough heat to the joints, the solder will not flow into the joint, and you won’t have a proper seal. Moreover, too much heat can inhibit the appropriate sealing of the connection.

Galvanized Pipes for Residential Plumbing Systems

Galvanized pipes are not used in modern constructions and homes. However, it was once used for almost every residential property, so you can find them in older houses.

Galvanized home pipes were perfect when homes had lead pipes since they provided a lead-free alternative. If you have galvanized waste and drain lines, you will find fittings and replacement pipes such as galvanized tees and elbows.

Galvanized home plumbing pipes had a big issue; they tend to rust over time. If your residential plumbing system has galvanized water supply pipes, it would be best to replace them with PEX or Copper residential plumbing pipes to ensure you will have clean and clear drinking water.

If you are sure that you want to retrofit your galvanized piping, using PEX would be the best option since it is flexible, and you can install it inside the walls easily.