Does your Chicago building have copper pipes that are embedded in concrete? Copper pipes are often embedded into concrete slabs, walls, and floors because the concrete helps provide stability and durability while helping improve the building’s aesthetics. However, even with all these benefits, you may still be wondering if embedded copper pipes are safe from leaks and damage. Let’s explore the benefits and drawbacks of concrete-encased copper plumbing pipes.
What are the benefits of copper plumbing pipes?
Copper has been an extremely popular material for plumbing pipes since the 1940s, and the industry is still growing. In fact, it’s expected to grow an average of 5.9 percent until 2030. They are popular because they are resistant to corrosion and bacteria. It also works great in areas that have high heat because they don’t combust, and they can withstand extremely high heat. Copper is recyclable. It’s durable and can be expected to last as long as 70 years.
What are some problems with copper plumbing pipes?
While there are a lot of benefits to installing copper, there are also a few drawbacks. The first drawback is that copper can be expensive when compared to other plumbing materials. Copper pipes have been known to cause water to taste a bit metallic on occasion, and acidic water is harmful to copper pipes.
What are the benefits of copper pipes encased in concrete?
Copper pipes can be encased in concrete to help improve their durability and longevity. The concrete helps protect the exterior of the pipes from the elements while adding a layer of stability. They’re also encased in concrete for aesthetics and convenience. For example, new homes on slab foundations may have copper pipes running through the slab directly into the bathrooms and kitchen. By running the pipes through the slab, the pipes are better positioned for installation into the water-using fixture or appliance.
Is it safe from damage and leaks if they’re encased in concrete?
In order to be safe from damage and leaks, the copper pipes must be properly prepared and installed inside the concrete. This usually involves wrapping the pipes in a special tape or insulation and threading the copper pipe through a sleeve before pouring the concrete. This helps ensure that the copper pipe has room to expand and contract with changes in temperature, which is called thermal expansion.
It’s also important to understand that copper is not corrosion-proof. It is merely corrosion-resistant. If the water flowing through the pipe is acidic, which is any water with a pH level below 7, it can harm the copper pipe over time. In fact, copper pipes that are exposed to acidic water can develop pinhole leaks and small cracks. Excessive water pressure can also damage copper pipes, resulting in leaks.
Another concern for Chicago building owners with concrete-encased copper pipes is the potential for the soil to shift around the foundation. When the soil shifts, it can cause the foundation to shift. Subsequently, the plumbing pipes that are encased and threaded through the foundation can become damaged.
Are copper pipes that are encased in concrete safe from environmental factors?
Copper pipes that are encased in concrete are safer than plumbing pipes that are sitting directly in the soil, but concrete-encased pipes can still experience damage. For example, did you know that if there’s too much chlorine in the treated city water it can increase the likelihood of corrosion? Aggressive soil conditions, which encompasses soil with high levels of chloride, ammonia, or sulfides, can also cause corrosion in copper plumbing pipes.
What happens if it starts leaking inside the concrete?
While encasing it in concrete can increase their useful lives and improve the aesthetic appearance of the building, copper pipes inside concrete walls, slabs, and floors may still leak, and those leaks are often hidden. Of course, it goes without saying that hidden leaks can be extremely difficult to detect, and they can cause a lot of damage before the property managers and superintendents even know that there is a leak.
When water leaks from a concrete-encased plumbing pipe, it drips and pools inside the concrete. This can weaken the concrete to the point where it fails. If the concrete is a slab for a home, the water can wick upwards, leading to wet carpets or warped wooden floors. If the leak is in the slab of a basement, it can lead to water damage in the basement, and it can cause concrete walls to crumble.
What are some signs that my Chicago building might have pipe leaks within the concrete?
There are several signs that your building may have leaks inside your concrete slab, walls, or floors.
Suddenly High Water Bills
Have you reviewed your water bills lately? Do they seem high? If your water bills are unexpectedly high, but you haven’t readily noticed any taps being left on or suspicious puddles, you might have a leak in a pipe that’s encased in concrete.
Mold Growth in Unexpected Places
If certain concrete walls start developing mold or you smell something musty, you may have a copper pipe leak. Additional signs of a leak inside a wall include peeling or bubbling paint, falling wallpaper, and crumbling or wet drywall.
Low Water Pressure
Are your residents complaining of low water pressure? When a building has several leaks in the pipes, it can lead to low water pressure. This means that the residents on your top floors may not have enough water pressure to take a shower or wash dishes.
What can I do to keep my Chicago copper pipes leak and damage-free?
There are several things you can do to make sure your concrete-encased copper pipes are in good condition.
- Get Regular Inspections – Have your plumbing regularly inspected by a Chicago plumber.
- Pay Attention to Your Water Bills – regularly review your water bills from both the current month and the previous months. You might even want to compare each month to its preceding year.
- Pay Attention to Plumbing Maintenance Requests – Are you getting more or fewer plumbing maintenance requests? Are all the requests the same or similar? Is there an area of your building that is getting more requests than others? If you start noticing patterns, it might be time to check your concrete-encased plumbing pipes.
- Consider Lining Your Copper Pipes with Epoxy – You can add a layer of protection against leaks and cracks by having your copper plumbing pipes lined with epoxy. Epoxy helps seal small leaks, and it prevents water from touching the host pipe. This helps prevent corrosion and leaching.
Line Your Concrete Encased Copper Pipes with Epoxy from NuFlow Midwest, Serving Chicago
If your building contains copper pipes that have been threaded through concrete or completely encased in concrete, we can help protect them against pinhole leaks and hairline cracks. Epoxy coatings can be blown through the pipes or brushed onto them in order to create a pipe-within-a-pipe. This stops future corrosion and adds a layer of protection.
You may also be pleased to know that epoxy pipeliners and coatings are safe and durable. Toxic chemicals aren’t used or created during the pipelining process. In fact, epoxy coatings and liners have been known to help reduce the levels of heavy metals in drinking water because they help prevent leaching from the metal host pipes.
Epoxy coatings and liners also last a long time. In accelerated laboratory testing, they’ve shown the potential to last as long as 80 years, and it’s expected that they’ll last somewhere between 35 and 50 years. The pipelining process is also fast. We can line a run of pipe in as little as 2 to 3 days, and we don’t need to do any cutting or digging to reach your pipes. This means that we don’t have to jackhammer through your concrete floors, walls, or foundation. Instead, we merely need to access your existing cleanouts to connect our equipment. In the rare event that we can’t find an access point, we’ll create one. This means that we don’t leave holes in your walls. When the job is done, the site is also clean and free of damage.
If you’re ready to help prevent leaks in your copper pipes with epoxy pipeliners, give us a call at 815-790-9000.