Are you fed up with your leaking plumbing pipes? Many plumbing systems start to experience corrosion and leaks within five to 10 years after installation and some plumbing pipes can start to corroded as fast as two years after they are installed. If you’ve experienced numerous leaks over the last 12 to 24 months and are still experiencing leaks, epoxy pipe lining may be able to help.
Causes of Pipe Corrosion
Pipe corrosion has three main causes, including the pH level of your water, the water temperature and the age of your plumbing pipes.
The pH Level of Your Water
Metal pipe corrosion is most common when the water flowing through the plumbing system has a pH of 6.5 or lower. While this water is safe to drink, it slowly eats away at the interior surface of the plumbing pipe. This most often leads to pinhole leaks. If the pinhole leaks are not repaired, it can result in pipe failure.
The Temperature of Your Water
The atomic composition of water is H2O, but water can also have other substances dissolved in it. When we talk about water temperature and corrosion, we are specifically talking about the oxygen in the water reacting with the metal of the plumbing pipes, which causes rust. The bad news is that hot water corrodes plumbing pipes faster than cold water. This means that your hot water pipes will generally fail before your cold water pipes. As the metal plumbing pipes continue to rust over time, you’ll notice a drop in water pressure, either due to leaks caused by the thinning of the pipe walls or by the rust completely closing off the pipe. The latter is most common in galvanized steel plumbing pipes.
The Age of Your Plumbing Pipes
Plumbing pipes are designed to last between 20 years and forever, but that depends on the material of the pipes and where they are located in the system. Drain and sewer lines made from cast iron typically last between 75 and 100 years. However, pouring drain cleaner down them can cause them to fail much sooner. If you have PVC drain lines, they are designed to last almost forever, but if you use the wrong drain cleaning method for clogs, they can develop holes.
Potable water pipes made out of copper can last longer than 50 years, but acidic water can dramatically reduce that lifespan. Brass pipes can last as long as 70 years, and galvanized steel only lasts between 20 and 70 years and is extremely susceptible to corrosion and rust.
How You Can Tell Your Pipes Are Corroded
- The water tastes terrible.
- You’ve experienced numerous leaks over the last couple of years.
- The water smells weird, or it has a smell that isn’t chlorine from the water treatment plant.
- There’s no water flow from a faucet when you turn it on, and the water has not been shut off.
- The water flowing from your taps is cloudy or discolored, especially if the color is brown, yellow or red.
How Epoxy Pipelining Helps With Corrosion
Since the vast majority of plumbing pipe problems are due to water coming into contact with the metal of your plumbing pipes, the best method of prevention is epoxy pipelining. This is because the epoxy forms a barrier between the water and the metal of your plumbing pipes. Once the pipe liner is installed, the water flows down the liner and never comes into contact with the metal of the host pipe. This prevents all future corrosion.
Another benefit of epoxy pipelining is that it seals leaks. When epoxy coatings are installed in potable water pipes, the epoxy fills small pinhole leaks and cracks, which means that if you are experiencing numerous leaks in your plumbing system, lining your pipes can stop those leaks. When epoxy pipe liners are installed in drain lines and sewer lines, the epoxy saturated felt liner creates a pipe within a pipe (CIPP). This helps seal large cracks and holes in order to restore the structural integrity of the pipe.
Why Large Residential Buildings, Industrial Building and Commercial Buildings in Chicago Choose Pipe Lining
Condos, apartment buildings, commercial highrises and industrial buildings choose pipelining because it is the least disruptive way to repair and restore corroded, rusted and damaged plumbing pipes because it does not involve cutting out large sections of drywall and creating a huge mess of debris. It also takes care of hidden leaks behind walls that have not yet made themselves known by creating water spots on walls and mysterious puddles. Epoxy pipe lining also doesn’t require the entire building’s water supply to be shut off. Instead, water is only shut off to the pipes that are being lined.
Epoxy Pipelining with NuFlow, Serving Chicago
Here at NuFlow, we can line all types of pipes, including drain lines, sewer lines, parking lot drains, potable water lines and plumbing risers and vent stacks. The most common reason building owners, superintendents and property managers call us is because they have an existing plumbing system that has been giving them problems for years, and repeated traditional plumbing repairs have not proven effective to stop the leaks and low water pressure.
We take the time to figure out what’s causing your plumbing problems and if pipelining would correct those problems. This means that we look at all the components of your plumbing system, including your rooftop gravity tanks and water pumps. If pipelining would be right for your building, we provide you with a detailed estimate and a timeframe.
To learn more about pipe lining for your Chicago building and to get a building pipe assessment, give us a call at 815-790-9000.