Every glass of water in a Chicago building starts in Lake Michigan. What happens between the lake and the tap is documented and published every year. What happens inside the building is a separate question.
From Lake Michigan to Your Building
The city draws its drinking water from Lake Michigan and treats it at two plants. The Jardine Water Purification Plant serves the northern areas of the city and suburbs. The Sawyer Water Purification Plant serves the southern areas. Chlorine is the drinking water disinfectant, and the city monitors and reports it annually.
The treatment is the same for every property on the same service. The plumbing inside each one is not.
What the City Adds to the Water
Chicago adds a phosphate corrosion control treatment. The city describes it as forming a protective coating on pipes from the treatment plant to the faucet, minimizing the risk that lead and other contaminants will leach into the water.
That has a specific purpose. Corrosion control treatment means making drinking water less corrosive to the materials it contacts on the way to consumers’ taps. The EPA notes that lead enters drinking water when plumbing materials containing lead corrode.
The treatment, in other words, is about what comes off the inside of a pipe and into the water.
Why Hard Water Keeps Coming Up Here
Hard water is a common problem in buildings across the country, and especially in regions like the Chicago area.
The issue is what it leaves behind. Calcium and magnesium settle inside the pipes and gradually form a hard, chalky buildup. Those mineral deposits constrict the internal diameter of the pipe, impeding water flow and reducing pressure. Over time, they can accelerate corrosion, leading to weakened pipe walls and an increased risk of leaks.
Two effects from one cause. Less water moving through the line, and a weakened pipe wall behind the buildup.
The Part You Cannot See
Many older Chicago buildings were built with cast iron and galvanized steel. Both are susceptible to corrosion.
Corrosion happens on the inside of the pipe, where it cannot be seen from the room.
What Lining Changes
We do not take the old pipe out. We line it from the inside.
The liner sits between the water and the host pipe, so the water cannot interact with the host pipe. What it meets is epoxy. The cured epoxy is extremely durable and impervious to the corrosive action of acids, alkalies, and petroleum.
The pipe also stays where it is. Fixtures and finishes do not need to be removed to reach it.
Start by Looking Inside the Line
Every building is different, and every plumbing system ages at its own pace depending on materials, usage, and maintenance history. The first step is the same regardless. Pipe condition can be documented instead of assumed.
A building pipe assessment from NuFlow Midwest provides video inspection of all plumbing lines, a report detailing what problems were found, a decision on a lining solution, and an estimated cost of pipe lining.
Schedule a building pipe assessment to see what is actually inside your system, understand your options, and plan from there.