What Causes Pipe Corrosion?
For homeowners, chances are that at some point in the life of their homes, they will need to pay for major updates. Major updates usually revolve around the critical utilities that are in the house, like plumbing or wiring. For homes that are old enough to be plumbed with metal piping, corrosion will likely be one of the main reasons for a major plumbing update. Corrosion is a constant problem with metal piping, but with professional help, it can be managed.
In this article, plumbing experts will help homeowners understand corrosion and learn how to deal with it.
Why Do Pipes Corrode?
The benefit of metal piping used to be longevity. Unfortunately, with the one exception of copper pipes, metal pipes were phased out years ago. The life expectancy of metal piping is nearing its end because corrosion has likely become a significant factor, leading to numerous repairs and problems in homes that still have metal pipes.
The inherent problem with metal piping is that they are reactive. As the metals are refined to be extruded into pipes during production, they are purged of impurities that prevent them from being useful as piping. Over time, nature takes its course and slowly reverses the refining process by oxidizing the metal in pipes.
Does Maintenance Help?
Maintaining metal pipes isn’t an arduous task. Usually, it only involves making sure that pipes are protected from things that might cause corrosion. Using professional plumbers to install and repair pipes is one of the most important things to do to make sure pipes stay in service longer.
Some of the things that can help preserve pipes are:
- Ensure the pH of the incoming water is stable
- Brace pipes to reduce vibrations and water hammer that can wear pipes out
- Make sure pipes are installed with protection from metal-to-metal contact
- Don’t allow dissimilar metals to be installed in contact with each other
Replace Corroded Pipes With Repiping
If pipes weren’t installed correctly, to begin with, there might not be much that can be done about it. Corrosion is an irreversible process that usually starts as improper repairs are made to existing metal piping. At a certain point, instead of paying continually for costly emergencies that damage a home, it can make more sense to replace all of the piping in a house through a process called “repiping.”During a whole-home repiping, plumbers will replace all of the pipes that serve a home. All of the piping in a home will be updated to whatever material the homeowners select. In most cases, repiping will be done with a material called PEX. PEX is a special type of plastic tubing that is the most popular choice in modern plumbing. It is cheap to purchase and quick to install, reducing the cost of a repiping project.
In some cases, hot water lines may be replaced with new copper piping since it has better thermal qualities, but the end result of a repiping will be a house with new plumbing that will last for decades.
About Everest Plumbing
Looking for someone to help with a repiping project? The experts at Everest Plumbing can help. With upfront and straightforward pricing, homeowners can expect no surprises at the end of a project. Additionally, they offer a satisfaction guarantee on all of their work. So call Everest Plumbing in Greenville, SC for expert plumbing and repiping services.
