Office & Commercial, Spring 2005

Poison Pipes

By Larry Gillanders
CEO, Chief Technology Officer
ACE DuraFlo Systems, LLC

What’s all the fuss over microscopic holes in copper pipes, and where, all of a sudden, did lead and copper poison pipes come from?

Some experts are saying this may be tied to recent changes in the way the EPA is mandating treatment of drinking water. A major theory as to why lead and leaks are showing up involves an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirement, initiated in 1991 that called for water districts to remove natural organic material (NOM) from drinking water. This sounded like a good idea, since in theory it would have enhanced water quality. To comply with this mandate, however, many water districts changed the way they treated drinking water. But this has come with some unintended side effects on metal and some non-metallic water pipes.

Yes, leaky and poison pipes are big right now. OK, you think, but how often does this sort of pinhole leak problem or lead poisoning really occur? One example reports at least 5,300 homeowners in two suburban Maryland counties have experienced costly piping failures due to pinhole leaks in copper pipes in 2003-04 and over 18 percent of nation’s large water utilities report to the EPA that the drinking water at the tap in their regions exceed the EPA action level for lead or copper content. Generally, elevated lead and copper levels in tap water samples are caused by corrosive water that leaches lead and copper from homeowners' plumbing systems.

The extent of the leaky pipe problem is growing at an alarming rate across the nation. Safeco Insurance reports that, “water is the most common cause of home damage today -even more likely than fire. Americans are spending twice what they were 10 years ago to repair water damage and the typical cost to repair water damage now stands at $5,000.” To top it off, the traditional cure of cutting into walls and replacing or patching the offending pipes seems almost as bad as the disease.

The affected piping inside buildings is private property and is therefore the responsibility of the homeowner or landlord. That’s an expensive proposition for homeowners and it represents a huge potential liability issue for owners of rental properties, such as office buildings and apartments, because landlords are responsible for providing good potable water to tenants.

No one wants to tear out existing walls to replace pipes and replace brass fittings or lead solder. That would cost a fortune and would require destroying walls to get at the affected pipes. However, modern technology provides an answer: in-place pipe restoration. It is a far more efficient solution than re-piping. Pipe restoration involves a process where a unique epoxy barrier coating is applied to the insides of existing water pipes. This process, in effect, cures the problem right within the pipe. The protective barrier coating not only prevents metal leaching into drinking water, it also prevents the major cause of water damage and mold formation – pinhole leaks.

This service can be performed without tearing up the property. After shutting off the water supply, technicians connect special equipment to key access points in the water piping system – and perform three primary steps. First, pipes are drained and dried. Then the insides of the pipes are cleaned to remove any scaling or corrosion of the metal. Finally, a proprietary epoxy is dispersed throughout the plumbing pipes, to form a protective barrier coating. The coating completely seals the pipe, joints and fitting surfaces, providing two-way protection. No metal can leach through into the water supply and the water itself can no longer corrode pipes from the inside. This highly successful approach works well because epoxy coatings are characterized by their durability and strength, making them an ideal product to coat or line the interior of existing or even new piping systems. Most of the nation’s water utilities are already protecting their water plants using epoxy barrier coatings.

With pipe restoration, families can usually move back into their homes the next day and be assured they’ll no longer have to worry about over-the-limit lead content or pinhole leaks that cause water damage or mold growth. Most importantly, they won’t have incurred all the added cost of reconstructing walls, floors and ceilings.

Does this barrier coating process work? Yes, as can be attested to by the thousands of people who are already benefiting from it, in residential homes, apartments, military bases, condominiums, government office buildings, hospitals and hotels located from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., and from Miami to Sitka, Alaska

Are you worried about pinhole leaks and poison pipes? Well, you should be. It’s no longer a question of if this will happen; it’s when and how much the damage and potential litigation exposure will be.

In-place pipe restoration offers hope in the battle against the pinhole leak, poison pipes and the high costs and hassles associated with traditional fixes.

Larry Gillanders is CEO, Chief Technology Officer of ACE DuraFlo Systems, LLC, in Placentia, California. Since its development in 1998, the ACE DuraFlo Systems has been restoring piping systems of schools, hotels, and residential and commercial buildings throughout North America.