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Seattle Times, October
2002
Renovating
your old, corroded water pipes – from
the inside
We are all well acquainted with the symptoms:
Anemic water flow at the shower, rusty water
from the sink faucet, a toilet tank that
takes five minutes to fill.
The cause is constrictions in galvanized
steel pipes, generally older than 30 years.
Constrictions, mineral deposits, micro biologically
influenced corrosion, arteriosclerosis of
the pipes, or whatever you care to call it – has
been the bane of all who use indoor plumbing.
The eternal question of building owners everywhere:
Can we de-bur it, ream it out like a battery
terminal, use drain cleaner on it? Anything?
Until recently the answer was a resounding
no, nothing. Re-plumb it or live with it,
has been the answer. Meanwhile, at least
three companies have been working with technologies
to abrasively clean (sandblast) large diameter
pipes from the inside out and coat the interiors
with epoxy.
This technology was developed in Japan and
used on large-scale projects, such as ships,
industrial plants, schools and hotels. With
smaller equipment and refined techniques,
ACE DuraFlo Systems had recently jumped into
the residential market, a first, and a very
welcome alternative to re-piping. The company
has several locations across the country,
including Seattle.
ACE DuraFlo® is the operation to know
about. With a proprietary epoxy that dries
in 24 hours rather than the traditional 7
days, this company can get in and out of
a building with a lot less disruption and
downtime than a traditional repipe.
Something you’ll hear about the minute
you investigate this technology is “aggressive
water” that takes its toll on copper
plumbing. Arizona is especially well-known
for corroded copper plumbing, this ironically
the reason why so many homes were built there
in the late 1980’s with polybutylene
plastic plumbing. This is the same material
that later became part of the largest building
products lawsuit settlement in U.S. history.
Copper tends to corrode and develop pinholes,
but unlike galvanized steel, it generally
does not become constricted. Copper usage
was more common elsewhere, but was not widely
used in our area until the early 1970’s.
Here and 2 elsewhere, many larger local buildings
(such as hotels) are suffering from
pinholes, notably on re-circulating hot water
systems. Several of these have been fixed
with epoxy systems.
The pinhole phenomenon and “aggressive
water” is still the subject of a lot
of debate, yet very little consensus as to
the real cause(s). Some factors that contribute
to the problem: Pipe material quality and
grade, chlorine, soil types, instillation
methods, temperature, pH levels, water pressure/velocity/usage,
dissimilar metals connected to the system,
electrical grounding methods, bends in the
system, water oxygen levels and lack of protective
organic material sentrained in the water.
Pinholes are usually accompanied by green
copper oxidation markings and small whitish
water stains. Small leaks in a system can
go undetected and possibly create mold behind
walls. Yet we traditionally have had no way
to detect, much less repair, these types
of problems without digging into walls and
removing drywall, wallpaper and other finishes.
Now the first step in blasting the interior
of the pipes is to remove valves at each
fixture. (A licensed plumber, as well as
technicians, are part of the ACE DuraFlo® crews.)
Shower and isolation valves are bypassed
or replaced. Compressed air is used to thoroughly
dry the system.
Small sections off each riser are isolated
from the system, and the aluminum oxide abrasive
(of differing grits) is let into the system,
and drawn out at the pre-determined termination
point until audible and visual clues show
the pipe is clean.
The epoxy is then added and spread, again
via air pressure. After drying 24 hours,
the system is pressure tested per the plumbing
inspector, filled with water, and flushed
for an hour.
Valves are replaced, and the job is done.
The epoxy (which meets National Sanitation
Foundation Standard 61) will not corrode
even as new plumbing will, and is estimated
to last 75 years.
Cleaning the interior of a pipe and coating
it is always quicker, always less mess, and
generally less expensive than replacement.
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