Today's Water Safer to Drink But More Damaging to Copper Pipes

Evaluating alternatives to corroded plumbing

It’s one of a homeowner’s worst nightmares - a pinhole leak has formed in the home’s copper plumbing. And then, shortly after patching the leak, finding another pinhole and yet another. Even worse is when the leaks go undetected until accumulated water bursts through the ceiling.

Unfortunately, this situation is becoming more common as water utilities and insurance companies are receiving an unprecedented number of reports of problems with corrosion and leaks. Media headlines document that some areas of the country are being hit harder than others by this escalating problem, including Washington, D.C., Tennessee, Florida and Ohio.

Theories as to what is causing the increased incidence of pinhole leaks vary greatly. But an ongoing investigation by the main water utility in Laurel, Maryland, in conjunction with Virginia Tech, is pointing to tighter EPA drinking water standards as a likely cause. Leading corrosion experts at Virginia Tech point out that today’s water quality standards require utilities to remove more natural organic materials (NOMs), such as leaves, from water supplies. Removing them is likely to be a problem since natural organic materials can help form a natural protective layer in metallic pipe.

As water utilities across the country work to adapt to tighter legislation, the problems with pinhole leaks that started off as mainly region-specific problems are suspected to become more widespread. In fact, the AWWA (American Water Works Association) estimates that it will cost U.S. water utilities $325 billion during the next two decades to replace losses from corrosion and upgrade water distribution systems. In an article that appeared in Materials Performance in December, it was reported that the cost of home plumbing corrosion problems alone may soon cost about $16 billion per year.

Plumbers generally recommend repiping after three or four leaks at a cost that can run in excess of $6,000. But as corrosion experts point out, if the same highly treated water is still running through the pipes, repiping is only a temporary solution until pinhole leaks resurface.

Recommended solutions to the problem are as varied as theories regarding causes. Some engineers have discussed the need to install a protective coating inside copper pipes. But in areas where the problem is particularly acute, such as Jacksonville, Florida, where the use of copper as a plumbing material has been banned altogether, more homeowners are installing alternative plumbing materials, such as FlowGuard Gold® CPVC pipe and fittings, a revolutionary plumbing system constructed of chlorinated polyvinyl chloride.

“It’s important for homeowners to realize that they do have options when it comes to plumbing,“ says Garry Gage, a 25+ year plumbing veteran who now serves as a FlowGuard Gold CPVC piping systems consultant for Lubrizol, a leading manufacturer of plumbing product compounds. Gage, who has directly and indirectly been involved in the repiping of literally millions of feet of corroded metallic pipe, concludes that the problem will only worsen as legislation tightens. “Although there is no definite agreement on what is causing the premature failures, it is certain that copper pipe is not holding up as well as it once did. Water quality can vary almost daily. Whatever material you choose for your plumbing system should be able to handle any water that’s suitable for drinking.”

FlowGuard Gold CPVC pipe and fittings are based on CPVC’s 50-year track record of reliability in a wide variety of water conditions. Unlike copper, they will never pit, corrode or scale. As a result, water quality remains intact, pipes retain full water-carrying capacity throughout their service life, and the problems of pinhole leaks resulting from corrosion are things of the past.

In Florida where corrosion problems reached record levels, FlowGuard Gold CPVC plumbing systems have become a popular alternative to metallic systems. And the popularity of non-metallic materials is growing in other states, as well, as more consumers become aware of the potential problems with copper.

Other copper-related problems that can be minimized or eliminated by the selection of an alternative material, such as FlowGuard Gold CPVC, include condensation, heat loss and water hammer. In fact, outside laboratory tests confirm that FlowGuard Gold systems are four times quieter than copper.