- posted
15 years ago
bad plumbing in the valley
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- posted
15 years ago
Ouch!
I know most this group doesn't like link drops but this is worth the read.
Just goes to show you should always wait for the third rollout of a new product before you buy. :)
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- posted
15 years ago
Wow, that sucks. I wonder how many other houses around the country are like that.
Quote from the article:
That's because when Kitec brand manufacturer IPEX released the system in
1995, plumbers hailed the plastic tubes as a significant upgrade to copper because they were more flexible and durable, said George Anderson, owner of the plumbing company MasterServ of Nevada.The polyethylene pipes contained a thin layer of aluminum that held its shape as plumbers twisted and bent it. Plastic pipes without the aluminum require more anchoring because they spring back to a straight line.
The pipes aren't failing though. It's the brass fittings that connect the pipes to copper fixtures on valves, water heaters and softeners.
The problem is a chemical reaction known as dezincification, which accelerates corrosion in brass fittings when they are exposed to oxygen and moisture. Brass is an alloy primarily composed of copper and zinc. When dezincification occurs, zinc leaches out of the fittings, leaving a blockage of zinc oxide that leads to leaks, restricted water flow and breaks.