Iron pipe for water .... a mistake

[William.Deans]

Greetings,

Just leave it. There is no way ripping the wall apart will be worth your time unless there is some reason you MUST.

William

[William.Deans]

Greetings,

If he intended to but in Galvanized but put in Black he shouldn't have to worry about Galvanic action unless he should have been putting in Galvanized either.

Hope this helps, William

[G Henslee]

It's connected somewhere stupid. Most likely to galv. You're not a plumber too, are you?

Get a clue you jackass. You don't have to 'try' and answer every question that's asked here.

[William.Deans]

Greetings,

If I am wrong feel free to attack my answers based upon logic and science.

William

[ADC]

[Mikepier]

I'm not a plumber, but can't you just remove the spigot and take out the black pipe? I thought they were threaded in the wall and part of it sticks out of the finished wall,so there is no need to do any demo.

[wkearney99]

Drywall's cheap, rip it out and do it right.

Oh now there's a fine lesson to teach, screw the next guy? Most states have requirements on disclosing known problems. Don't compound the trouble, just replace the pipe.

[~^Johnny^~]

[Art Todesco]

My son accidentally put a length of black pipe in his bathtub. It is from the faucet to the spigot. Now, when you

1st turn it on, you get a small amount of orange water. I know, in the old days (very old days) they sometimes used black iron for water. Is is worth tearing down the now finished wall to redo the pipe, or will it rust so far and quit? He probably will sell the house in a year or so. Thanks.

[PipeDown]

Just be happy it is only the bathtub. If it were a drinking source like a sink, it might be worth it but most people shower or run the tap for a minute before filling a tub so I doubt it would be noticed. It will continue to rust but many years will pass before that would be a problem.

[JohnR66]

But what material is the pipe made of that it is connected to. Galvanic action may cause a leak fast. John

[wkearney99]

That or use the other side of the wall if it's an interior wall.

Yeah, learning this after tile was installed would also indicate there probably wasn't a permit filed for it, let alone an actual inspection. Always good to check with the permitting office BEFORE buying a home to see if they filed the right permits for the work.

[Mike Dobony]

Well worth the effort to fix it.

[squiggles]

Wow. who pissed in your pants today?

[squiggles]

I am not sure what pipe you mean. Is it the pipe between the faucet and the shower head? If that's the one, just leave it. There is only water in that pipe when the shower is being used and the pipe will last forever. You'll just need to let it run a few seconds to get rid of the rust colored water. However, if it's connected to the water feed from your water supply, you will eventually have a problem and would be best to replace it.

[SJF]

Unpleasant memories! I had the same experience when installing a Moen single handle tub/shower several years ago. The installation instructions say, "Caution, use 1/2" iron pipe for tub drop." This is the vertical pipe from the valve down to the elbow and nipple that support the tub spout. I, of course, followed the instructions exactly. Since all the other plumbing and fittings are copper or brass, I got the galvanic action and lots of rust in our softened water. Learning of the problem after the installation was complete, I had to open the wall and replace that piece of pipe with brass to provide equivalent rigidity.

I cannot understand why Moen would make such a directive when copper plumbing has been the standard for many years.

Incidentally, if the problem is not corrected, it may produce rather persistent rust stains on the tub.

SJF