Green copper pipe rot.

[R D S]

Hi,

I have ripped out my kitchen and the copper pipes in places have a green powdery covering which I assume is some sort of oxidisation.

Should I clean this off and if so what with?

Many thanks, Rick

[John]

Its due to lazy plumbers not cleaning the flux off when doing the initial installation. If you really want to you can clean it off with wire wool or similar and give it a wipe with a dab of vaseline or similar.

HTH

John

[meow2222]

external corrosion doesnt matter if its mild.

NT

[R D S]

Well given the amount of time I guess it has been there I shan't worry.

...Cue new kitchen shortly knee deep in water...

[Rod]

Standard punishment at school was to scrub the copper pipes along the tops of the urinals, and elsewhere in the changing rooms. We used standard powder scourer (Vim or Ajax type - but actually no-name janitorial stuff) and an ordinary bristle scrubbing brush, or even a nail brush. The pipes used to look pretty good - for a while.

[Frank Erskine]

Sheesh - what did you do to deserve that?

Apart from regular canings, our worst punishment was 'detention' by Doc "Felix" Watson (English language and RI), who invited you to his detention if it was convenient (i.e. you had no after-school clubs or suchlike that afternoon), when he allowed you to do whatever homework you had, dished out sweets (fruit gums) and milk, and let you go home virtually when you wanted.

And that was in the early 1960s.

He was a total nutter.

[clot]

Hmm! Is that when the trouble started with kids today?

[Frank Erskine]

He was useless at caning - I don't know if it was intentional, but he'd hold your wrist out and miss with the cane numerous times (his gown flowing all over the place), then when he was exhausted he'd just tap your fingers with the stick...

He also ran an antique shop in his spare time, which just about says it all.

[clot]

Hmm again! That could be about the time (and reason) the rot set in!

[<me9]

We all thought that.

You must have been on the regular list in assembly to be getting regular canings. Only one or two teachers caned me. Basham threatened me until I broke his cane in front of a class of fusties (Y7 to modern folk).

Standard punishment was lines or essays. I rarely bothered to do either, unless threatened with detention.

Ultimate punishment was expulsion, very rarely used.

[Rod]

= rustication - but OP was going on about green on his pipes not orange. :-)