Mortar is the natural enemy of pipes

HeyBub · 2009-07-04T12:44:46+00:00

In upgrading an outside faucet, I twisted the pipe holding the faucet into a shattered mess! WTF?The 1/2" galvanized pipe exits the plumbing supply through a brick wall and the pipe exit was packed in with brick mortar.So I chiseled out about six bricks to get to the junction of the output pipe. Damn! The 10" galvanized iron pipe was in excellent shape except where it passed through the mortar. Even in the area that was covered with mortar, the pipe's interior was in good shape. The corrosion was taking place from the outside inward.It seems as if the mortar was eating the pipe. Bother!About 200 cursewords later, I had the 10" access pipe replaced and turned the water back on. (It ain't easy getting a pipe wrench inside a wall.).I noticed a teeny bit of moisture at another, nearby, faucet access pipe!I carefully chiseled out the mortar surrounding THIS pipe and it started spewing like a beer can in the sun; same thing as the previous pipe. This pipe, as it passed through the mortar, was nothing but a thin layer of rust. Another 200-curseword job!Anyway, the new pipes are now covered with a 1/4"-thick plastic tunnel as they pass through the brick veneer.What I learned:1. Mortar attacks galvanized pipes.2. Pipes imbedded in mortar should be checked every 30 years and replaced if necessary.

Jul 04, 2009 22 Replies

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HeyBub 17 years ago

Thanks. I'm looking forward to it. I still have two more to do (out of five).

One of the outlets has two of these valves: one for the hose, the other for the pet's never-empty water dish. Poor outside kitties, in this ghastly heat wave, were sometimes reduced to standing under a neighbor's condensate overflow drain.

Now that an eternal supply of fresh water is available for the cats, maybe I should go thank my neighbor and tell her that her charity is no longer necessary and she can go ahead and get her A/C drain fixed.

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Red Green 17 years ago

"HeyBub" wrote in news:c4udnYTTRs5Y09LXnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.com:

With regard to #2, it's on my calendar.

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HeyBub 17 years ago

There are steps you can take, like being more active with the ladies. I've always believed the male sex organ is like beaver teeth - you've got to keep it worn down or it'll kill you.

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