Does reverse osmosis water corrode copper plumbing? The answer ..
ohmmm_gw
12 years ago
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12 years agodavidro1
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Broken Saddle Valve and Corroded Water Pipe
Comments (10)I have not previously entered into this discussion because "Homebound" had already given the correct answers, but let me add a bit of information to what Homebound mentioned. Sparklingwater mentioned that the leak is at the base of the stem in the angle stop valve. He/she also asked if there is a way to lubricate the stem to make it easier to turn? I suspect that the angle stop had previously been turned off and the HVAC tech turned it on to check out the humidifier and while doing so the leak was noticed. (see attached photo). If you look at the valve you will note a nut on the top of the valve where the handle stem enters the valve body. Under that nut there is a packing that is made out of graphite, teflon or perhaps neoprene that surrounds the stem shaft and as the nut is tightened the packing is squeezed against the shaft to form a water tight seal. When trying to rotate the handle on an old valve you can slightly loosen that nut (generally about a 1/4 turn) and it will loosen the shaft making it easier to turn the handle and once you get the handle to the desired location, either full open or full closed, you can then tighten that nut again to stop any leak that might form. If you cannot stop the leak by tightening that nut you must then replace the valve. (for larger valves we can replace the packing but since angle stop valves are only about $3 for the complete valve, don't expect your local hardware to carry replacement parts for it). That valve is on the hot water system so if you have to change the valve you don't have to drain the whole house, just the hot water system until it is drained below that valve. To drain it down sufficiently you could turn the cold water supply to the water heater off, then if you have a laundry connection of utility sink that is below that valve you could open a hot water faucet on the floor above to vent the line and open the hot water valve at tne sink or laundry and let it run until the water stops. If you don't have a hot water faucett below that level you will then have to turn the gas off to the water heater and drain the water heater until the water is below that valve. That valve is mounted on the vertical copper stub by means of a compression fitting on the bottom end of the valve. Unscrew the compression nut and let it drop down to the tee, then twist the valve a bit with a wrench to loosen it, and it will lift right off. You will then see a brass ferrule surrounding the pipe about 1/2" from the end. In many cases you can remove the compression nut and ferrule from a new valve, then set the new valve down in place and tighten the existing compression nut to lock the new valve on and seal the joint. If it won't seal using the existing compression nut and ferrule you then unscrew the existing nut again and cut the copper stub just below the existing ferrule. You will find a mini tubing cutter will work the best here, but also keep in mind that you have to cut is high enough on the stub to allow the valve to set down tight without hitting the tee. Once you have the pipe cut. clean the pipe with an emery cloth, then put the new compression nut on the pipe, open threaded side up, then slide the new ferrule on the pipe and slip it down about 3/8". Now place the new valve on the stub and push it down tight, the ferrule will slide down to the correct position as you push the valve down. Now slide the compression nut up and screw it on the bottom of the new valve and while holding the valve body with one wrench, thorougly tighten the compression nut with another wrench to lock it in place. Now in regards to that corroded elbow. First off, I would be curious to know what they are draining with that line? I WOULD NOT be worried about that corrosion because it has nothing to do with the water in the line. That corosion resulted from improper installation of the elbow. That white corrosion is a result of excess flux left on the line when they soldered it, however by now the flux has long since dried out and it is no longer a problem. After reviewing the photos I beleive the entire installation was done as a DIY project. Notice the elbow on the left end of the horizontal line where the angle stop is located. That dark coloration on the outside of the curve indicates that they got the pipe too hot while soldering. The same is evident on the side inlet and pipe on the tee right above it, as well as the excess solder on the pipe directly below the tee. Those are all indications of a very amateur soldering job. Next look at the top of the water heater. The copper lines are connected directly to the water heater, but code has required a dielectric coupling since the late 1970's and code requires a union on both water lines since the mid 80's. Now I would not recommend bothering to add the dielectric nipples or unions now, but keep in mind that the next time you have to replace the water heater, make sure they are installed. For the moment I believe if you just open or close that angle stop, then tighten the stem packing nut a bit you will be fine and their is no reason to spend your money calling a plumber....See MoreSulphur Smell, Corroded Copper Replaced, Sulphur Smell Again
Comments (8)Interesting this thread got pulled up again! I don't think we ever solved the sulphur source. It eventually went away. However, we have had other problems over the past 13 years with copper pipes. Bit by bit, after various flooding and bad smells, sections of walls have been removed to reveal copper pipes so full of holes they look like lace. And green copper verdigris that can be dumped out like green beach sand. The latest problem: leaking under the master bath that was renovated in the original post. Our living room ceiling got wet & water ran between a living room wall and into the basement. We'll now tear out the living room ceiling & walls. But I couldn't remember if we had replaced some copper pipes during the bathroom renovation. Thankfully, the answer is above! Damn copper pipes. Next time I buy a house, if we ever do again, I'm paying more attention to what's behind the walls than the cosmetic stuff we see that can always be changed....See MoreHaaaaallllpp! Desperate! Reverse Osmosis Faucet Question!
Comments (4)Thanks so much for your replies. I'm probably an idiot to have gone for the "look," but I couldn't bear to part with the faucet, so I let the plummer go without installing the Whirlpool RO so now I've got a dummy faucet which is silly. Am going to try to find another solution fast (thanks for the suggestions kaseki!)so I don't have to park those giant bottled water casks in my new kitchen! To answer your question: The Whirlpool RO tubes connect as follows: Two tubes connect to the RO device -- one to fetch the product water from the post filter and the other to collect waste water from the osmosis membrane. The third tube runs from the faucet to the drain to dump the waste water. The faucet contains an air gap and control value. Whirlpool claims that backflow through the osmosis membrane will damage it whether the air gap is required in your state or not. It's all too complicated for me....See MoreRO system queetions
Comments (7)"Doesn’t RO Make the water so soft and acidic it will corrode copper?" Not necessarily. It is a matter of degrees (ie, if the earth were to get 2" closer to the sun, that is 92 million miles away each year, should we make a big deal out of it?) and contributing factors (ie, everything causes cancer in laboratory animals, does not mean the same will happen to you). An RO basically turns normal water into rain water. Would you be worried about rain water? This is more theory than reality. Even a copper roof will not gain a patinna over time without impurities in the air. That is why coastal roofs turn green faster, and wood siding greys faster than in a salt free, smog free area. The RO takes out impurities. Nitrates also cause corrosion. Would you rather have the corrosion because of nitrates, or pure water? "We have a neutralizer because our water is so soft and acidic to begin with. Or, are you better off using CPVC or something like PEX with RO water anyway?" You would be better off with PEX just because of the water you have NOW. The degree of "better off" would probably not change just because you run the water through an RO. It is still not an exact science, and the consensus is more that it takes a rather exact ratio of a combination of things to cause a problem. My parent's pipes are as good as new after 35 years. http://www.fwr.org/copper.pdf There is an extremely flawed post on GW that might be perpetuating this. The strap used for the "test" was not even copper, just a coating on the outside, which cause a reaction for a totally different reason. http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2521618/does-reverse-osmosis-water-corrode-copper-plumbing-the-answer They essentially made a battery. Those coated straps should not even be used in a humid crawl space. There may be reason to be concerned, but the only way to know for sure what will happen to your system, is to put it in, and then test the water. What may be a more pertinent concern is what type solder was used. http://www.water-research.net/index.php/drinking-water-issues-corrosive-water-lead-copper-aluminum-zinc-and-more...See Moretheplbginfo
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