Pipe corrosion can happen to your plumbing system components slowly over time. While piping is meant to last for many years, when it’s exposed to things like excessive minerals and pressure changes, it can deteriorate more quickly. Corroded pipes can lead to a plethora of different issues, like low water pressure, reduced water quality, leaks, and expensive repairs. Being able to identify the early worrying signs of pipe corrosion can help you take prompt action before the issue becomes more severe.
The Causes of Pipe Corrosion
Corrosion happens when you have metal plumbing lines, valves, and fixtures. The metal material will gradually break down over time due to chemical reactions, often involving water, oxygen, and minerals. This natural breaking-down process can be accelerated due to several different factors. One of the most obvious is water chemistry when water has a high acidity level or contains a large amount of minerals. It can prematurely deteriorate your piping.
Hard water is one of the most well-known contributors to pipe corrosion due to the mineral buildup inside your piping. The age of your plumbing system also plays a significant role in its integrity. Older homes that have galvanized steel pipes are very vulnerable to corrosion over time. These are well known to degrade internally compared to other types of metal materials like copper.
Some other key factors include moisture exposure, temperature fluctuations, soil conditions, and contact with other metals. Now that you understand some of the key factors that can contribute to premature pipe corrosion, it’s time to understand the warning signs that it’s happening.
Discolored Water
One of the most notable signs of pipe corrosion is discolored water. Whenever you turn your faucet on, you may notice that the water coming out appears to have a brown or reddish tint. It may seem cloudy or yellow. This indicates that there are rust particles from the inside of your piping that are mixing with your water going through it.
Sometimes, this may happen intermittently. For example, if you go on vacation for a week and come back home after pipes have been sitting, you may notice that rust-colored water is in the line. As the internal corrosion of your pipe gets worse and worse, you’ll start to notice that discoloration is more persistent. It’s important to note that you should never drink or use any discolored water. It’s extremely unhealthy to consume. It can also stain your fabrics, sinks, and other materials.
Metallic Taste or Odor
Another key indicator that you may have pipe corrosion is a metallic taste or odor in your tap water. As your pipes begin to break down, small amounts of that metal can enter your water supply. This can create a noticeable metallic flavor when you try to drink it. As soon as you notice that metallic taste, it’s best to avoid drinking the water until your piping can be repaired or replaced.
Low Water Pressure
Another key symptom of internal pipe corrosion is gradually decreasing water pressure. As the inside of your pipes begins to rust and mineral deposits accumulate, it decreases the space inside your piping for water to flow. As it restricts flow through your piping, you’ll notice reduced water flow at your plumbing fixture or appliance.
Frequent Plumbing Leaks
As your pipes corrode, the metal will get weaker and weaker over time. This can lead to small pinhole leaks or even cracks developing in your pipe walls. As water escapes through these openings, it can create a lot of damage to your home. If you’re noticing that you’re experiencing frequent plumbing leaks throughout your home, it’s a key sign that your pipes likely need to be replaced.
Visible Rust
When the corrosion on your pipe is really bad, you may actually see it on the outside of your pipe walls. Anywhere that your plumbing runs through, like your basement, crawl space, under your sinks, or even in your utility rooms, you may find corrosion on the exterior of the pipe. This will often appear as flaky metal, rust-colored patches, or even a greenish buildup on the surface.
Odd Noises
One lesser-known sign of internal pipe corrosion is unusual sounds within your plumbing system. When water struggles to move through the narrow passageways inside your corroded pipes, it can create banging, whistling, or even rattling noises. You’ll typically hear these sounds when you first turn your faucet on, when there’s a water pressure change, or when your appliances draw water. While unusual noises can happen from time to time with a normal plumbing system, having another symptom like low water pressure indicates internal pipe corrosion.
Treating Pipe Corrosion
Once it’s identified that you have corrosion on the inside of your piping, there are a couple of different solutions that we can provide. The right solution really depends on the intensity of the corrosion and the age of your entire plumbing system. In cases of small sections of piping that are corroded, we may be able to simply repair that section with a new piece of piping.
If corrosion seems to be widespread throughout all the piping in your home, you may want to consider repiping service. This is pretty common for older homes that were built before the 1980s. These older homes tend to have galvanized steel piping, which is well known to corrode. Upgrading all your piping to modern-day copper or PEX offers better resistance to corrosion.
Preventing Plumbing Issues
While corrosion isn’t completely avoidable, there are many things that you can do as a homeowner to reduce your risk of experiencing corrosion. This is great for extending the longevity of your piping and the resale value of your home. One of the best things you can do is ensure that you’re scheduling regular plumbing inspections. These are one of the most effective preventative measures you can have against plumbing issues at your home.
Our plumbing company will be able to pressure test all your lines and visually inspect them for any signs of corrosion. This will allow us to treat the issue when it’s more confined and easier to repair. We can also let you know when it’s likely time to upgrade your outdated plumbing before it starts creating issues like a metallic taste or discoloration.
Water pressure plays a big role in the integrity of your plumbing system. If you have excessively high water pressure, it can accelerate the internal corrosion of your pipes. It’s pretty common for a lot of city water supply lines to have excessive pressure for residential settings. This is where having a pressure-reducing valve comes into play. This valve ensures that the water pressure coming into your home only reaches between 40 and 60 PSI.
Maintaining proper water chemistry is another big factor in sustaining the longevity of your plumbing system and minimizing internal pipe corrosion. Hard or acidic water is one of the worst chemistry problems you can have with your plumbing system. Fortunately, there are various devices that you can purchase to help remedy these water chemistry issues before the water enters the majority of your plumbing.
If you live in a region that has hard water, one of the best purchases you can make is a water softener system. This works to treat the incoming water to your home. It will actively remove minerals, like magnesium and calcium, so that they’re at a safe level before the water travels through the rest of your plumbing system. This works to prevent unwanted mineral sediment inside your piping and slows down the corrosion process.
Prompt Repiping Serivce
Honest Home Services LLC provides prompt repiping service for Flower Mound, TX and the surrounding areas. We can also assist with all your plumbing repair, replacement, installation, and inspection needs. Call our office today to schedule your next appointment with one of our experienced plumbing professionals.
