GarySlusser
Having the water tested is only one part of establishing the causes of pinholes in copper tubing. Usually there is more than one contributing factor or cause.
Pitting allows a safe haven for bacteria to sit up house and most bacteria produce an acidic waste and acid eats metals, especially soft metals such as copper tubing. All waters contain some bacteria from time to time if not always.
An acid neutralizer is not going to help if pitting is going on in the interior surface of your copper tubing. Any bacteria continue to live in their little haven under any ‘protective’ coating hardness scale forms if any. Most acid neutralizing filters add hardness to the water. MD, Washington DC and Boston are prime examples of leaking copper that anyone wanting to can very easily look up; their protective film ideas aren’t working. Your pinholes say internal pitting is ocurring. BTW, bacteria in those pits create their own protection in the form of encrustation.
Furthermore, the damage is already done to such an extent that the wall thickness of the tubing is probably paper thin in certain areas (future pinholes); or you wouldn’t have pinhole leaks. Dissolved oxygen and CO2 and/or carbonic acid content in the water are a prime cause of pinholes. And then there are the electrical causes, how’s the electrical system grounding in the house?
Gary
Quality Water Associates
» This message has been edited by Gary Slusser on 19 May 2004
