electrolyic corrosion

[Tim W. Young]

We had a leak under our foundation deemed to be from electrolytic corrosion. The house/copper pipe in 6.5 years old. The builder said this is a natural occurence. Can anyone shed more light on how this happens and anything we can do to prevent future leaks from electrolysis?

[Debbie PParticipant]

: We had a leak under our foundation deemed to be from electrolytic corrosion. The house/copper pipe in 6.5 years old. The builder said this is a natural occurence. Can anyone shed more light on how this happens and anything we can do to prevent future leaks from electrolysis?If I understand the situation clearly, you have expierenced these problems because the home electrical system is improperly grounded to the homes plumbing system. If you get a chance to look at the actual piping where the damage occured, keep your eye out for a pattern of bluish corrosion. If you find that a pattern is present then I would suggest having the homes electrical system grounded to something other than the plumbing system. This situation can be avoided alltogether with a CPVC plumbing system installation.

[Debbie PParticipant]

Debbie: The builder said this is a natural occurence. That is a true statement, but so is rust on iron and it can be protected quite easily.Can anyone shed more light on how this happens and anything we can do to prevent future leaks from electrolysis? Pin hole leaks in copper piping start on the inside of the pipe and progress to the outside. It is caused by the natural tendency for metal having a surplus or positive charge, to move to a site that is less charged or negative. If the water that passes through that pipe has the capacity to carry a charge(acts as an electrolyte)it greatly speeds up the pin hole making process. Check out the information re: options on how best to control this type of pipe failure below. Bud……………

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