MUST READ! ~ RUST IN MUNICIPAL WATERPIPES

CONCERNED ABOUT RUST DAMAGE CAUSED BY YOUR HOME WATER ? – SEE END OF BLOG.

Excerpts from “Rust Never Sleeps” – A lack of pipe cleaning standards contributes to perennial corrosion issues, from Mar/Apr issue of WaterCanada by Randy Cooper.

If a corroded metallic water pipe is cleaned but not coated or lined, it will simply corrode again, often at an accelerated rate. As aging water assets reach the end of their lives, leaks, breaks, and decreased hydraulic performance are increasingly evident across Canada. Old metallic pipes are often rife with rust (due to corrosion), sediment, old coatings, and even biological growth that can negatively affect water quality. As pipes become clogged, greater pressures are required to deliver water… In water main systems, we have main bursts.

“Burst water main spout 250 ft. fountain”, published Oct. 29, 2012 – A burst water main sends a massive jet of water the height of a 13-story building raining down over a suburb in Melbourne, Australia.
One solution for aging pipes is to clean them out and reline them using trenchless technologies.      These operations entail digging small surgical pits in the ground to gain access to buried water pipes. Once the pipe is opened and properly cleaned, a new liner can be installed and secured… Liners are typically designed to last fifty years, greatly improving water quality and quantity, and substantially lowering maintenance costs, including leakage, main breaks, and pumping costs.
A whole new set of challenges emerges as we prepare to install pipe liners. Firstly, if a corroded metallic water pipe is cleaned but not coated or lined, it will simply corrode again, often at an accelerated rate, producing foul-tasting, “red”(rusty) water in the process. In other words, while cleaning is necessary, it does not exactly solve the problem. Secondly, if the old pipe is not properly cleaned and prepared prior to lining, the new liner may eventually leak again or even fail prematurely. It is not enough to clean the pipe – it has to be cleaned properly, and this is no small  task. There are many old methods for pipe cleaning, each of which provides strikingly different outcomes. They vary from simply swabbing a pipe using a foam plug to radical intervention using a powered, metal scraper…  A judgment call determines what is actually clean. There is seldom, if ever, any quantitative measure of “clean” or “surface preparation,” or “dryness” or  “liner bond.” In fact, these terms are not defined anywhere. There is no federal,  provincial, or professional standard, nor is there any recognized manual of best practices that provides a substantive, quantitative measure for cleaning old water pipes. Given the challenge of failing  infrastructure, there simply must be.
Every pipe liner that is brought into service will see variations in water pressure over its life, from system operating pressures to test pressures and transient surge pressures (also known as water hammer). In addition, these liners will have to stand up under soil and traffic loads, continued corrosion, temperature swings, and variations in water chemistry. In order to keep them leak-free over their design lives and tightly conforming to the old pipe, good cleaning practices need to be standardized with quantitative, measured outcomes… For instance, the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) is a professional body with expertise in pipeline corrosion.  NACE promulgates standards for the cleanliness and protection of metallic  substrates (including pipelines) against corrosion prior to coating in many related applications. Similarly, the American Society for Testing and Materials produces standards for the testing of cleanliness and bond. The adaptation and  Incorporation of these established practices and standards into a pipe cleaning  standard just makes sense. So, what are we waiting for? Government and  professional associations need to step forward now to develop and implement  a cleaning standard at the dawn of this renewal era.

 CONCERNED ABOUT RUST DAMAGE
CAUSED BY YOUR HOME WATER ???
– stains in sinks and tubs
– damage to pipes
– damage to appliances and fixtures
– health concerns – drinking water
– home resale value

 DON’T BE!
WE HAVE THE SOLUTION FOR YOU!
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ETERNALLY PURE WATER SYSTEMS, INC.
5450 CANOTEK ROAD, UNIT 66-67
OTTAWA, ON, K1J 9G5

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