What is the chemical composition of CuraPoxy? How safe is it to drink water from pipe lined with this as compared to other plastic pipes and water containers?

-Gerry

Gerry, while I can’t disclose the chemical composition of CuraFlo’s epoxy, CuraPoxy®, I can tell you that it’s certified to meet ANSI/NSF Standard 61 which is the U.S. government’s standard for safe drinking water. This standard has been in place since 1988 and has been used to certify over 12,000 products. To find out about the safe for drinking water certifications on plastic pipes and bottles I recommend you contact their specific manufacturers directly. 

-Dr. Dave

Does CuraFlo lining contain BPA?

-Roberta

Roberta, CuraFlo’s epoxy, CuraPoxy^® is certified to ANSI/NSF Standard 61 –the established governmental safety standard for drinking water system components. That certification ensures products are free of unsafe levels of contaminants such as BPA (bisphenol-A). For more information about how epoxy and polycarbonate products (water bottles) differ, please refer to this previous post of mine on this very topic.

-Dr. Dave

Does the PEX plastic tubing used for plumbing contain bisphenol-A (BPA)?

-Debbie

We have Pex plastic pipes in our house supplying water to our bathrooms. Does Pex pipes contain BPA or any other toxic chemical?

-Barry

Debbie and Barry, I don’t have the first hand experience with PEX to directly speak to its chemical composition. However, I can tell you that if it is ANSI/NSF 61 certified, it meets the U.S. government’s strict standards for safe drinking water safety. This standard has been in place since 1988 and has been used to certify over 12,000 products. You can get more information about the ANSI/NSF 61 standard by visiting NSF International’s website and CuraFlo’s website.

-Dr. Dave

We replaced our hot water tank 5 months ago and since then, in the room behind the closet where the tank is located, we can hear a “ping”. It is almost rhythmic. We have turned the power off on the tank thinking it was electrical but the noise continued for one hour. We have replaced the thermostat, which interestingly enough made a slight difference in that it generally stops during the night but as soon as water is turned on it starts again and will go for hours afterwards. I think it sounds like water dripping from one pipe onto another, my husband thinks I’m a worry wart! No water appears under the wall (we are on a slab). The noise is extremely faint in the closet where the tank is but can also be heard faintly in the other bathroom quite a distance away. Any suggestions? The manufacturer of the tank said it may be a “singing” element and to replace those with a better quality but if that was the case, it would be quiet when the power was off would it not? Please, any suggestions?

-Rae

Rae, it is possible for home water heaters to become noisy less than a year after they’ve been installed. And many times you can only hear the noises at night, when the inside of your home is quiet and there isn’t much going on outside.

In gas heaters, the noise can be caused by the buildup of lime, other minerals, or sand on the bottom of the water heater’s tank. When the heater’s gas burner comes on, the heated water bubbling through the mineral formations and sediment creates the noise. Electric heaters can generate singing or hissing noises, they have heating elements that are immersed in the tank’s water, and lime or scale accumulating on the elements causes the noises. The elements can be removed and cleaned with vinegar, but in really bad cases the element may need to be replaced.

You might be able to cut down the noise by disconnecting the heater and flushing the tank. But, it may not be possible to remove all the mineral deposits from the bottom of the tank, so that when you hook the tank back up, it may just become noisy again. If you have hard water, a solution might be for you to install a water softener, to prevent mineral build up.

-Brian

Does copper kill fungus or Bacteria? What is the effect of epoxy lining on Bacteria?

-Don

Don, copper won’t kill bacteria or fungus –in fact, in both copper and galvanized steel pipes, bacteria and other microscopic organisms grow in encrustation on the corroded pipe wall or on the corroded areas themselves. Epoxy pipe lining prevents corrosion and encrustation by creating a barrier between the pipe and water. The bacteria and other organisms will no longer be present to cause bad tasting or smelling water.

-Dr. Dave

Is there any type of fitting/connector to connect CPVC cold water line to PVC?

-Chuck

Chuck, I’m not sure if that type of fitting/connector exists or if those pipe types are at all compatible. Gluing a MIP adaptor (Male Iron Pipe Adapter, which has male pipe threads and will adapt to PVC and a few other types of pipe to make a transition from threaded pipe to a type other than threaded) on each end and then using a union might do the trick, but I would recommend checking the manufacturer’s website or contacting them.

-Brian

What happened if the underground hot water pipe is leaking?  What is the estimate cost to find the leaking pipe underground if I must demolished the concrete?  Any good advice?

–Ashley

Ashley, what you have is called a “slab leak” and digging/tearing up the concrete is a pretty expensive and time consuming way to solve your pipe leak problem, possibly costing in the neighborhood of $2,000 to $5,000.  Epoxy lining the affected pipe might be a faster and more cost-effective option –if the leaking pipe isn’t too badly damaged (an epoxy lining company should be able to determine that). In the lining process, hoses are connected to fixtures or valves at both ends of the pipe, so there’s no need to tear up your concrete. The pipe gets cleaned out and then lined with an epoxy that restores the pipe to like-new condition.

-Brian

I hear in the wall what appears to be a pinhole leak in a pipe, but, I have no water leaking anywhere. ( I cut out drywall next to one of the pipes where I hear) It’s DRY! With no water being used in the house, there is minute amt. registering on meter, (next to nothing). With the hot water pressure valve on top of water heater turned off, usage on the meter show NO usage, but, I can still hear hissing in wall.(Hissing stops when I turn off main water valve outside the house.) What’s up??

–Ellen

Ellen, it sounds (no pun intended) like you may have a leak. If you did have a pinhole in your piping system, chances are the water loss is too low to be noticed on a water meter’s readout (dial), and you would also have water showing up somewhere (unless you have lines buried below ground). The best thing to do is call a plumber who can come in and perform a hydrostatic pressure test -which is safer then a compressed air test.

-Brian

The water draining from my central air conditioning is causing the PVC pipe to reverberate with a thump, thump, thump as it drips into the sink.  I have been told it is cold water sludge build up in the pipes.  I have tried cleaning the pipes with hot water and bleach with no success.  Any suggestions?

-Don

Don, the PVC pipe thumping/reverberation is probably starting at the unit and being transmitted down the pipe. It’s only a drain with nothing in or on it that could actually create a noise or vibration. I recommend you call a company that services central air units; they should be able to diagnose.

-Brian

I have a two-story fifty room hotel and I have a hot water recirculating pipe that gives instant hot water in any room at any given time. The mechanical room is located in one end of the building but somehow I constantly get pinhole leaks on the opposite end of the building, in almost within same rooms or area. Why not in different rooms?

–Sanjay

Sanjay, your pipe is corroding as well as eroding. Failures typically occur in the recirculation line first because it’s smaller in diameter and it’s receiving constant flow through it (which actually erodes it). Your problem is not unusual at all, typically the hot water line is looped around (in your case, it would be in your last units) and then returns as your recirculation line. If you want to avoid repeatedly replacing or patching this pipe, epoxy pipe lining will prevent corrosion and erosion.

-Brian