- Ed

Ed, unfortunately your problem is the pipe material used, not that there are 90 degree bends. If your pipes were metallic, epoxy lining them could have been a solution. PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipes, used in most pool installations, can’t have a lining installed. You’re going to have to excavate the pipes and then repaired or replaced.

-Brian

-Heather

Heather, cast iron pipe is a very brittle and porous pipe. Flexing and settling over time can cause it to crack, and it’s also prone to wearing out (from the inside out) when continually used. You can’t tell when or if the pipe will leak just by looking at it, it’s possible that it may never leak, or that it could start leaking tomorrow. I would suggest keeping an eye on it and when/if it fails, calling in a plumber to replace it. Or, you may want to talk to local plumbers that offer “sock lining”, a process in which a lining is inserted into the pipe creating a pipe within the existing pipe. It’s generally used for longer lengths of pipe that what you’re describing, so I’m not sure that would be possible or a cost-effective alternative to replacement.

-Brian

-Angelica

Angelica, a pipe sleeve is used to protect a pipe from the material it’s passing through (e.g. a wall or concrete), what you’re referring to is called sock lining, and it may be a solution to your problem. I would suggest that you contact a plumbing company in your area that has sock lining technologies to get an estimate.

-Brian

-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

-Bill

Bill, there are firms that specialize in lining failing pipes, but I’m not aware of any liners that you can use yourself. I would suggest that you contact a plumbing company in your area that has sock lining technologies. You may require access from one or both ends depending upon which sock lining technology is used.

-Brian

-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

-Richard

Richard, Orangeburg pipe, also called “fibre conduit”, is made from made from layers of wood pulp and pitch (for more information, see the article on Wikipedia here). Because Orangeburg lacks in structural integrity (even when it was new), it’s not a suitable host pipe for epoxy lining. It might be possible to sock line Orangeburg pipe if enough of it is intact, but you’ll need to consult with a company that offers these services to find out. The North American Society for Trenchless Technology’s website, is a good place to start looking for companies that offer different trenchless solutions that might have a solution for you, or at least offer additional insight.

-Brian

-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

-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

-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