Galvanized Pipe And Copper Mix

By looking at the list of common plumbing materials you would think that copper and stainless steel could easily be connected together and cause minimal problems in the system.

Galvanized pipe and copper mix.

Find the area where pipes enter your home and carefully scratch the pipe with a nickel. Galvanized pipes are steel pipes that have been dipped in a protective zinc coating to prevent corrosion and rust. Sweat on the copper part of the dielectric fitting which is threaded coat all the threads with tape or pipe compound and. Plastic pipe to copper or steel pipe making the connection between plastic pipes such as abs or pvc and metal pipes such as copper or galvanized steel is very straightforward.

Solder the brass half to the copper pipe thread the steel half onto the galvanized steel pipe with teflon tape then join the two together tightly with the joining nut. Why mixing copper and galvanized pipes is a bad idea in your home. If the surface of the pipe is the color of a penny then the pipe is probably made from copper. Unfortunately this is not the case.

The dielectric fittings commonly available in home centers photo 1. The white pvc pipes you see in outdoor plumbing systems are easy to find and to work with but they aren t suitable for use with hot water so when replacing galvanized pipes indoors the plumbing code requires the use of cpvc instead of pvc. For example you may need to connect a brass barb to your galvanized pipe system since galvanized barb fittings can be difficult to find. Galvanized steel pipes on the other hand are a steel gray color.

Stainless steel and copper plumbing pipes within the same system. Whenever you join copper water lines to galvanized steel pipe you should be concerned about the corrosion caused by joining two dissimilar metals called galvanic corrosion an electrochemical reaction occurs that causes the steel pipe in this case to rust and clog up. It s far easier to make a repair to steel pipe with copper than with galvanized plumbing pipe because the galvanized calls for cutting threads on exact lengths of pipe. Benefits of galvanized pipes.

Plastic pipes are usually black and clamps should be visible. Sometimes you have to join the two together while doing a repair. Galvanized pipes were once common in residential plumbing systems but pipes made from other materials are now more popular including copper and plastic. When it was invented galvanized pipe was an alternative to lead pipe for water supply lines.

If you are the proud owner of an older home in one of the more vintage neighborhoods in south africa you are probably aware of the old galvanized or steel plumbing pipes in your home. Galvanized piping was commonly installed in homes built before 1960. Galvanized pipe and brass pipe are both used for water piping systems.