Hello all. Wanted to pick your brains. We were involved with a water service replacement 2 years ago. We installed 3/4 K soft copper. Months after the original install, we got a call that the pipe was leaking near the meter. We dug it up to find that the pipe had multiple holes in it and looked similar to this piece. So we replaced it. Then it did it again. a few months later. We replaced just that area.

So fast forward 2 years, I get a call 2 days ago saying it was leaking in a different area. We dug it up and found the pipe looking like this. I used a volt meter to see if there was any stray current running through the line to ground, and nothing. I went into the house and tested the ground wire attached to the inside pipe, and the pipe itself, but no voltage.

Does this look like electrolysis through the ground? There is a Verizon, hub building across the street, but none of the other neighbors have any issues.

WOW... type K did that in a matter of months ?

Yes. This is the pipe we just took out that is almost 2 years old. But the ones that did it in months was the same pipe. Just a different location. I talked with the homeowner and we may just put in black poly. I have never seen pipe do this as early. So I am stumped.

Your soil must be causing it. Have a soil test done to see what chemical is the culprit Your best bet is probably CPVC. But get the soil test to be sure.

black poly is a good choice.
if you use 'copper tubing size' (CTS) poly then brass compression fittings will work.

Electrolysis usually shows up at fittings. Is the property next to wetlands? Is it possible that they trucked in a lot of fill that had a high iron content?

iron + copper + wet acidic soil = battery


non copper metal + copper + wet NON neutral soil = (weak) battery

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

No wet lands other than the pipe rupturing. He used to have the old blue poly. Not sure if the neighbors have the same thing. I may have the doll tested. It's the only home we have had this problem with. Very strange. Thanks for the response this far.

They busted a meth lab at a home in the woods near hear and discovered that the soil under the house and some downhill neighbors' soil was contaminated. Here's a Minnesota state document with details.

[www.pca.state.mn.us]

Think about this......How many dumps/landfills are there in Minnesota, or any state, for that matter. They don't monitor what gets dumped. Imagine....UhOh...We have to close the southern half of the state. The governor's cousin's company will handle the cleanup. Years back, there was an asbestos covered pipe that ruptured in a parking garage in New York City and folks couldn't get their cars back for weeks. All these thing make you get sick. You go to a doctor that then prescribes a medicine that does more damage to the rest of your body than any of those other harmful agents could possibly do. He'll refer you to other specialists as the "medicine" creates other problems. I live near the shore and I think the government should start putting diapers on the seagulls. They are one of the few birds that crap while flying, and we all know how many diseases are carried in bird crap. Hopefully they haven't been drinking from a water source, fed by lead soldered pipes, as well. Have a nice day

I'm less that 100 yards from the ocean.
talk about seagulls.
I can't leave the barbeque grill unattended unless I close the cover.
I can't leave any food on the shelf on the side of the grill.
at least they haven't figured out that there is food in the grocery bags when I'm unloading the explorer coming home from the grocery store.

For Packy: