Does oxidation in the copper line give brown water?

hkstroud · Dec 30, 2011, 08:08 PM

No. Is the brown water hot or cold? How old is your water heater? How long since the water heater was flushed? Are you on municipal water system or on a well? Do you have any old galvanized pipe.

ballengerb1 · Dec 30, 2011, 09:01 PM

I agree with Harold and think your contractor may be a hack. You have some old galvanized pipe or fitting somewhere upstream in your supply. Please answer Harolds questions but you will not see this go away until the galvanized is located and replaced. Not likely the contractors fault. If he actually knew what the issue was he'd try to get a few more bucks out of you to do the replace.

speedball1 · Dec 31, 2011, 06:11 AM

Quote:

My contractor said it's just the new copper pipes oxidizing and it'll go away

HORSE HOCKY!! Your contractor's blowing smoke up your skirt. Never had that happen in any of the hundreds of units we've piped with copper. Answer the questions from the other experts and we can began the repair. Good luck, Tom

Needhelp5 · Dec 31, 2011, 01:02 PM

It's not the hot water because I just replaced the hot water tank last month, which was old and went busted a month after the bath room remodeling. The brown water was there before and after I replaced the hot water tank; anyway the brown water only comes from the new shower (I got rid of the bath tub) and not from any other tab. The house was built in the mid 1980's; I don't know if there are old galvanized pipe and I'll go find out from the management. My contractor suggested that I take off the shower head to see if the brown water is from the pipe or from the new shower head (by chance that there may be an uncoated part in it--it is a Kohler Symbol Rite-Temp-pressure-balancing shower faucet.) I'll try what he suggested later today and see. Thank you all.

speedball1 · Dec 31, 2011, 01:18 PM

Your house is piped in copper if it's a 80's home.

Quote:

the brown water only comes from the new shower

You have just localized the problem, Remove the shower head and turn the water back on. With the shower head off is the water still brown? You've been asked in a earlier post.
does this affect both hot and cold? I need to know this, Back to you, Tom

hkstroud · Jan 1, 2012, 05:54 AM

Tom said:

Quote:

Your house is piped in copper if it's a 80's home.

I agree, but just to make sure.

Get a small magnetic pick up tool from the automotive parts store. Pull the escutcheon around the shower away from the wall. Insert the pick up tool in the hole around the shower arm and touch the riser pipe.

If the riser pipe is copper the magnet will not be attracted to the pipe. If the riser pipe is galvanized you will feel the attraction of the magnet.

massplumber2008 · Jan 1, 2012, 06:23 AM

My guess is that the plumber installed BLACK IRON NIPPLES at the shower valve. Here, some shower valves come through with threaded ports and most plumbers will transition from these female threads to nipple male threads using BRASS NIPPLES. My guess is one or two of the brass nipples were actually confused for black iron nipples....causes rust for about 5-10 seconds just as described above.

To test this, remove the trim plate from around the shower valve and see if you can see threaded pipes screwed into the valve. If so, then see if the pipes are copper, brass or black in color...report back on what you find.

Mark

speedball1 · Jan 1, 2012, 06:58 AM

Hey Mark,
Hope you had a happy new years eve. We stopped using steel pipe back in the 60's and went to copper. Are you're still using steel pipe in your area, And black iron at that, Are you still piping in galvanized? Just wondering. Tom

massplumber2008 · Jan 1, 2012, 07:18 AM

Tom...Happy New Year!

Reread my post...I was suggesting that the plumber may have confused a black nipple for a brass nipple when installing nipples into the valve body....cause issues just like Needhelp suggested was happening at their valve!

Have a goood day!

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