water neutralizer/softener and UV light?

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Jeanie

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Jun 5, 2011
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Location
Harrisburg, PA
I have had two separate pinhole leaks in my copper piping (one hot water and one cold water) in the last month. Both occurred on weekends so I need to make a decision before I'm bankrupt! I was advised the first time to get an acid neutralizer and since that will harden my water, I should also get a softener. There is a softener/filter system in one unit that was recommended and I'm wondering if that would be best for a household of one? Also, are UV lights worth the expense? Any downsides to them? I'm awaiting results from a water sample.
 
I'm assuming you have well water? If your water quality is indeed causing these leaks then the damage to your plumbing system is done. Treating your water may need to be done but before you spend a lot of money on a treatment system consider the fact that you may still have to repipe your house as well. If the pipe in your house is deteriorating as fast as it sounds (two leaks, hot and cold within the last month) then installing a treatment system will not eliminate the possibility of another leak, or many more for that matter. If it were my house I would re-pipe it and treat the water.
 
Another question would be, how old is the copper piping in your house?

If it is 5 years old and is already failing, then you have a problem with the water that needs to be addressed. If it is 50 years old and is just now failing, than you need a repipe.
 
phish has a good point. You are having the water tested, too, so that will give you much better insight as to what the problem may be. Age is a crucial factor in what the problem is, as well as proper grounding of the electrical system. Also, if you get a softener, you will want to have your hot water tank anode replaced and serviced more often and maybe add a secondary anode...depending on your tank's age.
 
When you have the test done, be sure to check the PH (I am also assuming your on a well), and hardness.

If your on a well with new piping (5years or so) I would look at having a deeper well drilled rather than spend a fortune on cleaning up surface water.
 
Thanks for all your help. Because I live in a rural area I wasn't expecting the best news from my water test. It turns out the nitrates are OK (surprise) but the coliform bacteria is greater than 200 so it appears I'll need to have the UV light installed. My PH is 5.4 which I knew would be low from the telltale blue/green stains. It seems that I'll have to get the neutralizer and softener combination as well. The pipes are a second issue. The house is 35 years old. Could I have the copper pipe removed and replaced with PVC pipe from the holding tank to the hot water tank. Then continue using PVC pipe for all the cold lines, but use copper pipe from the hot water tank to the hot water spigots.( I read that using PVC pipe from the hot water tank is a problem because of high temperatures). Again, thanks for all you input. It's been most helpful.
 
If you have a shallow well like I'm quite sure you do, and you have farming in your area, you might want to think more about getting a good well drilled and in the meantime worry about what all those chemicals are doing to you and your family. Shallow wells, in areas where chemicals are put on the ground to kill bugs, fertilize plants, kill weeds etc, don't get filtered enough in 10 feet of soil to be that safe.

The PH is usually the dead giveaway. Low like in the 5's means surface water. or acid rain water, it hasn't been through enough good soil to be neutralized. It's nasty stuff.
 
Uv lights sterilize the Cell, When a cell cannot reproduce it is considered dead.
 
At 35 years old, it is not terribly surprising that the copper pipe is failing.

I don't know the code in PA, but the code I work under does not allow PVC to be used inside of the house. The most common options that are allowed are to repipe with copper on both hot and cold, CPVC on both hot and cold, or PEX pipe on both hot and cold. Any of the above, if installed properly, should give you years of problem free service.

As far as the quality of your water, I don't have any experience in that area, and so will leave it to the experts who are commenting.
 
phish, you and others may come to find that most of PA has no code. The IPC has been recently recognized, but only Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have had established plumbing codes for 40+ years and we are adding IPC in bits and pieces. Outside of those areas there is little, if any enforcement or even understanding of plumbing codes. PVC is not and has not been approved for interior home use for water distribution.
So, Jeanie, if you have a repipe or any work done inside your home be sure that cpvc, pex or copper are used. On the outside of your home, the pvc must be rated for high pressure and temperature, but most people have preferred HDPE because of cost and ease of installation.
 
You do know that for UV to work effectively the water has to be free of iron and other particles that can mask the bacteria. That means filtration before the UV light.
 
Hyper, I believe chengliu is on the "short" list, and will soon be a figment of our imagination.
 
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