What could be causing this? Corrosion on new copper

[Pcmaker]

Nobody at work can seem to figure this out, or maybe they just don't care. My boss is a 70-year old master plumber from the New Jersey and he just keep having me replace the pieces that are corroded.

This is inside our old boiler room, but there are no more boilers in here. Only the 2 tanks that hold the hot water for the hotel tower. We moved the boilers to west side of the building y ears ago. These are 3"and 4" copper lines, mostly soldered, some are pro pressed. This valve is only 5 months old and it's already corroded.

The problem seems to be only concentrated inside this room. Let me know if you guys want me to take more pictures. I've been working here for almost 10 years as a plumber, but I've never been able to find out what's causing it, mainly because I don't have much experience with troubleshooting copper corrosion.

Maybe a piece of galvanized conduit is touching a copper line somewhere and causing electrolysis? I hope you guys are familiar with how this looks and can point to the right direction so I can start troubleshooting.

Please help.

 

[phishfood]

I don't have a lot of experience with commercial plumbing, so I am mainly going to be guessing.

First picture, that pattern looks like something corrosive (some kind of exhaust condensate, maybe?) is dripping on it. What is the white item around the ball valve handle?

Second picture. Are the bolts dielectrically isolated from the brass flange? The steel bolts being in contact with the brass might cause problems.

 

[Pcmaker]

I don't have a lot of experience with commercial plumbing, so I am mainly going to be guessing.

First picture, that pattern looks like something corrosive (some kind of exhaust condensate, maybe?) is dripping on it. What is the white item around the ball valve handle?

Second picture. Are the bolts dielectrically isolated from the brass flange? The steel bolts being in contact with the brass might cause problems.

That white thing is just plastic insulation cover wrap that someone put on top of the valve for some reason

 

[frodo]

If I were you
I would grab my 3/8'' drill, and a hand full of 3/4'' copper fitting brushes
break the handle off the brush. insert in in my drill and spend 10 minutes cleaning all of that crap off the pipe
after I had it clean, Then I would look to see where the little seeper of the leak is coming from

You have a leak, a little bitty seeper PITA leak
If you do not see it, Use the corner of a paper towel to touch it all the way around
when you see the water WICK up the paper towel. WHOOP Day IT IS!!!!!

the valve, could be just a bonet leaking, soaking the insulation then discoloring the pipe
you will not know till it is cleaned up

 

[voletl]

Yep those are definitely leaks tighten the packing nut on the ball valve and on the flange you got to find where it is

 

[Pcmaker]

I just noticed that the pictures look like thre's a leak coming from the ball valve, but it's actually water dripping from above. The corrosion is everywhere on all the copper lines in the room, not just coming from one place. I replace section by section over the years. One spot corrodes, then I replace it. Some of them corrode and leak. I just want to know what's causing them to corrode like this. I deburr like hell, I use minimal flux and I take time to clean up excess flux afterwards, even though this is a hot water loop. I started using water soluble flux, but that didn't make any difference.

 

[frodo]

are there uninsulated heating pipes and or uninsulated chill water pipes in the room?

causing condensation on the pipes?

if water is dripping from every where is is either a leak or condensation
stop the water from dripping and the problem will stop

 

[Pcmaker]

I replace sections that leak. Then another leak starts, and another.. been goin on for years. The copper pipe themselves start to form like the pictures above, then they start leaking. At one point, we had the ENTIRE room replumbed with brand new copper. Only for it to start doing the same thing within a year.

Some of them look so bad, I don't even want to clean them up. THe only thing that might be preventing it from pissing water is the corrosion build up on the copper.

 

[frodo]

flux cleans copper by eating the outside layer with acid, if not neutralized it just keeps on eating
if your copper was installed with out the joints wiped this could be your problem
a carry a Windex bottle with baking soda and water mixed i squirt my copper fittings with to neutralize the flux

fork it....make a kickarse still out of the copper

 

[Pcmaker]

flux cleans copper by eating the outside layer with acid, if not neutralized it just keeps on eating
if your copper was installed with out the joints wiped this could be your problem
a carry a Windex bottle with baking soda and water mixed i squirt my copper fittings with to neutralize the flux

fork it....make a kickarse still out of the copper

Yep, I clean the heck out of any excess flux.

The only good thing to this is I take the bad copper home. I sell it for cash. But even then, I just don't want to keep working in this room for the rest of my life. I'm already busy enough as it is with all the plumbing projects I have for this property.

 

[Matt30]

The last time I saw pipes corrode with traces of blue corrosion, there was salt in the water

 

[Pcmaker]

The last time I saw pipes corrode with traces of blue corrosion, there was salt in the water

Now we're getting somewhere. We do have a water softener

 

[CT18]

You can buy isolation kits for your flanges. They will have sleeves for the bolts.