Requesting advice from a Plumber

Any idea what's going on with this valve? Should it be replaced?

I have two hot water heaters with shut-off valves, both are "corroding" like the one in the picture. Both were installed in 2007, neither are leaking.

I could replace them myself but can't seem to find the time lately. The quote is over $300 for replacing both (which seems high).

To anyone who has experience with this, please chime in!

Thanks in advance.
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Yikes, sorry no help here

Uro?


...wrong plumber.

 

Looks like battery acid!

 

is that calcium buildup on the *outside* of the pipe?

if so what does the inside look like?

 

Maybe a slow leak, so slow there was no drip but the H2O evaporated leaving the calcium behind?

 

Are you on a well or city water? If city water change these out as soon as possible as there is no doubt a leak is causing this. If on a well I'd be very concerned as to the hot water tanks condition. Either case change them out ASAP. Also - have you grounded the pipe? If not you may wish to do so to prevent electrolysis.

 

looks like you had or have a small pinhole leak on the water line going to your hot water heater , we just had this exact condition last week . it was a seepage and calcium build up on the copper pipe

 

Thanks for the replies...

At this point, it appears to be a bad case of surface corrosion (I wish).

I'm familiar with corrosion from leaks and dissimilar metals but am concerned that a simple valve replacement will only lead to a recurring problem.

We're on city water and bother heaters are electric... and hopefully grounded.

I bought a "new" house so that I wouldn't have to work on it... rather play in the garage with the Mondial and the Monster instead

 

Recently I smelled burning from my hot water heater. THought it was nothing, next morning no hot water.

Apparently its pretty common for calcium to build up within the hot water heater and on the coils and cause an electrical short. If this is happening on your pipe, imagine what's going on in your water heater.

More importantly how does one avoid issues like this?

 

Not with one of these:


http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=307150



.

 

Looks like it might be electrolysis. I would add another ground wire, clean up the valves or replace them and see if it returns.

 

One hour job including running for parts. Valve is brass, the pipe is copper, that may contribute with the build up on the valve. I have many that corroded in my commercial building. Get a wire brush and clean it off, maybe you don't need to do anything to them.

 

Looks like you have copper meeting Galvanized metal in the shutoff...best guess. When dissimilar metals meet you get pronounced corrosion. You need to solder in a brass shut off valve. Or, they sell shark bite shutoff valves that just slip on...30$...work great....

Someone put in a shutoff valve made of thecwrong material...easy fix

 

Don't bother with sharkbites, get a copper-Pex transition, then run Pex plastic pipe the rest of the way... The fewer valves you have in your house, the better. (do you NEED a valve at that location)
Also, you may have hard water and require a softener... Are you on city or well water?

 

First Post Awesomeness = simply lending a hand to fellow man.

 

Yup, awesomeness... (just helping out a fellow Mondi owner!!!)

 

I love PEX. But that will require buying a crimper, soldering on attachements, and then running PEX. Sharkbites are perfect for this application, can be done by the homeowner, and are relatively cheap...

Also, PEX is not code in many states...Sharkbites are.

 

Hi Wade,

How's the temperature out on the eastside?


Noting that you bought a new house in 2007, made me wonder if you aren't a victim of Chinese drywall. Take a look at the copper coils in your a/c air-handler that might be next to your water heater. Are they showing similar signs of tarnishing? Do you notice a rotten-egg odor?

Your home was built at a time when there was a shortage of domestic drywall and builders, looking to increase profit margins, turned to the imported stuff that has an extremely high sulfer content.

You need to investigate this ASAP!

KevFla
(downtown) Orlando

 

KevFla, yes, we're a bit warmer out here Thanks for the tip on the CDW, but we specifically looked for that during the pre-purchase inspection. Turns out, the house was custom built by a builder (for himself) and he went pretty high end for most of everything; no CDW was found.



I've never heard of SharkBites until you guys mentioned it here... now, after reviewing their website and conferring with some experienced coworkers... I'm hooked! As they said, "Overbuilt is an Understatement". But, the minimum 1" required might be a problem at the wall end...

 

Sharkbites are awesome... amazing invention, and reusable!!!

 

I would think oteoporosis will not be a problem in old age in this house.

 

A valve at that location is a very good idea. If the water heater ever leaks and he doesn't have a valve, he'll have to shut off the water to the entire house until a plumber can get out there.

IMHO, 300 bucks seems like a fair price for changing out 2 shutoffs. A licensed plumber has the tools, knowledge, and insurance. If he (or she) creates a problem, their insurance fixes it. If a home owner creates a problem, their insurance company might deny coverage. Water damage can run into tens of thousands of dollars.

I can't say what caused the corrosion, but I can say that a water softener is a very good thing to have. It prevents mineral buildup inside your pipes, faucets shower heads, etc.

 

Actually, even if the home owner is the one that causes the water damage, they will still be covered.