Green Sludge In Plumbing?
 

I was doing a little plumbing yesterday and came across something I
hadn't seen before.

I cut a 1/2 copper pipe about a half inch from a sweated copper
coupling. Inside the pipe was small amount of green sludge, almost
like a drip, about 3/4" long. The sludge was soft and easily removed
from the pipe.

Was this nothing more than some flux that had seeped onto the joint
and reacted with the copper?

Green Sludge In Plumbing?
 

On 5/9/2010 12:14 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I was doing a little plumbing yesterday and came across something I
hadn't seen before.

I cut a 1/2 copper pipe about a half inch from a sweated copper
coupling. Inside the pipe was small amount of green sludge, almost
like a drip, about 3/4" long. The sludge was soft and easily removed
from the pipe.

Was this nothing more than some flux that had seeped onto the joint
and reacted with the copper?

Its copper oxide, i.e. corroded copper.

Green Sludge In Plumbing?
 

On May 9, 5:14�pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I was doing a little plumbing yesterday and came across something I
hadn't seen before.

I cut a 1/2 copper pipe about a half inch from a sweated copper
coupling. Inside the pipe was small amount of green sludge, almost
like a drip, about 3/4" long. The sludge was soft and easily removed
from the pipe.

Was this nothing more than some flux that had seeped onto the joint
and reacted with the copper?

This is copper carbonate. It's caused when dissolved CO2 in the water
makes it acid and it attacks the copper. This is why copper clad
roofs turn green. It doesn't help if residues of acid flux are left
in the pipe from when it was soldered. In the UK modern fluxes are
water soluble and flush away, years ago they didn't. They done away
with lead based solders too at the same time. Dunno about America,
probably the same.
Copper oxide BTW is red or black.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_carbonate

Green Sludge In Plumbing?
 

On May 9, 2:42*pm, harry wrote:
On May 9, 5:14 pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:

I was doing a little plumbing yesterday and came across something I
hadn't seen before.

I cut a 1/2 copper pipe about a half inch from a sweated copper
coupling. Inside the pipe was small amount of green sludge, almost
like a drip, about 3/4" long. The sludge was soft and easily removed
from the pipe.

Was this nothing more than some flux that had seeped onto the joint
and reacted with the copper?

This is copper carbonate. *It's caused when dissolved CO2 in the water
makes it acid and it attacks the copper. *This is why copper clad
roofs turn green. * It doesn't help if residues of acid flux are left
in the pipe from when it was soldered. *In the UK modern fluxes are
water soluble and flush away, years ago they didn't. They done away
with lead based solders too at the same time. *Dunno about America,
probably the same.
Copper oxide BTW is red or black.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_carbonate

OK, here's a list of questions:

Of all the pipes I've cut in my house over the years, why was this the
only spot I've ever seen the sludge? There were other fittings in the
same same area that I was modifying yesterday and none of them had
sludge near the fitting.

Why did it look like a "drip", i.e. wider near the butt joint inside
the fitting and tapering to nothing about a half inch past the
fitting?

Why was it like sludge, i.e. I could scoop it out with toothpick?

Sure seemed like flux to me, except that it was copper-roof-green,
which certainly tells me that copper was involved.

So was it copper carbonate mixed with flux?

P.S. SharkBite fittings are pretty cool - costly, but cool!

Green Sludge In Plumbing?
 

On May 9, 8:59�pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On May 9, 2:42�pm, harry wrote:





On May 9, 5:14 pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:

I was doing a little plumbing yesterday and came across something I
hadn't seen before.

I cut a 1/2 copper pipe about a half inch from a sweated copper
coupling. Inside the pipe was small amount of green sludge, almost
like a drip, about 3/4" long. The sludge was soft and easily removed
from the pipe.

Was this nothing more than some flux that had seeped onto the joint
and reacted with the copper?

This is copper carbonate. �It's caused when dissolved CO2 in the water
makes it acid and it attacks the copper. �This is why copper clad
roofs turn green. � It doesn't help if residues of acid flux are left
in the pipe from when it was soldered. �In the UK modern fluxes are
water soluble and flush away, years ago they didn't. They done away
with lead based solders too at the same time. �Dunno about America,
probably the same.
Copper oxide BTW is red or black.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_carbonate

OK, here's a list of questions:

Of all the pipes I've cut in my house over the years, why was this the
only spot I've ever seen the sludge? There were other fittings in the
same same area that I was modifying yesterday and none of them had
sludge near the fitting.

Why did it look like a "drip", i.e. wider near the butt joint inside
the fitting and tapering to nothing about a half inch past the
fitting?

Why was it like sludge, i.e. I could scoop it out with toothpick?

Sure seemed like flux to me, except that it was copper-roof-green,
which certainly tells me that copper was involved.

So was it copper carbonate mixed with flux?

P.S. SharkBite fittings are pretty cool - costly, but cool!- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Probably just copper carbonate particles come loose from somwhere and
lodged at this particular point. It may have arrived as you drained
the system down.
I expect any flux has decayed and disappeared years ago. I wouldn't
worry about it too much. All your waterpipes will be full of various
crap, some harmful but mostly not. There's not much you can do about
it anyway. If you adopt different solutions, it may well be in future
it transpires they're just as bad.

Green Sludge In Plumbing?
 

On May 9, 8:59�pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On May 9, 2:42�pm, harry wrote:





On May 9, 5:14 pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:

I was doing a little plumbing yesterday and came across something I
hadn't seen before.

I cut a 1/2 copper pipe about a half inch from a sweated copper
coupling. Inside the pipe was small amount of green sludge, almost
like a drip, about 3/4" long. The sludge was soft and easily removed
from the pipe.

Was this nothing more than some flux that had seeped onto the joint
and reacted with the copper?

This is copper carbonate. �It's caused when dissolved CO2 in the water
makes it acid and it attacks the copper. �This is why copper clad
roofs turn green. � It doesn't help if residues of acid flux are left
in the pipe from when it was soldered. �In the UK modern fluxes are
water soluble and flush away, years ago they didn't. They done away
with lead based solders too at the same time. �Dunno about America,
probably the same.
Copper oxide BTW is red or black.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_carbonate

OK, here's a list of questions:

Of all the pipes I've cut in my house over the years, why was this the
only spot I've ever seen the sludge? There were other fittings in the
same same area that I was modifying yesterday and none of them had
sludge near the fitting.

Why did it look like a "drip", i.e. wider near the butt joint inside
the fitting and tapering to nothing about a half inch past the
fitting?

Why was it like sludge, i.e. I could scoop it out with toothpick?

Sure seemed like flux to me, except that it was copper-roof-green,
which certainly tells me that copper was involved.

So was it copper carbonate mixed with flux?

P.S. SharkBite fittings are pretty cool - costly, but cool!- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Bit here on the topic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_Wa...of_Copper_Tube

Green Sludge In Plumbing?
 

On May 10, 7:02*am, harry wrote:
On May 9, 8:59 pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:





On May 9, 2:42 pm, harry wrote:

On May 9, 5:14 pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:

I was doing a little plumbing yesterday and came across something I
hadn't seen before.

I cut a 1/2 copper pipe about a half inch from a sweated copper
coupling. Inside the pipe was small amount of green sludge, almost
like a drip, about 3/4" long. The sludge was soft and easily removed
from the pipe.

Was this nothing more than some flux that had seeped onto the joint
and reacted with the copper?

This is copper carbonate. It's caused when dissolved CO2 in the water
makes it acid and it attacks the copper. This is why copper clad
roofs turn green. It doesn't help if residues of acid flux are left
in the pipe from when it was soldered. In the UK modern fluxes are
water soluble and flush away, years ago they didn't. They done away
with lead based solders too at the same time. Dunno about America,
probably the same.
Copper oxide BTW is red or black.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_carbonate

OK, here's a list of questions:

Of all the pipes I've cut in my house over the years, why was this the
only spot I've ever seen the sludge? There were other fittings in the
same same area that I was modifying yesterday and none of them had
sludge near the fitting.

Why did it look like a "drip", i.e. wider near the butt joint inside
the fitting and tapering to nothing about a half inch past the
fitting?

Why was it like sludge, i.e. I could scoop it out with toothpick?

Sure seemed like flux to me, except that it was copper-roof-green,
which certainly tells me that copper was involved.

So was it copper carbonate mixed with flux?

P.S. SharkBite fittings are pretty cool - costly, but cool!- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Bit here on the topic.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_Wa...f_Copper_Tube- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks for the info and the link.