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#1
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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? |
#2
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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. |
#3
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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 |
#4
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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! |
#5
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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. |
#6
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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 |
#7
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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. |
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