"HeyBub" wrote in
m:

In upgrading an outside faucet, I twisted the pipe holding the faucet
into a shattered mess! WTF?

The 1/2" galvanized pipe exits the plumbing supply through a brick
wall and the pipe exit was packed in with brick mortar.

So I chiseled out about six bricks to get to the junction of the
output pipe. Damn! The 10" galvanized iron pipe was in excellent shape
except where it passed through the mortar. Even in the area that was
covered with mortar, the pipe's interior was in good shape. The
corrosion was taking place from the outside inward.

It seems as if the mortar was eating the pipe. Bother!

About 200 cursewords later, I had the 10" access pipe replaced and
turned the water back on. (It ain't easy getting a pipe wrench inside
a wall.).

I noticed a teeny bit of moisture at another, nearby, faucet access
pipe!

I carefully chiseled out the mortar surrounding THIS pipe and it
started spewing like a beer can in the sun; same thing as the previous
pipe. This pipe, as it passed through the mortar, was nothing but a
thin layer of rust. Another 200-curseword job!

Anyway, the new pipes are now covered with a 1/4"-thick plastic tunnel
as they pass through the brick veneer.

What I learned:
1. Mortar attacks galvanized pipes.
2. Pipes imbedded in mortar should be checked every 30 years and
replaced if necessary.




With regard to #2, it's on my calendar.