21 Types of Pipe Corrosion & Failure 17/10/18, 11(01 am

21 Types of Pipe Corrosion & Failure

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Corrview .com (/contributors/corrview-com) | April 24, 2017

Source: Corrview.com

Takeaway: Most high-corrosion scenarios result from years of problem conditions that have gone unrecognized, unaddressed,
or ignored.

The corrosion of steel piping and its related components is a continuous and virtually
unstoppable process. The end product, which is commonly referred to as rust
(//www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/992/rust), is simply the result of an
electrochemical reaction
(https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/3/electrochemical-reaction) through
which the higher energy-processed metal is slowly reverted back to its naturally
occurring form: metal ore.
Even with the proper application of available countermeasures, the estimated cost for
replacing corroded piping systems in the United States alone stands well in excess of
$75 billion annually—making corrosion one of the most potentially damaging losses to
any commercial, private or industrial property. The financial impact of all metal
corrosion on a worldwide scale is staggering—resulting in losses of $1 trillion in the
United States alone for 2012. (Review the latest cost of corrosion
(http://www.g2mtlabs.com/corrosion/cost-of-corrosion/) statistics.)
Over $121 billion is spent annually in the United States on corrosion control chemicals,
coatings, and other protective systems. (See An Intro to Pipeline Corrosion and
Coatings (https://www.corrosionpedia.com/2/1383/corrosion-101/an-intro-to-
pipeline-corrosion) for more information.) Hundreds of millions more are spent on
corrosion monitoring (https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/1238/corrosion-
monitoring) and testing (https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/1333/corrosion-
testing). An estimated one-sixth of all steel production worldwide is used to replace
corroded metal—much of it at cooling water piping systems. And yet, corrosion
problems are increasing in frequency and severity, not decreasing. Fire protection
systems now fail within 2–3 years. Entire condenser water and cooling systems fail
within 5–10 years. For various reasons ranging from declining material quality (for
more on this topic read Decline in Quality of Piping Making Corrosion Inevitable
(https://www.corrosionpedia.com/2/2017/corrosion/inevitable-corrosion-problems))
and engineering to less effective corrosion controls, corrosion activity now presents to
many property managers potentially career-altering challenges.

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21 Types of Pipe Corrosion & Failure 17/10/18, 11(01 am

Problems Mild to Severe

Next to fire, pipeline corrosion (//www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/1202/pipeline-
corrosion) represents the most serious threat and monetary loss to any commercial or
industrial building, or plant operation. In its less serious form, corrosion can produce
problems ranging from lost heat transfer efficiency and constricted pipes to annoyance
pinhole (https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/2279/pinhole-pipe) leaks and
temporary shutdowns. More serious failures are often in the form of million-dollar
flood damages, operating failures, lost production, productivity interruption and
personal injury. Potentially worse consequences exist for fire protection systems where
there is an internal corrosion problem, because the volume of iron rust deposits
generated has the potential to clog the pipe and thereby render the fire protection
system totally worthless.
In extreme yet all too common examples, the failure to recognize a serious corrosion
problem will result in the need to replace some or all of the piping system at an
extraordinary cost, and possibly with the loss of critical services.

Multiple Reasons for Problems

Finding oneself in such a position, however, is not an overnight event. Most high-
corrosion scenarios result from years of problem conditions that have gone
unrecognized, unaddressed or ignored. Often, it is inherited from a previous owner or
operator who was not effective at controlling a corrosion problem, and/or was
obviously not concerned. For many of the worst corrosion problems we have been
called in to investigate, a total reliance and blind trust in corrosion coupons
(/definition/1332/corrosion-coupon) have allowed years of sky-high corrosion to
continue unabated.

Through our involvement in the field of chemical water treatment and ultrasonic pipe
testing (https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/1127/ultrasonic-testing-ut) since
1981, we have seen a surprisingly high number of facility engineers and plant managers
interested in extending the retirement date of plant piping just slightly beyond their
own! A fact rarely obvious until a major and often premature failure occurs.

A combination of less effective corrosion control chemicals, lower quality and less
corrosion-resistant metals, and less tolerant design engineering practices have made
the need to closely monitor corrosion losses more critical today than ever before.

Documented Examples of Pipe Corrosion and Failure

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CorrView International, LLC offers a series of photo galleries taken from 18 years of
past ultrasonic piping investigations, which address the above and additional corrosion
conditions. A review of the different types of corrosion is often helpful in initially
determining the likely corrosion cause.

In many cases, however, a combination of conditions will exist within the same piping
system. Here's a look at 21 different corrosion types and failure conditions.

1. Piping Failures
A piping failure is often the first sign of a corrosion problem. Yet in many examples,
signs of an impending pipe failure have been evident for months or years, and gone
ignored. Failures can be minor (in the form of a pinhole leak) or catastrophic, with
significant losses due to water damage as well as the cost of pipe replacement.

See more images of piping failures here (http://www.corrview.com/bws-gallery/home-

page/).

2. Pipe Repairs
Pipe repairs take on various forms, ranging from temporary clamps to the replacement
of entire piping systems. In many examples, the denial of a corrosion problem results in
multiple or staged repairs over years, wasting valuable time that could have otherwise
been used to correct the problem and minimize far greater corrosion damage. All too
often, one or multiple individual failures are fixed without further investigation into the
hidden cause. The absolute reliance on favorable but typically inaccurate corrosion rate
(https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/337/corrosion-rate) data presented by
corrosion coupons, often in contrast to blatantly obvious physical indicators such as
thread leaks and high rust deposits, allows a high corrosion condition to continue
unabated, thereby producing a much greater repair problem once the true corrosion
problem is finally realized.

See more images of pipe repairs here (http://www.corrview.com/bws-gallery/home-

page1/).

3. Pipe Thread Leaks

Every pipe thread is an inherent point of weakness, with approximately 50% of the pipe
wall cut away. Often, a thread leak is the very first sign of a corrosion problem and will
prompt further investigation. Left to continue unaddressed, however, total pipe
separation often occurs to produce devastating water-related damages. While the
condition of large piping mains is normally the greatest concern to a building or plant
manager, it is the threaded pipe that typically causes the greatest damage. A high
pitting condition will cause failures at random areas of the threads, allowing water to
pass through, even though sufficient pipe wall remains to prevent a larger failure. For
small leaks where the rate of evaporation exceeds water loss, dissolved iron oxide and
other deposits accumulate at the threads to suggest a corrosion problem originating at
its outside surface. In reality, however, it is an internal corrosion problem.

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For more uniform but high corrosion activity, a more dangerous condition exists at the
threads since the pipe wall is reduced more evenly and does not provide the telltale leak
indication of a problem. For all forms of thread leaks, the potential always exists to
suffer a total thread failure.

See more images of thread leaks here (http://www.corrview.com/bws-gallery/03-

thread-leaks/).

4. Galvanic Induced Failure

Galvanic corrosion (//www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/568/galvanic-corrosion)
can occur when different metals are joined together, and is greatly dependent on
already existing corrosion conditions and the piping system involved. It is more
common in open condenser water and process water systems than in chill water or fire
protection systems, for example. It commonly occurs between a carbon steel pipe
joined to a brass valve, with the most serious examples found at galvanized steel to
brass valve connections. A bluish-green deposit at the valve and lack of leakage at its
opposite steel-to-steel connection provides confirmation that a galvanic condition
exists. It is most prevalent where corrosion activity is already high, and can produce
widespread failures and total pipe separations.
In many cases, a leak at a thread between black steel pipe and a brass valve or copper
pipe is automatically assumed to be due to galvanic activity when a much larger and
more threatening high corrosion problem is actually the cause. In such cases, pipe
replacement with dielectric insulating fittings
(//www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/390/dielectric-fitting) is a costly misdiagnosis
that can lead to years of continued higher corrosion activity and eventual system
failure.

See more images of galvanic-induced failure here (http://www.corrview.com/bws-

gallery/04-galvanic-induced-failure/).

5. Interior Pipe Deposits

Internal rust deposits, commonly termed tuberculation
(/definition/1122/tuberculation), are an inevitable death sentence for most piping
systems. They are the lighter and less dense end product of steel pipe corrosion. Once
established by high and uncontrolled corrosion conditions, internal deposits initiate
much greater deep pitting. The highest corrosion loss is more likely at horizontal lines
and in low flow or dead end areas where rust and other deposits will settle, but can
affect vertical lines and main risers as well. Random areas of high tuberculation are
actually the result of a high pitting
(//www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/883/pitting-corrosion) or cell corrosion
condition directly beneath it, with the volume or height of the rust deposit directly
proportionate to the depth and volume of pipe wall loss.

See more images of internal rust deposits here (http://www.corrview.com/bws-

gallery/05-interior-pipe-deposits/).

6. Insulation Failure
Contrary to manufacturers' claims, standard fiberglass insulation provides an
ineffective moisture barrier for cold water pipes. Condensed area humidity then
produces a secondary, and typically hidden, corrosion condition at the pipe exterior.
Most common at chill water and dual temperature systems, external corrosion losses
will well exceed internal corrosion rates by up to 10 times or more. Over decades and
hidden from view, insulation failure can destroy entire piping systems. In most
examples where the insulated pipe is not hidden from view, an insulation failure
problem is very easy to recognize. Missing, damaged, walked on and broken insulation
defines a likely problem worth investigating. Water damage, dripping pipe,
discoloration or crystallization of the outer insulation surface are further signs
suggesting a potential problem. Aluminum and vinyl outer jacketing provides little
resistance to moisture migration, but does shield the often telltale discoloration of the

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below insulation from view. In addition, vinyl jacketing often holds the water
condensed at the cold pipe surface, producing a much greater threat of exterior pipe
corrosion.
The threat of insulation failure is greatest in smaller diameter piping due to its
inherently lesser wall thickness combined with generally thinner insulation applied.
Lower temperatures at supply side piping can significantly increase this threat. (More
on this topic is available in Corrosion Under Insulation: The Challenge and Need for
Insulation (https://www.corrosionpedia.com/2/1372/corrosion/corrosion-under-
insulation-the-challenge-and-need-for-insulation).)

See more images of insulation failure here (http://www.corrview.com/bws-gallery/06-

insulation-failure/).

7. Weathering Damage
Of all the forms of corrosion caused to piping systems, weathering damage due to rain,
snow, atmospheric conditions or cooling tower overspray is the easiest to prevent. The
piping is exposed and accessible, with corrosion activity always visually obvious. Most
weathering damage requires decades to produce a failure, and is simply due to a lack of
maintenance. Smaller diameter piping is always most vulnerable due to its inherently
lesser wall thickness.

See more images of weathering damage here (http://www.corrview.com/bws-

gallery/07-weathering-damage/).

8. Under Deposit Corrosion

Under deposit corrosion (https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/375/deposit-
corrosion) represents one of the most damaging forms of corrosion to a piping system.
Often called "cell corrosion," it is typically very aggressive and localized, causing deep
penetration of the metal surface with lesser general corrosion in the surrounding areas.
Due to surface deposits, electrical imbalance, or some other initiating mechanism, all
corrosion factors attack a select number of individual sites. In some cases, pitting is
extended throughout the entire metal surface, giving it an irregular or very rough
surface profile. In other instances, pits are concentrated in specific areas, leaving the
majority of the metal surface in a like-new condition. Galvanized
(https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/2600/galvanized) pipe is highly
susceptible. Microbiological attack is often associated with under deposit corrosion.
Regardless of the underlying reasons for an internal piping deposit condition, the
presence of rust deposits signals a multitude of potential problems to varying degrees.
As we have stated repeatedly, under deposit corrosion is an inevitable death sentence to
any piping system. Therefore, effectively removing such deposits so that chemical
inhibitors (https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/2196/inhibitor) can again
reduce corrosion losses must always be considered a highest priority.

See more images of under deposit corrosion here (http://www.corrview.com/bws-

gallery/08-deposit-corrosion/).

9. Corrosion Under Insulation

Corrosion under insulation (/definition/1219/corrosion-under-insulation-cui) is a
widespread and typically hidden threat. The underlying source of the problem is a
misconception that fiberglass and/or soft foam insulation provides a moisture barrier,
and is the primary choice of insulation based on reducing heat transfer, rather than
reducing humidity migration. Most cold water piping has insufficient insulation
thickness, is of the inappropriate type, is improperly installed or all three. Damage,
breaks and areas of missing insulation allow the easy migration of moisture. This is a
widespread and very massive problem in apartment and condominium properties
where dual temperature heating and cooling risers have been installed at exterior
building columns. Now 45 or more years after construction, the riser piping is almost
totally destroyed from the outside—with no options available other than total pipe
replacement at an enormous cost and inconvenience.

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Smaller diameter pipe is more vulnerable to CUI due to the typically lesser insulation
thickness applied and inherently thinner pipe wall. Supply side pipe is always impacted
worse due to colder surface temperatures. The addition of threaded ends adds another
layer of vulnerability for smaller pipes commonly found at chill water and dual
temperature systems.

See more images of corrosion under insulation here (http://www.corrview.com/bws-

gallery/09-corrosion-insulation/).

10. Missing Piping Insulation

Piping insulation is an important and necessary requirement of any mechanical plant
operation. While insulation at steam, condensate
(//www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/312/condensate), and other hot water lines is
needed to prevent heat loss, it is even more important to chill water and cold piping
services since moisture condensation can severely damage the pipe. It seems illogical,
but proper insulation is often overlooked, resulting in potentially significant piping and
equipment damage. Drain lines, vents and other small diameter fixtures that are
unlikely to produce any measureable heat transfer loss from the system often remain
uninsulated, ignoring the threat of constant sweating and exterior pipe wall loss.

See more images of missing insulation here (http://www.corrview.com/bws-

gallery/10-missing-insulation/).

11. Wet Pipe Insulation

Enough water can be hidden inside pipe insulation to suggest an actual piping failure
when opened. This is due to the fact that fiberglass insulation offers very little true
moisture barrier and allows humidity to condense at the cold pipe surface. Wet
insulation is therefore a sure sign of some form of a problem with fiberglass insulation;
water will eventually penetrate to the outside to produce wetness, discoloration, and
crystallization, thereby providing telltale evidence of a problem. If acted upon,
corrosion under insulation (CUI) problems can be avoided and the often mild
deterioration (//www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/4/deterioration-corrosion)
present at early stages of such a problem can be corrected. If allowed to continue,
substantial piping damage is likely.
An aluminum or vinyl jacket covering over otherwise improperly or insufficient
insulation can actually hide the build-up of water at the pipe and allow years of
additional damage to take place. In multiple cases where grooved or clamped pipe was
in use, the accumulation of water inside its vinyl elbows, tees or other fittings severely
deteriorated the absolute weakest link in the entire piping system—its connection bolts
—to cause catastrophic failure.

See more images of wet insulation here (http://www.corrview.com/bws-gallery/11-wet-

pipe-insulation/).

12. Mold Contamination

Cold water pipe, insulation failure and area humidity produces condensation and wet
pipe conditions, which are a prerequisite to mold growth. Mold typically develops at
HVAC system piping after an extended period where wet pipe conditions have existed,
and where years of opportunity likely existed to correct the problem long before it
began. While not related to its corrosion condition or contributing to a failure of the
pipe itself, the presence of mold typically raises all forms of health issues, which are in
many cases followed by very aggressive and costly legal action. Water leaks due to pipe
failure behind walls, overflowing condensate drains, and other sources of water will
produce the same result.
The replacement of all pipe insulation and sheetrock walls is often the only solution for
a mold condition. Although not technically a piping corrosion problem unless the
water-saturated insulation has destroyed the piping as well, widespread mold
contamination can result in losses well exceeding the cost of pipe replacement alone.

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See more images of mold contamination here (http://www.corrview.com/bws-

gallery/12-mold-contamination/).

13. Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (/definition/773/microbiologically-influenced-
corrosion-mic) (MIC) is, by far, the most severe and threatening form of corrosion to
HVAC piping and fire protection systems. It is caused by the presence of various
microbiological agents under specific environmental conditions and can, in some cases,
result in an advanced and widespread failure of entire piping systems within only a few
years. An MIC presence usually signals a very severe threat to the entire system,
requiring extensive cleanings and repeated sterilization at great expense. (To learn how
to detect MIC, see the article Testing For Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion in
Pipelines (https://www.corrosionpedia.com/2/1803/corrosion/corrosive-
process/microbiologically-influenced-corrosion-in-pipelines)
(https://www.corrosionpedia.com/2/1803/corrosion/corrosive-
process/microbiologically-influenced-corrosion-in-pipelines).) For many affected
systems, MIC cannot be eliminated, and an elevated corrosion and pitting condition
will exist for the remainder of the life of the system.
Microbiologically influenced corrosion produces large and deep pits due to its
utilization of the steel pipe itself as an energy source (often as an alternative to oxygen),
as well as through the production of strongly corrosive metabolic by-products, such as
sulfuric acid, which further assist the microorganism in dissolving pipe metal. MIC
exists to varying degrees of severity, and is not exclusive to carbon steel piping systems
or open condenser water systems. MIC is commonly found in closed chill water piping,
especially those winterizing with glycol, and has been documented to destroy copper,
brass and stainless steel pipe.

See more images of microbiologically induced corrosion here

(http://www.corrview.com/bws-gallery/13-microbiologically-influenced-corrosion/).

14. Seamed Pipe

35 years ago, the standard piping specification for all HVAC and fire protection systems
called for ASTM (https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/114/astm-international)
A53 grade B seamless stock. This is due to the well-recognized higher failure rate and
vulnerability of seamed or welded pipe. Today, it is difficult to find seamless pipe
installed unless it was specified in its design. Seamed pipe has not become better
manufactured; it’s just cheaper. Seamed pipe has a greater vulnerability to corrosion at
the seam due to many causes. In many examples, poor manufacturing practices
produce an internal or external seam that is incomplete. On the inside, this incomplete
weld seam then becomes a focal point for rust and microorganisms to establish and
promote higher corrosion activity, often leading to pinhole failure. A common
dissimilarity in electrical potential between the pipe itself and weld filler presents
another threat. The zinc protective coating
(https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/6131/zinc-rich-coating) at the weld is
sometimes lacking for seamed pipe, initiating a very premature yet defined line of
galvanic attack.
Defective seamed pipe is widespread throughout the foreign market. It is less common
in better U.S. piping manufacturers but still present. Under low-corrosion conditions,
defective seamed pipe can still produce system-wide failure problems, but under the
higher corrosion conditions often encountered today, it can amplify the threat and
consequences of a severe corrosion problem.

You can see more images of seamed pipe here (http://www.corrview.com/bws-

gallery/14-seamed-pipe/).

15. Grooved Pipe Failure

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Grooved piping is a well-respected and proven pipe assembly process and method with
decades of success. Most failures occur due to either incorrect installation or a severe
corrosion condition. Where the outer groove is swaged or rolled into place, the pipe
wall is displaced internally and no actual wall loss occurs. Where the groove is cut into
the outer surface, substantial pipe wall is removed—similar to the wall loss at threaded
pipe. As a result, any high-corrosion condition will reach the base of that outer cut
groove first to produce a failure ranging from a pinhole leak to a total pipe separation.
And because of the depth of the cut groove, no prior indication of a corrosion loss may
have occurred to other areas of pipe. In addition, the end gap between piping sections
often allows another corrosion front to act against the pipe from its end dimension.
Due to the potential for far greater than just a pinhole failure, and the possibility of
total pipe separation, any leaks at a grooved clamped fitting should be investigated
thoroughly.

See more images of grooved pipe failure here (http://www.corrview.com/bws-

gallery/16-grooved-pipe-failure/).

16. External Corrosion

We have documented more pipe damage due to external (outer surface) corrosion than
internal causes. Most is due to insulation failure and the fact that it is hidden from view
until a leak, maintenance or some other event prompts a visual investigation. For
uninsulated pipe, such as roof level condenser water lines, a surprisingly high volume
of pipe is left to deteriorate and could have been avoided through simple maintenance.
The severity of an outer surface corrosion problem can be misleading, but with
approximately 18 times as much less dense rust produced from its original volume of
pipe steel. In most examples, surface rust is minor, and can be easily addressed by the
maintenance staff by mechanical wire wheel and the application of an effective rust
reverser (https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/1224/rust-converter) and outer
protective coating.
Left to continue, surface rust develops into stratified layers under which deep pitting
accelerates, and against which only sand blasting
(//www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/1003/sand-blasting) will prove effective at its
removal.

See more images of external corrosion here (http://www.corrview.com/bws-gallery/18-

outer-surface-corrosion/).

17. Cooling Tower and Exchanger Corrosion

The first sign of a corrosion problem is usually revealed at the cooling tower. Rust
deposits at the pans represent the pipe wall that was once part of the circulating
system. White deposits at the tower fill represent a potential scaling condition.
Discolored and turbid water are yet another indication that corrosion activity is high
and that chemical water treatment is lacking. Algae and other organic growths not only
interfere with operations, but also accelerate many other corrosion processes and
promote microbiologically influenced corrosion. In many cases, cooling tower
maintenance and the removal of rust deposits is performed without ever investigating
the underlying cause of the problem—and without considering that the volume of rust
deposits exposed at the tower is nothing compared to the volume of rust deposits still
inside and firmly attached to its walls.
Most heavy rust deposits are produced after decades of high corrosion activity, only
falling loose to be carried to the cooling tower after some form of shock to the system,
such as a spring start-up or temperature change. They are rarely captured by most
filtration systems or removed or dissolved by most chemical adjuncts.

See more images of cooling tower and exchanger corrosion here

(http://www.corrview.com/bws-gallery/19-cooling-towers-exchangers/).

18. Corrosion due to Soft Foam Pipe Insulation

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Soft foam insulation allows moisture to infiltrate to cold pipe surfaces and produce
destruction of the steel pipe common to fiberglass insulated systems. Over a relatively
short time, soft form insulation deteriorates—hardening, cracking and shrinking to
produce large gaps for moisture to enter. In addition, the foam actually degrades
chemically to become slightly acidic, bonding itself to the pipe or rust layers so securely
that removing old soft foam insulation becomes extremely difficult. Where high
humidity is present and condensation to a cold pipe surface is a serious concern, hard
cell "foam glass" insulation is overwhelmingly recommended. As a second choice, a
heavier thickness of fiberglass, painted with a high solids coating
(https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/2172/high-solids-coatings) to act as a
moisture barrier, is an option. Soft foam insulation should only be used for temporary
or short-term applications.

See more images of soft foam pipe insulation here (http://www.corrview.com/bws-

gallery/20-soft-foam-pipe-insulation/).

19. Copper Pipe Corrosion

High corrosion losses at copper pipe resulting in failure are rare. Contrary to common
belief, however, copper is not immune to the effects of corrosion. Corrosion conditions
resulting in high corrosion losses against steel pipe, and possibly producing a corrosion
rate 10 times above normal, will also produce an equally elevated corrosion rate against
copper components. Although a 0.3 MPY corrosion rate against copper is normal for an
HVAC piping system, high corrosion rates of 3–4 MPY have been measured.
Failures at copper piping systems are mostly related to specific conditions or events,
such as acidic and low pH water, galvanic activity and improper grounding or stray
voltage (https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/1032/stray-current), or high steel
corrosion activity resulting in the migration of iron oxide into the copper lines.

See more images of copper pipe corrosion here. (http://www.corrview.com/bws-

gallery/21-copper-pipe-corrosion/)

20. Brass Dezincification

Brass is found less and less at most commercial properties, having been replaced by
easier to install and far cheaper Type L copper pipe. Corrosion activity at brass pipe is
typically very low, allowing it to easily provide nearly 100 years of reliable service life
(//www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/1789/service-life).
Under certain water quality conditions, however, and where the water supply is more
aggressive, the zinc chemical component is leached out of the brass to produce small
pinhole failures or fractures and splits. Greenish-white deposits are a common
signature of dezincification
(//www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/384/dezincification), which can be confirmed
by metallurgical lab analysis. Most dezincification occurs where water quality is
aggressive yet still requires 75 or more years to occur, a length of time generally
exceeding the expected service life of most building structures.
Brass is commonly found at older domestic hot water piping systems instead of
galvanized pipe due to the effect that the heat has against the zinc protective coating.
With the galvanized steel pipe always failing first, and given access difficulties in any
domestic pipe replacement projects, the brass hot water component is also replaced,
making brass pipe an increasingly less common concern.

See more images of brass dezincification here (http://www.corrview.com/bws-

gallery/22-brass-dezincification/).

21. Steel-to-Steel Electrolysis

Microvolt differences in ground potential between building piping and the building's
structural steel has been cited in some examples of very localized pipe failures. This
normally occurs at steel piping supports and hangers, and with direct metal-to-metal

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contact. Requiring highly sensitive electrical instruments to make a positive diagnosis,

ultrasonic testing (/definition/1399/ultrasonic-thickness-gauge) performed further
removed from the area of failure will often show far less and even normal corrosion
activity.
Although this form of electrolysis
(https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/439/electrolysis) rarely occurs, we
consider it prudent to insulate metal to metal contact, and especially where steel pipe is
exposed to water, cooling tower overspray, and other weathering conditions.

See more images of steel-to-steel electrolysis here (http://www.corrview.com/bws-

gallery/23-steel-steel-electrolysis/).
***
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