Plumbing - Water Contaminants and Corrosives
Water is amazing. It would take a thick chemistry book to describe all the possible elements and compounds that can combine with it. Over time it will dissolve nearly anything but glass and a few specialty materials. Fortunately, there is a small subset of them that are found in most typical water supplies. Knowing a little bit about those can help the homeowner keep his or her plumbing system in top shape.
One of the most well-known water contaminants is the all-too familiar hard, chalky compound that we are perpetually wiping off: calcium carbonate. It coats the surfaces of sinks and shower tubs. It lines the interior of shower spouts and drains. It builds up inside handles and makes its way into every other small crevice.
Wherever water is found, you'll usually find calcium carbonate. It's the mineral that makes 'hard' water hard. Though it's not corrosive or even harmful, it can cause problems. Just as arteries don't work as well when they build up fatty tissues, so pipes are less efficient when they clog. The culprit is usually calcium carbonate, at least in part.
Fortunately, it's easy to dissolve with baking soda and vinegar, or any of a thousand commercial products. Sometimes, just a good scrub sponge is enough. Keeping as much of it at bay as possible helps keep your seals from suffering an early demise. Removing it keeps things sparkling.
Another common contaminant is actually a class of compounds: oxides. Whether it's red rust (iron oxide), green (copper oxide) or white (aluminum oxide) any of them will cause more than just a degraded appearance.
Oxides form by corroding part of the metal of which a part is made. Corrode enough of it and sooner or later its function is reduced or even compromised. The oxygen that combines with the metal comes from the ever-present atoms in water (H2O). Some are free floating in the water (as ions), some are easily torn loose to combine with the metal in a simple chemical reaction. When that reaction occurs, the trouble starts.
Rusty water isn't harmful in small quantities, but it's distasteful. Copper oxide makes a smooth surface crusty and reduces the diameter of pipes. Aluminum oxide produces pits in smooth surfaces when the metal from the part is oxidized, then washed or scrubbed away.
Some amount of oxidation is inevitable. Even areas outside the kitchen and bath are exposed to air which almost always contains some water vapor. But the difference can be dramatic. That's one reason that things in dryer climates tend to suffer much less from the problem. Keeping surfaces cleaned off of water can radically slow the process. It will keep your plumbing attractive and fully functional years longer.
There's a whole other category of contaminants that can occur in water - lead, mercury, cadmium, sulfur and many more. But these are primarily responsible for harming our 'pipes' and 'parts', causing health problems. But that calls for a different kind of maintenance that, fortunately, plumbers don't get called to do.
