Copper Pipe Corrosion

Kenneth Whitelaw · 04-29-2013, 09:31 PM

Hello all. Though I've been lurking and gleaning much knowledge from the forums, I think this is my first post!

I found this in an attic. It is a vent pipe. It is dry. and it looks like swiss cheese. Any ideas what could cause this?

Thank you in advance.

Kenny

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**Rick Cantrell** · 04-30-2013, 04:52 AM

My guess.
Sometimes sewer gasses can be quite corrosive.

**Gunnar Alquist** · 04-30-2013, 08:13 AM

KW,

That was very cool. I have never seen anything like that. Thanks for posting.

**Garry Sorrells** · 05-01-2013, 04:21 AM

Kenneth,
Was the damage localized to only that 3 ft section of pipe?

**Markus Keller** · 05-01-2013, 05:31 AM

I should remember why this happens but I don't.
PM Ron Hasil he should be able to provide a solid answer. He's Mr. Plumper

**Lon Henderson** · 05-02-2013, 07:24 AM

I have never seen any damage that bad. There were a few years when a thin wall copper tubing was popular (maybe because of high copper prices). My father in law's place had it. It started getting pin hole leaks and I sent a plumber over to redo it.

Of course, no way to judge from the photo, if this problem is similar.

**Raymond Wand** · 05-02-2013, 06:02 PM

This discussion may assist in ascertaining a cause.

Copper tube "rusted" through [Archive] - Shop Floor Talk

**Jeff Langhorn** · 05-02-2013, 07:45 PM

The picture doesnt give me a good understanding of whats going on. From what I see the same corrosive substance is on the wood next to the pipe, or below?? (I cant tell because of the direction the pic was taken) Could there have been something dripping on the pipe and/or wood? Was there some kind of chemical in the area to cause this? And maybe Im just seeing the picture wrong, why is there insulation against the roof sheeting? I would like to see more pictures of the area and better info.
Jeff

**Ronin Kossow** · 05-03-2013, 06:29 PM

Originally Posted by Kenneth Whitelaw

Hello all. Though I've been lurking and gleaning much knowledge from the forums, I think this is my first post!

I found this in an attic. It is a vent pipe. It is dry. and it looks like swiss cheese. Any ideas what could cause this?

Thank you in advance.

Kenny

My guess is the rats that urinated on the copper thought it was swiss cheese too.

**Jerry Peck** · 05-03-2013, 07:11 PM

Originally Posted by Ronin Kossow

My guess is the rats that urinated on the copper ...

... when they fell through the holes and said 'WTH ... ?' as they fell through ...

**Jimmy Roberts** · 05-03-2013, 08:40 PM

Originally Posted by Kenneth Whitelaw

Hello all. Though I've been lurking and gleaning much knowledge from the forums, I think this is my first post!

I found this in an attic. It is a vent pipe. It is dry. and it looks like swiss cheese. Any ideas what could cause this?

Thank you in advance.

Kenny

Appears to be solder flux was spilled when the joint was soldered.

**Ron Hasil** · 05-04-2013, 05:57 AM

Originally Posted by Garry Sorrells

Kenneth,
Was the damage localized to only that 3 ft section of pipe?

That is what I would wonder, as a plumber I would check the integrity of the pipe that doesn't look like that by squeezing the pipe. In 99% of the swiss cheesed pipes I ran into be it copper, galvanized, or cast iron, it was caused by drain cleaners. The caustic fumes from the drain cleaners mix with condensation in the venting system and rots the pipe out from the inside out. Another issues is trapped water, if they do not have proper pitch on the vent pipes so any condensate can properly and quickly drain into the plumbing system.

On Copper DWV systems DWV copper is the thinnest copper pipe out there. Lots of cities now want the copper DWV to be plumbed in with Type M copper.