The Problem

Your water bill has shot way up. You feel an extremely warm spot under your tile or - even worse, you come in to find your home or business flooded with water. Beyond the visible damage, in case of a flood, be aware that many homeowner or business insurance policies may not cover water damage and with policies that do, some may have water damage claim restrictions or your provider can even cancel your policy unless a complete plumbing system repair is performed. There’s no question this is a problem. What will your solution be?  With our  proven epoxy pipe lining process, we can offer you fast, cost-effective solutions for now and the future.

If your home or building is at least five years old, it’s likely your pipes already have the all too common problem of pinhole leaks. Pinhole leaks are very small holes in water supply pipes and are especially problematic in copper piping, which happens to be the most prevalent form of pipe used today. The leaks occur due to the erosion of the interior of the pipe through a structure’s walls and ceilings as well as slab leaks, where pinholes occur below the foundation of the structure. This problem, while having previously occurred in older plumbing systems, has been tremendously heightened by the increase in chemicals and chloramines added to the water supply from municipal water treatment systems. Chloramines etch away at copper piping, causing leaks to occur in structures as little as five to ten years old.

A traditional repair option is a direct spot repair, where a plumber uses traditional methods to access a leak in a pipe. If pipe is above ground, the building structure is cut away and the leaking segment is replaced. The immediate problem is solved, but this method virtually guarantees another leak will occur in the near future since erosion rarely occurs only in one spot on a pipe. If the leak is under concrete slab, direct repair requires jack hammering to access the leak. Jack hammering is unadvisable, as it frequently weakens the entire pipe system, rendering it vulnerable to leaks in other areas.

The other traditional option is re-piping of the entire system. A re-pipe usually involves tremendous destruction to both interior and/or exterior surfaces, often requires the unsightly re-routing of pipe, and is typically expensive, messy, and takes several weeks to months to complete. Re-piping is the most expensive, destructive, and time-consuming method of repair.

Every consumer should understand that THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY is in crisis. After the massive losses of September 11th and Hurricane Katrina, insurance providers are being hit with another catastrophe on a global scale: failing copper pipe systems and pinhole leaks. Copper piping has been used for decades by plumbers in most structures and is now failing at an alarming rate. Copper pipe failures and resulting water leaks are causing billions of dollars in structural damage and increased health-related claims. Insurance companies are raising rates dramatically and may, after a single leak, cancel or refuse to write homeowner or business policies. Once a claim has been filed, a history of the claim activity on the property is recorded in a database used by the insurance industry. The database, called "CLUE," is an acronym for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange. Once a claim is placed in the CLUE database, a property can be virtually “blacklisted,” and it becomes increasingly difficult if not impossible to obtain insurance coverage from other carriers. Imagine what happens to a property’s value once it becomes uninsurable….
Our system will solve the immediate problem as well as prevent future problems in less time, with no destruction, and for less money.

Water Flow, Smell and Discoloration
Have you noticed a drop in your water pressure? When pressure is down, but your water bill is up, it’s often due to a leaky pipe or corrosion build-up within your pipe system. This problem occurs in both copper and galvanized piping systems. Within 15-20 years as much as 70% of a pipe's original flow capacity is lost as a result of internal pipe corrosion. Water pressure rises as flow is forced through smaller and smaller openings in corroded pipes. Increased flow weakens the piping system and crumbles the corrosion residue. The residual particles are then picked up in water flow, delivering the residue along with water, to the faucet.

Municipal suppliers add chemicals to the water supply to meet EPA requirements for control of bacteria levels. These additives - mainly chloramines, etch into pipe walls and are sometimes detectable in water’s smell, taste, and coloration. On average, there is as much or more chlorine in tap water as there is in a typical swimming pool. Chlorine etching erodes the pipe wall, eventually creating pinhole leaks which result in broken pipes if undetected. The chlorine interaction with metal pipe causes heavy metals to leach into a system’s water supply.

Our epoxy barrier coating will solve the problem and prevent future pipe corrosion and water flow problems caused by corroded pipes.

Heavy Metal Leaching
Who wants to hear that their tap water can actually make them sick? Unlike chloramines, which may leave a residual taste, color or smell, the most harmful metals - including lead and copper, are undetectable by taste, color or smell – making them a particularly insidious health hazard. Chlorine interaction with metal pipe causes heavy metals to leach into water carried within a pipe. Research studies conducted by the EPA and other government bodies and educational institutions reflect a growing concern over the presence of heavy metals in drinking water and the adverse effects of high lead and copper levels in infants, children and pregnant women. The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services postulates that lead is the number one environmental threat to our children’s health. Increasing exposure rates are caused by continued consumption of water from aging, corroded potable water systems. Many systems are still fitted with original lead-based pipe, are fitted with lead-based plumbing fixtures or, more frequently, lead is used to fuse copper pipe systems together. According to the EPA, on average, 10-20% of a child’s lead exposure will come from drinking water.

Lead and copper contamination in drinking water can lead to serious, long-term health problems.

The process and its UL classified to NSF/ANSI Standard 61 epoxy barrier coating ensures that water used for drinking, cooking, and bathing no longer comes in contact with the copper, lead solder, or lead contained in a structure’s potable water system. Our product has a proven track record of reducing excessive lead and copper levels from poison pipes to far below EPA requirements in homes and commercial buildings around the world.

This website Copyright (C) 2008, Trenchless Technology of Tennessee.  All right reserved. 
Contact webmaster@trenchlessnet.com with questions or comments concerning this site.
This page last modified: 03/22/10