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    What's Bugging Your Pipes: How Microorganisms Affect Plumbing Systems
    What's Bugging Your Pipes: How Microorganisms Affect Plumbing Systems
    What's Bugging Your Pipes: How Microorganisms Affect Plumbing Systems
    Ebook77 pages1 hour

    What's Bugging Your Pipes: How Microorganisms Affect Plumbing Systems

    By Abigail F. Cantor and Rob Spence

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    About this ebook

    This booklet is a resource on microbiologically influenced corrosion as it occurs in plumbing systems of buildings. The book covers understanding, prevention, and remediation of the resultant water quality and pipe integrity problems.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookBaby
    Release dateSep 6, 2013
    ISBN9781619275164
    What's Bugging Your Pipes: How Microorganisms Affect Plumbing Systems

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    What's Bugging Your Pipes - Abigail F. Cantor

    Acknowledgements

    Chapter 1

    Introduction to Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion

    This story is repeated over and over: Occupants of a new building notice discolored water coming from the water faucets or, perhaps, a rotten egg odor coming from the hot water.

    What will happen next is that the plumbing contractor, realizing corrosion of metal plumbing system materials is occurring, will pull the sacrificial anode rod from the hot water storage tank. This rod, with special metallic properties, is there to slowly corrode over many years and sacrifice itself to corrosion in order to protect the storage tank. But, in these cases, the anode rod has greatly corroded over a few weeks or months. The plumbing contractor will replace the rod, only to see the new rod corrode quickly again.

    Stray electrical currents or the connection of dissimilar metals, both problems that can occur in localized areas of the piping system, are then blamed for the system-wide corrosion. Wires are added to connect various parts of the piping system for diverting electrons to a different path.

    The problem persists.

    What most people don’t know is that the problem is typically of microbiological origin. Microbiologically influenced corrosion (also known as MIC) has not been appropriately understood or acknowledged in the drinking water industry — both in municipal water systems and in plumbing systems.

    But, microorganisms are everywhere. And, there are many different types of them. Some directly cause human illness but many others do not. These waterborne microorganisms can grow into out-of-control populations when there are long periods of water stagnation or low flow, and when disinfection chemicals are dosed in inadequate concentrations. Under such conditions, microorganisms attach to plumbing system surfaces. They secrete enzymes to form a protective barrier and begin to multiply. This buildup of enzymes and colonies of microorganisms on surfaces is called a biofilm.

    The biofilm is acidic and can create conditions at the pipe wall that allow metal to corrode. Metals used in plumbing systems, such as copper, iron and lead, have been found with elevated concentrations in the drinking water when biofilms are present. The metal corrosion sometimes presents itself as discolored water. Pitting and pinhole leaks in pipe walls have also been found.

    In addition, chlorine and other disinfectants cannot reach the microorganisms protected in the biofilms. Instead, disinfectants get used up by reactions with the surface of the biofilms and with the metallic corrosion debris on the pipe walls. This creates a low-disinfection environment that has no ammunition to fight off the continued growth of microorganisms — including those, if they are present, that are toxic to humans.

    Raising awareness of microorganisms and their biofilms, which play this significant role in our water distribution and plumbing systems, is the main purpose of this booklet. This booklet also summarizes methods to monitor, prevent and remediate microbiologically influenced corrosion.

    Under certain conditions, microorganisms can grow out-of-control in plumbing systems. When this happens, biofilms of microorganisms and acidic enzymes that they secrete can become attached to pipe walls. This can lead to:

    Increased metals concentration (such as copper, iron and lead) in the drinking water with possible discoloration of the water

    Pitting and pinhole leaks in metal pipe walls

    Increased possibility of water-borne illnesses from microorganisms that are toxic to humans

    Biofilm Photo Gallery

    All photos are provided courtesy of Process Research Solutions, LLC.

    Interior of pipe with corrosion debris

    Interior of pipe with corrosion debris removed exposing pits

    Interior of pipe with corrosion debris removed exposing pinholes

    Exterior of pipe showing pinholes that started from the interior of the pipe

    Figure 1-1. One type of biofilm in copper pipe: Discrete mounds of biofilm and corrosion debris, beneath which are pits and pinholes.

    Figure 1-2. Another type of biofilm in copper pipe: Continuous biofilm with intermittent mounds of corrosion debris, beneath which are pits and pinholes.

    Figure 1-3.

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