The saying goes: “Beauty is only skin deep.”
This expression is used to explain that attractiveness does not equate to overall quality. While this idiom is mostly used in regards to people, it also should be kept in mind when analyzing buildings.
The message: You must always look beneath the surface, beyond the exterior, for a decent judgment of quality.
Even buildings with gorgeous architecture and manicured landscaping have plumbing problems riddled within the walls and below the foundation. It is not always a reflection on maintenance or caretaking of the property – many pipe system problems are inevitable, a direct result of specific water treatment chemicals or are a common sign of age.
If your multifamily property experiences chronic leaks, low water flow or discolored water, your property is not alone. These are very common problems that occur with age and use.
Fortunately, there is a cost-effective, non-invasive, long-term solution that can restore the pipe system without demolition of the property or relocation of the residents. But first, let’s discuss the different types of water system problems and why they occur.
Copper pipes commonly experience leaks. This is because the chemicals in treated, clean water can interact with the copper, causing corrosion and leading to pinhole leaks or slab leaks. Annoying, destructive and unpredictable, leaks can damage a home or cause mold growth within the building’s structure. Copper pipes also cause copper leaching (too much copper in one’s body can cause health problems.)
Galvanized steel pipes commonly experience discolored water, low flow and leaks. Over time, the water eats away at galvanized steel’s protective zinc coating and then interacts with the metal pipes, causing rust. This rust and residue build up to cause low flow and also cause discoloration or rusty-looking water. These types of pipes’ joints are known to easily corrode and leak. Galvanized steel pipes also cause lead leaching, which is extremely harmful to the health of all people, especially children and pregnant women.
Lead solder and fittings commonly cause dangerous lead leaching. Lead solder and fittings, often found in copper pipes, can still be found in buildings and homes constructed before the 1980s. Millions of American homes still have lead solder and fittings, which cause families to ingest lead at dangerous rates, causing mental and physical damage to the body.
As these types of chronic problems persist, whether they are leaks, discolored water, lead leaching or another issue, they become more frequent due to the increasingly deteriorating state of the pipes. Plagues of pinhole leaks are extremely common. Eventually, the HOA board or residential property management company searches to find an effective long-term solution, rather than hiring a plumber to repair each leak (consequently having to repair the walls, ceilings and floors inside the homes, as well), which is very inconvenient, time-consuming and costly.
The goal is to provide residents with a peace of mind that no more leaks will occur, without having to cause massive disruption, destruction or financial hardship to residents.
We are proud to offer the best solution for chronically failing water pipe systems for multifamily buildings and complexes.
This solution is ACE DuraFlo’s patented ePIPE pipe lining technology. This specific pipe lining process creates a protective epoxy coating barrier inside the water pipes to prevent the water from interacting with the pipes, thereby preventing corrosion, pinhole leaks, buildup, discolored water and low flow. While the other possible repair method is a traditional process called a pipe replacement (also called a repipe), pipe lining is becoming increasingly preferred among multifamily properties due to its many benefits and advantages over a repipe.
Why Multifamily Properties Choose This Solution:
- Residents CAN CONTINUE TO LIVE IN THEIR HOMES during the work
- It uses a non-destructive process that prevents demolition to the building, its property and landscape
- It is less expensive than a repipe
- It is completed much faster than a repipe
- It is much less disruptive to residents than a repipe
- It does not create an unsightly and dangerous construction zone
- It prevents messy, hazardous and tedious asbestos abatement
- The epoxy coating improves the pipe system’s condition to give it a longer lifespan than brand new pipes
- It’s environmentally-friendly by reusing the existing pipe system and not creating more waste
- It’s approved safe for use in water supply pipes, meeting all necessary health standards and
requirements, including NSF Standard 61 for a safe drinking water system component - It’s proven via independent laboratory studies and through time as effective long-term solution The most prestigious of companies and organizations use pipe lining technology, including the U.S. government, the Navy, CBRE, Transwestern, BP Oil and ExxonMobil, to name a few.
If you’re interested more in how this epoxy coating is applied to a plumbing system, please watch our informational demo videos.
Still wondering if this would be a good solution for your property? Listen to why this HOA Board President and her residents were very satisfied with this technology after encountering chronic pinhole leaks and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on small, temporary fixes that did not stop future leaks from occurring.
Read about some projects we have completed for multifamily properties.
Do you still have questions? If so, please contact me, Vic Caso, to learn more about how we can help solve your plumbing problems or prevent plumbing problems from occurring!
Vic Caso
[email protected]
713-697-2088