EPOXY PIPE COATING

For the thousands of homes built for the burgeoning population in the Greater Richmond region of the 1950s and ’60s, where water pipes are reaching their expected lives, a cured in place pipe liner is an affordable and durable solution to smoothing the interior surface of deteriorating piping. The seamless application restores impermeability; eliminating leaks and future deterioration due to oxidation while improving flow.

The pH of water, chemical composition, delivery pressure, water temperature, and material of the pipe are some of the factors that contribute to pipe deterioration. Low or changing water pressure or green residue at fixtures or drains of copper pipe systems can be some of the initial outward signs of deteriorated pipes. Pin hole leaks, bursts at junctions, and lead contamination from leaching pipe joints can all be effectively remediated from within the pipe. Non-hazardous epoxy materials injected through clean outs, drains, and shut off valve terminations, coat pipe walls with a seamless, durable material much like the lining of premium canned food containers.

The process involves drying the pipes, sandblasting the inside walls with pressurized air and a mineral that removes corrosion and oxidation and prepares the walls to accept the lining, then applying the epoxy lining. The process can be used on galvanized or black iron, steel, copper, or plastic piping, as well as, coal tar impregnated cellulose fiber pipes that have not collapsed. Generally, wherever it is possible to create a pipe within a pipe, epoxy relining can be employed.

The process is enhanced by using visual inspection systems and fiber optic lighting to inspect pipes before and during the process to gauge the degree of deterioration, diameter of the pipe, and effectiveness of the installation.