Between 1998 and 2003 I had at least eight pinhole leaks, all but one in horizontal, cold-water copper pipe.




A Nightmare on Dale Drive

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February 2004: The first orthophosphate plants went on line late in 2003. Anybody thinking about repiping should probably wait a few months to see how things shake out. In the fall we repiped the entire house with L-type copper as part of a major home renovation spurred by the damage from these leaks.

September 6 2003: Orthophosphate should be introduced soon.
We've started our renovation project - the pipes will all be replaced in a couple of weeks.

May 22 2003: I found one in a cold-water riser last night. If I hadn't torn out the basement ceiling months ago who knows how long it would have sprayed.
Chuck Brown from the WSSC called me a few weeks back - they're on the fast track for getting orthophosphate into the water supply. One of the plants should be on line by the end of the summer, and I'm dragging my heels just a bit on that new pipe. This is the year I repipe. Oh yes.

February 4 2003: I testified today in support of Maryland Senate Bill 54, recommending a state-level investigation into pinhole leaks. Read my statement here. It's a three-minute presentation I blasted through in about two minutes flat. Prospects for the bill are good, with a vote pending in the next week or so.

February 3 2003: Today WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi covered two topics dear to our hearts: pinholes and mold. The pinhole specialist was Dr. Marc Edwards of Virginia Tech, well-known to those tracking the local pinhole situation. Listen here to the RealAudio feed (mold at the 12 minute mark, pinholes at 30 minutes). Upshot - the mold business is feeding off hysteria, and our pinhole problem may be the tip of a national iceberg.
(Thanks to Mike Murphy for alerting me to the show)

January 2003: No really. I'm going to repipe this year. Water is still the enemy.

December 2002: I think I found another one. This has been slowly dripping for years, but my plumbers and I always blamed the stains on a leaky shower drain and never tore into the basement ceiling. I think this one goes back to 1997.

November 2002: Insurance: Use It and Lose It - the insurance industry's new approach made the front page of the business section. This is no news to folks in this area who've been dropped for filing more than one pinhole-related claim. My advice for the past few years has been to eat the repair expenses if you possibly can.

Another important note - dry everything out, and keep it dry. Mold is the "new asbestos", and thanks to some sensational damage awards in Texas the insurance industry is in a protective frenzy. This could make it hard down the road to sell a house that has had a history of water and mold problems.

October 2002: Welcome aboard, Sandra.

May 2002: I got a call from Chuck Brown at the WSSC updating me about the status of the investigation - the Laurel orthophosphate test program should be getting underway soon - and alerting me to the action being taken by the residents of Somerset trying to get state involvement in the investigation (looks like only the Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Potomac issues of the Gazette published the story). He also pointed me to Dr. Marc Edwards' frequently-asked questions page at the WSSC site when I asked about plastic pipes.
I'm finally starting to consider plastic piping (like PEX) as a replacement. There are those in the copper industry who beg to differ.

April 2002: Another article in the Washington Post, this one pointing to the mid-1990s change in EPA rulings and a possible link to the water main relining projects carried out over the past few years. This is also the first time I've seen the WSSC publicly mention the Ace Duraflo epoxy-injection technique, which is touted as an alternative to repiping.

January 2002: I give up. I'll repipe the house this year. Water is the enemy.

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