Galvanized Supply Piping

Galvanized supply piping was used up until approximately 1955, with limited use after that in rural water systems. Occasionally, some limited amounts are found in newer installations of rural plumbing even today.

The insurance issue surrounding galvanized piping has made it virtually impossible to get homeowners insurance if there is any significant amount of galvanized pipe in the home. The concern is the corrosion, and ultimate leakage that occurs when the galvanizing wears off, and the mild steel pipe is subjected to fresh water.

This failure typically occurs at the joints in the piping, where the threads have been cut. This is the thinnest point along the pipe length, and so leakage typically occurs here first.

Galvanized hot water supply pipe is almost unheard of nowadays, because the corrosion is temperature related, and so the hot piping fails quicker than the cold. One common problem is that the hot pipes have been replaced, but the cold pipes have not. This means that the walls and floors will need to be opened again, in order to replace the cold. Usually there is less than 15 years difference in hot and cold piping life spans.