Preventing Environmentally-Caused Corrosion of Insulated Copper Lines

Copper tubing systems are commonly used in plumbing, heating, cooling and refrigeration systems. Insulation is frequently applied to prevent surface condensation and energy loss or gain of these systems. Environmental factors can be responsible for the corrosion of copper tubing systems causing normally-dependable systems to fail. Urine, construction debris, inappropriate leak testing agents, road salt chemicals, leaking fittings, and even common surfactants can be causes of corrosion. Trapped water can make these corrodants much worse. Identification and elimination of these corrosion sources can result in a long-lived and dependable insulated copper tubing system.