COPPER CORROSION MARK COLLEN – NATIONAL WATER MANAGER AND SENIOR CONSULTANT, CETEC, AUSTRALIA


Methods for preventing copper pipe corrosion


Mark Collen, national water manager and senior consultant for technical risk management consultancy CETEC, discusses the ways in which healthcare facilities managers can combat a problem that can have a major impact on day-to-day operations.


Across Australia, as of 2024, there were over 1,606 healthcare projects totalling $58.8 billion, of which 49.8 per cent were in the design and documentation stage and 40 per cent were in the concept stage.1


All of these facilities will use water,


and most of the major potable water pipe work will be made from copper. Facilities will also use PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) and, in specialised areas, stainless steel or other materials. Facilities are typically fed externally


from municipal water networks (in city and suburban areas). Country areas may utilise their own water supply, feeding from bore supplies, rainwater collection, and similar sources. The municipal water supply may be of good quality, in which typical water parameters such as water hardness, total dissolved solids, etc., fall within suitable levels thus creating no significant perceived issues for microbiological growth and/or corrosion. That said, hospital water handling


systems may be seen as networks within themselves. They operate using high volumes of water; however, the potable water tends to be slow moving, tempered water which runs along long pipe runs. These characteristics influence the water quality within the pipework, including such factors as bacterial growth, corrosion, scale formation, and heavy metal leaching. Copper pipe work is prevalent in homes, healthcare, manufacturing, and municipal infrastructure. Its ease of use, ready availability, and relatively low-cost makes copper the material of choice for hydraulic engineers and plumbers. Copper is widely used for its durability, ease of joining, general long lifespan, corrosion resistance, malleability, smooth internal surface2


and other


useful properties. However, copper The


may corrode.3


mechanisms for copper corrosion in hydraulic water


48


Figure 1. US hospital flooding from failed chilled water pipe.4


systems are fairly well understood, but they are not entirely predictable or fully understood in all real-world scenarios. Considering most of the pipe work in healthcare is made from copper, pipework damage from corrosion can have a major


and widespread impact on the day-to-day operation of these facilities (Fig 1). Practices such as preparing copper for


Mark Collen


use, pretreatment of water for use in copper systems, and impacts of exposure of copper to low and high flow velocities, appear to be the subject of conjecture and varying opinions on their effectivness.


Mark Collen, national water manager and senior consultant for technical risk management


consultancy CETEC, is chartered chemist with over 30 years’ experience in the water and chemistry field, including over 15 years in


waste water. He is a knowledge and assistance source for water related issues in endoscopy,


Central Sterile Services Departments (CSSDs), and potable water.


Defining ‘water quality’ The term ‘water quality’ may have different understandings and interpretations for different people. For some, the term applies to taste, clarity, or other aesthetics. From the water chemistry side, the term may apply to compliance to certain standards or achieving certain


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