A while back, I got rewarded with a busted water line that was leading to my house. Outside of the inflated water bill from all the leaking water, the City/Water Company will not fix it for free if it's on your side of the water meter. Joy, joy, as it is just another bill being crammed up my bunghole as usual, except this time it is something called a "water leak." Dang, didn't that stuff (water) used to be free? I've never understood how little earth-dwelling humanoids can merchandise something called water while living on a planet that consists mostly of, uh, water! Anyway, upon looking for plumbers and other so-called "qualified individuals" to fix it, I ran across a lot of whines and complaints and talk about needing all this big equipment to dig up the earth. All I want is my water line fixed, and I do not care if it is a galvanized pipe or PVC or how much trouble it is to dig up the ground; just fix the damn thing! Well, the last codger that gave an "estimate of cost" did me in, and I was all about fixing it or at least digging up the dirt myself. By the way, I don't need a bulldozer or a backhoe to dig a stinking two-foot hole!
It was obvious where the leak was, due to all the water spouting out from one area, and after I cut the water off from the source, all I needed was a shovel, perhaps a pick in the event it was rocky ground, something like a screwdriver to grate the pipe, and a little elbow grease (Oh, no! That's the thing they call "manual work!").
Anyway, to make a long story short, I saved at least 500 dollars or more, by fixing the water leak myself. But here's the thing, it was in fact a galvanized pipe. If your house is old and you have those types of pipes, you may encounter this very same thing, at any given time.
My dad went to the water company to get the part required to fix the pipe, and was also told about how a lot of times the galvanized pipes (that they mainly used back in the day) will often rust from the inside out, as opposed to what many would think, which would be from the outside in. After digging a two-foot hole and discovering the leak, and after scraping and grating the pipe with a screwdriver to find the exact location of the hole, the outside of the galvanized pipe looked decent! ...But just think of how the inside might have looked! If you use city water, the PH level will usually help prevent rust and corrosion, but even more concern needs to be directed towards the people that live outside of the city and use well water, as the PH is often naturally lower - along with the additions of other contaminants that may promote corrosion and bad health.
---Side note: We used a high-quality clamp to fix the water leak, but if you don't have one available or can't find one and are still interested in fixing your water leak without these so-called "professionals" that overcharge, you can most likely find a good 'pipe wrap' online. I would start by typing into the search engine of your choice: "Galvanized Pipe Wrap."
At any rate, this is where the use of water filters comes into play... I used to promote these things years ago, before the whole "water filter pitcher" promos came into effect.
After you realize what your water goes through just to get into your house, one may be thinking about some type of water filtration, to say the least! Enter below, for a link that provides an array of water filters, etc. Personally, I use the water pitcher method, as I don't like the bulky filters that hang over the sink, and so on...
But before you go any further, you may want to read this: "Are there any potential health risks associated with corrosion by-products from water transported through galvanized drinking water pipes?" Read more, here: http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water_health/health2/corrosion-byproducts2-galvanized-drinking-pipes-health-risks.htm
This isn't a promotion, but a fair warning; you might need to get your water filters today. Unless you have recently re-piped your home with anti-corrosive piping, it wouldn't hurt to add some filters. I like the pitcher filters because you can control what is filtered and what isn't, but that's just me. For a lot of uses in the home, it doesn't matter if the water isn't filtered, like flushing the toilet, washing clothes, etc.
Anyway, I'll provide an affiliate link below, if you're interested:
Image Credit: Fair Use - Product Image via Amazon.com
---End of Post "Water Filters & Galvanized Pipes"
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