Zurn Pex Failures

Twice in 2 weeks time I have found homes re-plumbed with Zurn brand pex pipe. Both show signs of oxidation at brass connections. Hot water side first of course.
Interestingly I have noticed the water here in FL seems to deteriorate any type of brass valve or connection quicker, and many brass valves at water heater connections show signs of corrosion.
Not so much of an issue in TN.
Never came across this problem until I moved down here. Wonder how long until a fitting lets loose.

Dezincification. Good find. Big problem.

Ok heres is mine for today. This is going to be an issue I suspect nationwide. Feel like the pre poly and its poor connector days.

Todd,
The legal issues stem from only Zurn brand brass fittings that I am aware of. Two of your photos show paint over spray, not a corroded fitting.

Read the link, it shows the specific fittings and how to determine them.

While you might think its paint over, its not. It is dezincification. I’ve seen plenty of this in the last two years. And yes its a certain fitting causing the issue for now. Listen, don’t listen, I’m just saying this is building into an issue. I now look very closely at as many fittings as I can get to to see if there is an issue. Most often than not I find pitted and corroded brass fittings. I suspect its not just isolated to a certain brand either. Here in Florida I’m finding it in repipes, and new construction installs.
I’m just adding my 2 cents so other can be aware and keep an eye out for their clients.

Good reading

https://www.nace.org/Corrosion-Central/Corrosion-101/Dezincification/

https://failures.wikispaces.com/PEX+Plumbing+Failures

Does anyone have a narrative to share on ths condition? Is there one in Kenton’s/Inachis narratives? Thanks in advance.

Would the coastal atmosphere have any effect?

Read the links in post 6.

My apologies Todd,
Looked like spray to me from the images.
FWIW, I have noticed a trend with common brass fittings and signs of crust or corrosion, regardless of brand. This includes any type of brass pipe fitting or valve.
The water heater being ground zero of course.
Florida must have some pretty special water.

I just installed a new shower set. I removed galvanized which is still in 3/4 of my home and in A1 condition even though my house was built in 1957. Good pressure, no deposits anywhere in my supply lines.

I redid my basement bath 5 years ago and used PEX with the brass connectors, still look like new. I also ran PEX to my kitchen using plastic connectors.
Did a new shower set for my vintage bath a few weeks ago. Had to find a faucet online as the 8" spread faucets aren’t allowed by code here. Removed copper supplies through a 14" X 20" hole cut in my gypsum backed plaster and fished PEX in, this time I used copper connectors, all my PEX is with the SS crimp rings as I bought that tool years ago and never had a failure.

I expect all my work to last as long as the galvanized.

I am on well water, high iron content but apparently easy on my supply lines.
I have a water softener with separate unsoftened water going to hose bibbs.

I think PEX is good stuff but I’m sticking with the copper and plastic connectors.

After having seen many many PEX installs and fitting problems now associated with them Im glad my home was re piped with CPVC. Still not great but unless its disturbed seems to be the better answer. I’m developing a narrative reference PEX that will from now on go in the report to caution homeowners to keep an eye out for corrosion.

No worries Sean. The fittings Im running across are so deteriorated that lots of time its a completely covered mess with zinc and other byproducts covering it.

Bump

What identifying marking would we find on these Zurn fittings in the lawsuit?

Anybody?

Fittings would show Q-pex as the most common. The link I posted should show some fitting examples

How does one determine between corrosion and dezincification?

Well here is one for the record. Last week had a realtor tell me the deal fell through on a property I inspected due to it having PEX plumbing installed in 2011. The clients could not get insurance for it due to the PEX. The PEX fitting issues are starting to be on insurance carriers radar. I asked for the carriers name so I could call and question them about it and never got a response back. Have never heard of this before and will be curious if I hear of it again.

Dezincification

dezinc-1Dezincification selectively removes zinc from the alloy, leaving behind a porous, copper-rich structure that has little mechanical strength. An in-service valve suffering from dezincification has a white powdery substance or mineral stains on its exterior surface. The valve may exhibit water weeping from the valve body or stem/bonnet seal.

What’s the cure? A tightly written valve specification that limits brass alloys to those containing no more than 15% zinc, or specification of proven dezincification-ant resist yellow brass alloys, say the experts. Further, manufacturers must be required to provide alloy ations design or chemistry for the materials used in their valves and fittings. Over the past decade, an evolution in alloys has occurred, and yellow brasses that are dezincification-resistant do exist. However, specifiers who simply accept inexpensive yellow brasses without regard to whether they are standard alloys-or even meet the performance requirements of standard alloys-are vulnerable to potential dezincification problems.

Why Dezincification Occurs Copper-zinc alloys containing more than 15% zinc are susceptible to dezincification. Zinc is a highly reactive metal, as seen in its galvanic series ranking. This reactivity stems from the fact that zinc has a very weak atomic bond relative to other metals. Simply, zinc atoms are easily given up to solutions with certain aggressive characteristics. During dezincification, the more active zinc is selectively removed from the brass, leaving behind a weak deposit of the porous, more noble copper-rich metal.

Conditions favoring dezincification are contact with slightly acid or alkaline water. Not highly aerated, low rates of flow of the circulating liquid, relatively high tube-wall temperatures and permeable deposits or coatings over the tube surface.
dezincification
Tube ID, 10X courtesy

Two types of corrosive attack characterize dezincification:
Plug-type dezincification is localized within surrounding surfaces mostly unaffected by corrosion. This type of dezincification penetrates deeply into the sidewalls of valves and fittings. Common failures associated with plug-type attack include penetration through the sidewalls that causes water seepage or loss of mechanical strength in threaded sections to the point of fracture.
Uniform-layer dezincification leaches zinc from a broad area of the surface. This type of dezincification uniformly reduces the wall thickness of the valve or fitting. A complex set of conditions must be present for dezincification to occur, and the occurrence is often related to region of the country.

The service conditions generally present where dezincification occurs include:
Water with high levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide (uniform attack).
Stagnant or slow moving waters (uniform attack).
Slightly acidic water, low in salt content and at room temperature (uniform attack).
Soft, low pH and low mineral water combined with oxygen, which forms zinc oxide (uniform attack).
Waters with high chloride ion content (uniform attack).
Neutral or alkaline waters, high in salt content and at or above room temperature (plug-type attack).

dezinc-2Common signs that dezincification is occurring include:
Plug-type dezincification is localized within surrounding surfaces mostly unaffected by corrosion. This type of dezincification penetrates deeply into the sidewalls of valves and fittings. Common failures associated with plug-type attack include penetration through the sidewalls that causes water seepage or loss of mechanical strength in threaded sections to the point of fracture.
Uniform-layer dezincification leaches zinc from a broad area of the surface. This type of dezincification uniformly reduces the wall thickness of the valve or fitting. A complex set of conditions must be present for dezincification to occur, and the occurrence is often related to region of the country.

The service conditions generally present where dezincification occurs include:
Water with high levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide (uniform attack).
Stagnant or slow moving waters (uniform attack).
Slightly acidic water, low in salt content and at room temperature (uniform attack).
Soft, low pH and low mineral water combined with oxygen, which forms zinc oxide (uniform attack).
Waters with high chloride ion content (uniform attack).
Neutral or alkaline waters, high in salt content and at or above room temperature (plug-type attack).

Common signs that dezincification is occurring include:
Presence of a loosely adhering white deposit of zinc oxide on the exterior of the valve.
Presence of mineral stains on the outer surface of the valve.
Water weeping from the valve body or stem/bonnet seal.

I have seen many new installed with plastic only fittings.