Over years, corrosion build-up in piping obstructs water flow, collects lead and other potentially harmful elements, and results in the gradual deterioration of the pipe itself and overall water quality. Within 15- 20 years time, as much as 70% of the pipe's original flow capacity can be lost as a result of internal pipe corrosion.

The adverse effects of this natural deterioration are all too familiar: colored, bad tasting and foul smelling drinking water, poor flow and heat transfer, and an abundance of leaks.

Recent and ongoing research by the EPA has conveyed a growing concern over the adverse effects of high lead and copper levels in infants, children and pregnant women. The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services postulates that lead is the number one environmental threat to our childrens' health, with increasing exposure rates caused by the continued consumption of water from aging, corroded potable water systems, many of which are still fitted with original lead-based plumbing fixtures. American Pipe Lining's epoxy system will provide a permanent protective barrier within the pipe halting the further leaching of these and other harmful elements.

For the millions of homes built for the burgeoning population of the 1950s and '60s, where water pipes are reaching their expected lives, a cured in place pipe liner is an affordable and durable solution to smoothing the interior surface of deteriorating piping. The seamless application restores impermeability; eliminating leaks and future deterioration due to oxidation while improving flow.

The pH of water, chemical composition, delivery pressure, water temperature, and material of the pipe are some of the factors that contribute to pipe deterioration. Low or changing water pressure or green residue at fixtures or drains of copper pipe systems can be some of the initial outward signs of deteriorated pipes. Pin hole leaks, bursts at junctions, and lead contamination from leaching pipe joints can all be effectively remediated from within the pipe. Non-hazardous epoxy materials injected through clean outs, drains, and shut off valve terminations, coat pipe walls with a seamless, durable material much like the lining of premium canned food containers.

The process involves drying the pipes, sandblasting the inside walls with pressurized air and a mineral that removes corrosion and oxidation and prepares the walls to accept the lining, then applying the epoxy lining. The process can be used on galvanized or black iron, steel, copper, or plastic piping, as well as, coal tar impregnated cellulose fiber pipes that have not collapsed. Generally, wherever it is possible to create a pipe within a pipe, epoxy relining can be employed.

The process is enhanced by using visual inspection systems and fiber optic lighting to inspect pipes before and during the process to gauge the degree of deterioration, diameter of the pipe, and effectiveness of the installation.

ecause pipes are buried within the infrastructure of a building, or in the case of exterior pipes, beneath landscaping and hardscape, it can be less costly to re-line these existing conduits than it is to tear them out and reinstall and cover up.

Relining pipes keeps the old material (including the outer surfaces that would be removed to access the pipe) out of a landfill. Likewise, labor and material resources are saved, as domestic supply pipes in the typical 2,200 square foot home can be relined in less than two days versus two weeks to re-pipe, install and finish drywall and repaint.