Have you seen in the recent news the catastrophic gas explosion that killed nine people on the island of Jersey in the English Channel? It’s early in the investigation, and experts may never be able to pinpoint the cause, but I have my own idea based on something that happened to me a couple of years ago.
I was hired by a small condominium association to do a thorough inspection of some outdoor covered roofs that had leakage and wood rot problems. This building is located a mile or so from the Atlantic Ocean in New Hampshire. The apartments in Jersey were subject to the same marine environment.
My examination began upstairs, and I made my way down to the roof of the ground floor. As I was below deck in a corridor leading to the basement door, I saw black iron gas lines running from the outside counters into the basement. These are connected to the water heaters and furnaces.
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The iron pipes were not black. It was crusty brown, as it was completely covered with rust. I immediately informed the condo association president that these pipes should be coated with a special rust primer and then two coats of finish. I instructed her to make sure she read the instructions on the label for her rust metal primer to prepare the tubes so that the primer would adhere well.
A quote from the captain of the Norwegian cruise ship Dawn reminded me. I had attended a talk about his life five years ago during a short trip. He said: The sea eats iron and men.
If you remember some of your high school chemistry, you know this to be true. Salt water is highly corrosive to unprotected steel and iron.
I have been a skilled plumber since 1981. I have installed miles of black iron gas lines in my life. I hand threaded each tube with a die cut. You may have never thought of a threaded pipe, but where the grooves are, the wall thickness of the pipe has been cut and reduced to create the threads.
This means that the tube is much weaker in these grooves. If rust runs down the pipe and swallows the iron, and then the pipe bumps or becomes pinched or bent by accident, the metal at the base of the grooves can crack as easily as you can pop the top of a soda can. The gas now begins to flow out of the tube like air from an exploded balloon.
You don’t need to live near the ocean for this to happen. Precipitation or regular moisture in the air causes rust and growth to form on unprotected iron or steel. Your home has all kinds of structural steel elements that are rusting. Many ignore this rust at their peril.
What about your rafter ties? I know it was galvanized when it was installed, but did that zinc coating wear off and do you see rust?
What about the screws that attach the roof beam hanger and other structural connectors to the wood? Does the copper in treated wood leach out with every rain event, causing rust and corrosion?
What about the cheap, electroplated roofing nails that the roofer used to install the panels? I’ve seen new roofing nails turn rusty fasteners in as little as five to seven years. The best roofing nails are those that are hot galvanized. interval.
How about any steel support columns in your basement or crawl space? Do you see rust on these? What happens if rust eats through a pole and someone bumps into it?
What about rust on any horizontal iron beams in the basement or crawlspace? Do you ignore it? If so, you’re making a sad mistake.
The good news for you is that painting rusty iron pipe black, in addition to all the things I mentioned above, is a very simple DIY job. Most quality primers and special rust finish paints are available in spray cans for those who don’t want to use a brush.
I recorded a video about five years ago showing the difference between two popular brands of rust paint. The test panels were in the ASTM scratch test like night and day. I urge you to watch this video so that you buy a coating that will last for many years, even in a marine environment.
