Environmentally-responsible corrosion control technologies developer Cortec Corporation’s certified water technologist and technical sales manager Scott Bryan recommends a simple solution to avoid the added expense and delays of cleaning away corrosion before commissioning a pipeline: hydrotesting with Cortec’s high performance (HP) vapour phase corrosion inhibitor (VpCI) product VpCI-649 HP.

He stresses that plumbing is an integral part of modern structures, adding that, “the challenge is that new water lines must be tested for leaks in the early stages of construction, putting them at risk for corrosion [developing] in the remaining 18 to 24 months, before the building may be finished”.

He explains the VpCI-649 HP is a corrosion inhibiting hydrotest additive that is certified to meet US specifications, namely the American National Standards Institute/ National Sanitation Foundation (ANSI/NSF) Standard 61 for drinking water system components, when used as a surface treatment at concentrations up to 3% and drained.

When added to the hydrotest water, it circulates throughout the piping, inhibiting corrosion during pressure testing and leaving behind a thin corrosion-inhibiting film that protects components for as long as 24 months.

New buildings may include water lines for drinking and cooking, sanitation, fire sprinklers, and heating and cooling systems.

“Since these include ferrous and yellow metals, it is important to have a corrosion inhibitor for both,” he adds.

The VpCI-649 HP meets this requirement by protecting steel, copper, galvanised steel and aluminium.

Further, the VpCI-649 HP does not contain nitrite, phosphate, molybdenum, or chromate, but it does include a p-toluenesulfonic acid tracer that allows for concentration monitoring.

“Contractors already face too many delays in the construction process. By hydrotesting new water lines with VpCI-649 HP at the beginning of the project, they can pre-empt the delay and cost of an extra cleaning to remove corrosion before the building can be commissioned,” concludes Bryan.