The Prevention of Corrosion in Cooling Water Treatment Pipes

Cooling water treatment pipes are used in boilers or in heat exchange systems to handle water necessary for temperature reduction. Whenever water and metal contact each other, the potential for corrosion exists; take the necessary steps to prevent corrosion in your building's cooling pipes.

Pipe Metal

• When you know a pipe will be exposed to water for long periods under conditions of heat and cold, that pipe should be made out of material specifically geared to resist corrosion. Stainless steel and titanium are two metals that don't react to water over time, and copper pipes are also quite common because of their ability to resist corrosion from water.

Chemical Treatments

• Place chemical coatings on the inside and outside of water treatment pipes. You can spray these coatings onto the pipes before installing them, but you can also put them on by running chemicals through the system and coating the pipes on the inside. These coatings resist the water and provide a shield between the pipe and sources of corrosion.

Galvanic Prevention

• Some metals begin to corrode when placed close to one another -- a result of galvanization. The two metals are so dissimilar that they will begin to wear away at each other, causing corrosion in the pipe. For the best way to prevent this scenario, avoid pairing metals with galvanic reaction together.

Organic Prevention

• Organisms that can live in cooling water treatment pipes, often referred to as "slimes" or "ooze," can multiply and cause blockage in pipes. These organisms can both ruin the pipe's flow and degrade it. Clean the pipes thoroughly before installation to avoid this problem, then clean them with periodic system flushes.