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“Black” copper pipe

BillHartmann | Posted in General Discussion on January 7, 2009 04:28am

I was looking at foreclosed house. It was currently being remodeled when foreclosed on. New doors, paint, kitchen cabinets.

And some years past there had been an addition and the bathroom was moved into the addition.

There where separate doors into old basment and the one for the addition.

The copper pipes in the old part looked like normal old copper pipes.

However, after they entered the addition they where BLACK.

Not like they had been painted. But rather a dull black. Like the black oxide finish on some tools.

The light was not good and did not have a ladder to get up close, but it looked like there was the orginal markings on pipe showing through the “finish”.

After it feed that bathroom it went to a 1/2 bath in the MBR. That few feet of pipe looked like same old tarnished pipe that was in the old basement.

I am speculating that it was added later, just because of the different in pipe color.

I wonder if there was some kind of chemical in that basement that could have caused that.

.
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid – Shoe
Reply

Replies

  1. DanH | Jan 07, 2009 04:38am | #1

    I wonder if someone set off a sulfur bug bomb in the area or some such.

    The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. --Wilhelm Stekel
  2. calvin | Jan 07, 2009 05:03am | #2

    Any discoloration to any galv. ductwork?

    I worked in a home that had the metals in the basement ceiling/walls discolored.  They had a previous mold problem and had rampantly sprayed with a bleach solution.  Showed streaks (drips) on the rect. ductwork.

    BUT, you say the pipes up into the bath are the same color-

    so, maybe not.

    A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

    Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

    http://www.quittintime.com/

     

    1. User avater
      BillHartmann | Jan 07, 2009 05:10am | #3

      Just the pipes from the old foundation wall to the where it feed the bathroom tub was black, they the continued on to the 1/2 bath and they looked like normal "old copper".Don't remember any duct work, but it did not jump out at me..
      William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe

      1. calvin | Jan 07, 2009 05:37am | #4

        These pipes were blackened, with some corrosive (sort of ) drip looking marks on the bottom.  The ductwork had white looking (greyish) drip marks that came top down, collecting on the corners and on the round duct, along the bottom. 

        Now that I remember, I was there for new owners.  All the joists and bottom of subfloor had been white painted-they thought due to a mold problem.

        maybe?A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

        Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

        http://www.quittintime.com/

         

        1. User avater
          BillHartmann | Jan 07, 2009 06:47am | #5

          Did you mean to post a picture?The joist look fine. There had been some paneling for something on the walls and termites had worked on them and the door frame.But there where still some piles on the old stuff on the floor so I don't think that any treatment for them would have done. Or else all of the pipes would been black.But it only my guess is that half bath part had been added later. .
          William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe

          1. calvin | Jan 07, 2009 07:27am | #6

            I might have a picture buried in this computer somewhere, but did not post one.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.

            Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.

            http://www.quittintime.com/

             

  3. rasconc | Jan 07, 2009 07:33am | #7

    Is that where the Meth lab was?(:-O

    For those who have fought for it Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.
    1. User avater
      BillHartmann | Jan 07, 2009 08:05am | #8

      Well I was wonder if it have been something like that..
      William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe

  4. inperfectionist | Jan 07, 2009 04:36pm | #9

    Bill,

    H2S blackens copper in a jiffy.

    If there are any J boxes in the "black zone", have a look at the bare copper wire in the boxes.

    Don't know how they would get that concentration of H2S in one part of the basement though.

    Harry



    Edited 1/7/2009 8:40 am ET by inperfectionist

    1. User avater
      BillHartmann | Jan 07, 2009 04:41pm | #10

      This was a basement for the addition. The only connection what had been a very small basement window.Access was from a separate outside door (sloping lot).
      William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe

    2. DanH | Jan 07, 2009 06:07pm | #14

      Like I said, a sulfur bug bomb would probably do it.
      The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. --Wilhelm Stekel

  5. jayzog | Jan 07, 2009 05:40pm | #11

    One time I decided to clean the brick floor in my kitchen with a way to strong muriatic solution and not a lot of ventilation. The next day all my copper pots and any unfinshed brass in the kitchen were black.

     

    1. User avater
      BillHartmann | Jan 07, 2009 05:55pm | #12

      You know that makes more sense than anything else.Some one tried to use acid on the floor or walls..
      William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe

    2. User avater
      Sphere | Jan 07, 2009 06:03pm | #13

      Oh man, you just rekindled a memory I'd like to forget again.

      Washed my slate hearth with muriatic and put the jug under the sink with the other poisons...a trailer, and the cabs were like site build, not boxes.

      Every pot, pan, cookie sheet, you name it..turned to rust...My DW at the time was clueless, but man 0 man I got that jug outta the house toot sweet. Hadda replace evry pc. of cookware.

      seems the fumes can escape the plastic jug..who'd a thunk it?Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

      Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

       

      They kill Prophets, for Profits.

       

       

      1. Karl | Jan 08, 2009 09:00am | #20

        I also learned my lesson about Muriatic acid the hard way. In my case it was drill bits, framing square, assorted hand tools, etc all acquired a thick coating of rust while in the shed for a few weeks with a closed jug of muriatic acid.My first introduction to the uses of muriatic acid was in college when a roommate showed me how to take a two liter soda pop bottle, pour an ounce or two of muriatic acid in it, crunch up about a sq. ft of aluminum foil into a rod you can drop in the top of the bottle, squeeze some of the air out of the bottle, screw the lid on, shake it up, quickly set it in a place far away from innocent passersby and run like heck.The bottle gradually builds up pressure and inflates like a ballon to twice or more than its normal size and quickly pops with a very impressive BOOM. The cloud of vapor that is released is a little worrisome as it is presumably highly corrosive.I strongly discourage anyone from trying this as it could cause severe injury or property damage.Karl

        1. rez | Jan 09, 2009 03:37am | #21

          hmmm,

          well,

          ya, I gotta try it.

  6. renosteinke | Jan 07, 2009 06:50pm | #15

    Simple moisture condensing on a pipe will have that result. A local laundromat has a pair of exposed 2" copper pipes; one is shiny copper, the other is blask. The only difference is that the black one is cold, and gets the condensation.

    1. User avater
      BillHartmann | Jan 07, 2009 07:06pm | #16

      I wonder if it also had to do with the large amount of fumes from bleach..
      William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe

      1. renosteinke | Jan 08, 2009 03:43am | #19

        I doubt it. First, such would be expected to affect both pipes; second, I do not reclaa the place as having any particular odor - soap, bleach, or other. Pipes were located quite literally in free air, in the middle of the room, and extending from floor to ceiling.

      2. renosteinke | Feb 23, 2009 03:05am | #25

        Finally got some pics ... here's the pipe I was describing, The darker one is the cold water feed.

        http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r138/renosteinke/Copperpipes.jpg

         

  7. Scott | Jan 07, 2009 11:00pm | #17

    How old is this house?

    I once owned a 1950's house in which the copper pipe had blackened. That was right before one of them sprung a pinhole, then another, then another. I ended up replacing what I could with PEX, then I sold it.

    I was glad to sell it.

    Scott.

    1. User avater
      BillHartmann | Jan 07, 2009 11:08pm | #18

      Hard to tell.I suspect that it has been remuddled a couple of times.It was orginally built in the 20 or 30's..
      William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe

  8. KFC | Jan 21, 2009 04:01am | #22

    Hey, did you see the "toxic drywall" thread just posted?

    seems they were alerted by black copper coils on ac units...

    k

  9. JTC1 | Jan 21, 2009 04:24am | #23

    Bill,

    Check out the link in post 115387.2 the toxic drywall thread -- does that look like your pipe?

    Jim 

    Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
    1. User avater
      BillHartmann | Jan 21, 2009 04:33am | #24

      Similar.But that looks like it has "growth" on it. Mine was smooth.But other people already pointed out the possibility of it being cause by sulfur of some some type..
      William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe

  10. User avater
    rjw | Feb 23, 2009 04:09am | #26

    FWIW, in my area, there is a lot of high sulpher water which can turn pipes black.... where there are high moisture conditions, as in a basement


    "Ask not what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive... then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

    Howard Thurman

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