# Lead free brass pinholes



## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)

Last week I had a trailer park we do work at called and had an underground water leak, I get the there and it was at a trailer riser that I repaired last spring 2014 with a lead free brass barb coupling, i grabbed the poly line and pulled it off the coupling with no effort. Both staggered gear clamps were tight on the pipe. I felt the inside of the pipe and I could feel where the barbs had grabbed the pipe. Upon reclaiming the coupling I noticed that the barbs had simply been dissolved. 
I had a leak i repaired a month before before that the maintance man repaired a year ago out of a bag of couplings I had given him for times I'm not available(he is a 84 year old retired plumber). That coupling had a series of pin holes in it that at first I had just thought were because the gear clamps were touching the bass. He had told me after that it was only about a year since he had repaired it. 
At the end of the day he brought me 4 other couplings I have replaced within the past year that have wore pin holes through.
Has anyone else had an issue with lead free brass fittings? I'm pridnear scared crapless as I have easily 300 joints through out three counties that I have done that are buried. I know I'm going to loose sleep over this and I hope that this place isan isolated case because in a small town bad word spreads really fast.


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## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)

The coupling that the barbs dissinagrated


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Seems like you shouldn't be using brass with their water...

What's with using gear clamps?


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## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)

Redwood said:


> Seems like you shouldn't be using brass with their water...
> 
> What's with using gear clamps?


100psi poly pipe, use the great clamps to tighten the pipe to the barb. That is the industry standard in these parts. I'd rathe use system 160 series with corporation fittings how ever I'd be sitting home not making any money. Although now the company might be loosing money so it's a catch 22. This trailer park is on municipal water. The area that has been mostly affected has had questionable electrical work done. I hate to play the blame game but I'm wondering if there could possibly be a bad ground or stray current that is causing these failures.


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## czplumbing (Nov 24, 2014)

we use 200lbs poly and either brass or scedual 80


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Dpeckplb said:


> 100psi poly pipe, use the great clamps to tighten the pipe to the barb. That is the industry standard in these parts. I'd rathe use system 160 series with corporation fittings how ever I'd be sitting home not making any money. Although now the company might be loosing money so it's a catch 22. This trailer park is on municipal water. The area that has been mostly affected has had questionable electrical work done. I hate to play the blame game but I'm wondering if there could possibly be a bad ground or stray current that is causing these failures.


Sorry I brain farted and was thinking pex...

I'd use nylon barbs with a higher psi poly and see how that works out...


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## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)

Redwood said:


> Sorry I brain farted and was thinking pex...
> 
> I'd use nylon barbs with a higher psi poly and see how that works out...


I brain fart more than anyone probably. I think I'm going to try stainless barb fittings. I talked to our supplier they are only 1.50$ more than brass. I'd rather bury metal than plastic. They had nylon 90's under ground before.


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## czplumbing (Nov 24, 2014)

You may want to have an electric company come and checked the ground, it could very well be electrolysis seen that a few times, they need a special meter to detect it. Electrolysis is hard sometimes to detect


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## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)

We are an electrical company aswell. I think I should discuss that possibility. The area where all of these leaks have occurred had 9 or 10 panels replaced by a different electrical contractor. Our bid was higher, our boss usually tries to bid contracts high so we don't get them because he has a trailer there. He doesn't want to put up with other residents calling conflict of interest. It is possible that either the electrical company took the coating off of a wire underground. (they cut off and capped a sewer that served 20 trailers).


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