pin holes in tank?

1874

Just wondering if pinhole leaks in a tank is a sign of hardwater issues or is it more likely that its due to the water in the heating system being the problem, its not my tank so im just curious as i thought of it after it was mentioned to me. I suppose it would depend more on the location but I believe its near or at the immersion element which would suggest not the heating supply.Can they be caused by both? i definitely had a pinhole leak in a rad once and i ended up replacing a few rads around that time, but that was I suspected i had a small leak all along and i believe freshwater was entering the hearing system as the fill valve was open unbeknown to me. This appears to be in the tank so copper.

Could this happen in a stainless steel tank from either of the above, would be thinking that would be the way to go in the longterm myself.

1874

anyone? are pinhole leaks caused or helped by hardwater? I wouldnt have thought so, thought they caused other problems like build up of limescale in the pipes, trying to get a heads up and the recent IW problem reminded me i have scale stains on my showerhead, should I be doing anything to protect my plumbing/washing machine and are stainless steel tank less susceptible?
Are there any problems associated with adding a water softener in terms of affecting the plumbing? ie damaging it? Ive read somewhere soft water (not sure if they meant just by artificial means) makes the water combine less well with soap for washing, and it possibly doesnt taste as nice as harder water.
My own water hardness seemed fine up till about a year or so ago maybe, no apparent problems with scale and the water seemed ok, few instances of low pressure and then started using a Brita filter.

TheBoyConor

Hard water causes issues with soap not lathering right. Soft water is fine.

Hard water is alkaline and won't, in itself, cause corrosion or holes.

Your leak could be anything really.
How old is the tank?
Was it damaged at any stage?
Is it good quality or just some no-name chinese junk brand?

Copper generally won't corrode unless your water is acidic and if it is hard water it is not acidic.

I would think your leak is either from damage or from your tank being faulty from day one.

1874

TheBoyConor wrote: »

Hard water causes issues with soap not lathering right. Soft water is fine.

Hard water is alkaline and won't, in itself, cause corrosion or holes.

Your leak could be anything really.
How old is the tank?
Was it damaged at any stage?
Is it good quality or just some no-name chinese junk brand?

Copper generally won't corrode unless your water is acidic and if it is hard water it is not acidic.

I would think your leak is either from damage or from your tank being faulty from day one.

Its not my tank, so I cant answer the questions, I got the impression the tank wasnt that old ( its someone elses who mentioned it to me in passing in work) but it got me thinking as my water is apparently getting harder, as I noticed that there were blockages and residues on my own shower head, ( and it was later confirmed that Iw were supplementing the supply with well water).
I wanted to see if there is any precautionary measures to prevent problems myself or steer the other person correctly as I think they may replace their tank and end up with the same problem down the road (they seem to think hardwater is causing it), as a stainless tank replacement was mentioned, I wondered could this be susceptible to pinholes also (and I cannot see why not eventually if its acidic water causing the problem) but I wasnt completely sure.
Anyway they have a pinhole in their tank, I think they said near the immersion so that potentially rules out the heating supply water

TheBoyConor

Hard water is alkaline, not acidic. It will not corrode a tank.
It is most highly unlikely that water coming from the IW mains will be acidic. It will have a neutral ph or slightly alkaline.

If they suspect that their water is hard then they should ask IW for the water quality data so they can quantify the hardness and they can then consider if installing a water softener is appropriate.

Either way, if the tank has a hole in it it either needs to be repaired or replaced, depending on the condition of the rest of the tank. A copper tank cane be soldered, brazed or TIG welded to repair a leak.

I would only do this if the tank is of good quality. There are a lot of no-name tanks being sold in plumbing and builders suppliers that are of very dubious provenance that should be avoided. They could have manufacturing faults from day 1.

1874

Thanks for the replies, and Not to try keep dragging you back to this thread, they did mention they had a water softener (as the water is hard) to prevent issues with limescale build up,

from what I gathered they seem to be treating the water to prevent limescale but then drinking unsoftened water as it comes from the tap. Im not sure if that then means they have softened water at their bathroom taps too? Im presuming this isnt potable?

Could softened water be causing them their problems? if hard water is alkali, then is soft water acidic? maybe that and as you say weakness/damage or poor quality cylinder have caused their leak?


It seems unusual that I might ask these questions asits not affecting me, but having heard of the problem, Im considering the options myself, Im not absolutely convinced hardwater is such a problem for me in my area, but the hardness has definitely increased, probably not so much that Id need a softener, but if one was required, I dont want to solve one problem (limescale build up) and introduce another (potentially damaging the whole system or highlighting a weak point where it fails, probably somewhere inaccessible).

TheBoyConor

They most likely have softened water in their bathroom taps. The kitchen cold tap would be taken off the rising main in the house upstream of the softener. Well that is how is should be. It depends how it is installed at the end of the day.

It might be possible that softer water is more on the acidic side. But it is not a certainty. the only way you will know is to test the water's ph.

looksee

Soft water is low ph, which means tending towards acidic. However we were told on the same subject that while low ph will cause 'greening' from the pipes, it is not actually corrosion. We have a well which is (now) softened as it comes into the house. All the cold taps are off this supply (this would/should not be the case off mains supply) so we would be drinking softened water.