Epoxy Pipe Lining
Nu Flow’s cured-in-place epoxy pipe lining system restores, repairs and renews corroded piping systems without the costly expense and disruption of traditional pipe repair and replacement.

Pipe corrosion occurs in virtually all types of piping systems from the moment they are put into service. The adverse effects of this natural deterioration and corrosion build-up are all too familiar: colored, bad tasting and foul smelling drinking water, water filled with harmful heavy metals, poor flow and heat transfer, and an abundance of pinhole leaks caused by excessive chlorine exposure.

The Nu Flow cleaning and lining of your potable water system will restore and renew your piping system to better-than-original condition, and quickly eliminate dangerous leaching of heavy metals into your water in the most cost-effective and time-saving way possible means greater protection for your property and better health for you and your family. Our epoxy barrier coating is UL classified to NSF/ANSI Standard 61 and is approved and UPC-listed.

For full protection from heavy metals and harmful chloramines added by municipal water authorities, check out Nu Flow’s whole house water filtration system. Nu Flow is the only provider of a ‘whole-house water solution’. We’ll fix your pipes AND remove harmful chemicals and metals from the source, providing ‘better-than-bottled’ water quality from every fixture in your home.

The Problems

Pinhole and Slab Leaks
Your water bill has shot way up. You feel an extremely warm spot under your tile or - even worse, you come home to find your house flooded with water. Beyond the visible damage, in case of a flood, be aware that many homeowner insurance policies may not cover water damage and with policies that do, some may have water damage claim restrictions or your provider can even cancel your policy unless a whole-house plumbing system repair is performed. There’s no question this is a problem. What will your solution be? With Nu Flow’s proven epoxy pipe lining process, we can offer you fast, cost-effective solutions for now and the future.

If your house is at least five years old, it’s likely your pipes already have the all too common problem of pinhole leaks. Pinhole leaks are very small holes in water supply pipes and are especially problematic in copper piping, which happens to be the most prevalent form of pipe used in homes today. The leaks occur due to the erosion of the interior of the pipe through a structure’s walls and ceilings as well as slab leaks, where pinholes occur below the foundation of the home. This problem, while having previously occurred in older plumbing systems, has been tremendously heightened by the increase in chemicals and chloramines added to the water supply from municipal water treatment systems. Chloramines etch away at copper piping, causing leaks to occur in structures as little as five to ten years old.

To read more about Pinhole leaks and their causes and effects, click here.

A traditional repair option is a direct spot repair, where a plumber uses traditional methods to access a leak in a pipe. If pipe is above ground, the building structure is cut away and the leaking segment is replaced. The immediate problem is solved, but this method virtually guarantees another leak will occur in the near future since erosion rarely occurs only in one spot on a pipe. If the leak is under concrete slab, direct repair requires jack hammering to access the leak. Jack hammering is unadvisable, as it frequently weakens the entire pipe system, rendering it vulnerable to leaks in other areas.

The other traditional option is re-piping of the entire system. A re-pipe usually involves tremendous destruction to both interior and/or exterior surfaces, often requires the unsightly re-routing of pipe, and is typically expensive, messy, and takes several weeks to months to complete. Re-piping is the most expensive, destructive, and time-consuming method of repair.

Every consumer should understand that THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY is in crisis. After the massive loss¬es of September 11th and Hurricane Katrina, insurance providers are being hit with anoth¬er catastrophe on a global scale: failing copper pipe systems and pinhole leaks. Copper piping has been used for decades by plumbers in most structures and is now fail¬ing at an alarming rate. Copper pipe failures and resulting water leaks are causing billions of dollars in structural damage and increased health-related claims. Insurance companies are raising rates dramatically and may, after a single leak, cancel or refuse to write home¬owner policies. Once a claim has been filed, a history of the claim activity on the property is recorded in a database used by the insurance industry. The database, called "CLUE," is an acronym for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange. Once a claim is placed in the CLUE database, a property can be virtually “blacklisted,” and it becomes increasingly difficult if not impossible to obtain insurance coverage from other carriers. Imagine what happens to a property’s value once it becomes uninsurable….

To read more on the CLUE system and its ramifications, click here.

The Nu Flow system will solve the immediate problem as well as prevent future problems in less time, with no destruction, and for less money. (top)

Water Flow, Smell and Discoloration
Have you noticed a drop in your water pressure? When pressure is down, but your water bill is up, it’s often due to a leaky pipe or corrosion build-up within your pipe system. This problem occurs in both copper and galvanized piping systems. Within 15-20 years as much as 70% of a pipe's original flow capacity is lost as a result of internal pipe corrosion. Water pressure rises as flow is forced through smaller and smaller openings in corroded pipes. Increased flow weakens the piping system and crumbles the corrosion residue. The residual particles are then picked up in water flow, delivering the residue along with water, to the faucet.

Municipal suppliers add chemicals to the water supply to meet EPA requirements for control of bacteria levels. These additives - mainly chloramines, etch into pipe walls and are sometimes detectable in water’s smell, taste, and coloration. On average, there is as much or more chlorine in tap water as there is in a typical swimming pool. Chlorine etching erodes the pipe wall, eventually creating pinhole leaks which result in broken pipes if undetected. The chlorine interaction with metal pipe causes heavy metals to leach into a system’s water supply.

Nu Flow’s epoxy barrier coating will solve the problem and prevent future pipe corrosion and water flow problems caused by corroded pipes. (top)

Heavy Metal Leaching
Who wants to hear that their tap water can actually make them sick? Unlike chloramines, which may leave a residual taste, color or smell, the most harmful metals - including lead and copper, are undetectable by taste, color or smell – making them a particularly insidious health hazard. Chlorine interaction with metal pipe causes heavy metals to leach into water carried within a pipe. Research studies conducted by the EPA and other government bodies and educational institutions reflect a growing concern over the presence of heavy metals in drinking water and the adverse effects of high lead and copper levels in infants, children and pregnant women. The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services postulates that lead is the number one environmental threat to our children’s health. Increasing exposure rates are caused by continued consumption of water from aging, corroded potable water systems. Many systems are still fitted with original lead-based pipe, are fitted with lead-based plumbing fixtures or, more frequently, lead is used to fuse copper pipe systems together. According to the EPA, on average, 10-20% of a child’s lead exposure will come from drinking water.

Lead and copper contamination in household drinking water can lead to serious, long-term health problems.

The Nu Flow process and its UL classified to NSF/ANSI Standard 61 epoxy barrier coating ensures that water used for drinking, cooking, and bathing no longer comes in contact with the copper, lead solder, or lead contained in a structure’s potable water system. Nu Flow has a proven track record of reducing excessive lead and copper levels from poison pipes to far below EPA requirements in homes and commercial buildings around the world. (top)

The Process

Pipe Preparation and Cleaning
The existing pipe system is inspected for integrity, and spot repairs on excessively worn joints and fittings are made where necessary. Valves are removed and their locations are temporarily fitted with unions and/or couplings used during the restoration process. Sitting water is drained from the pipe system and air is introduced into the system to test for leaks. The pipe runs being restored are then dried with heated compressed air to remove all moisture. An air medium is introduced to distribute an abrading agent throughout the pipe to remove all rust and corrosion material. The removed corrosion material is then gathered into a collection unit. Air is again surged through the pipe to remove any residual debris and remnant dust. (top)

Epoxy Lining the Pipes
The cleaned pipe system is re-heated to create an optimal internal pipe surface environment prior to epoxy coating. An air pressure leak test is again performed prior to coating. Conditioned air is then introduced into the pipe to uniformly distribute the epoxy lining throughout the pipe segment. Following the coating application, continuous controlled air is sent through the piping to facilitate epoxy curing. (top)