Washington Office Building Water Pipe Restoration Prevents Leaks, Lead Contamination Plaguing D.C. Area.

Energy Editors/Business Editors/Environment Writers

WASHINGTON, D.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 12, 2004

ACE DuraFlo's Protective Internal Pipe Coating Costs

Less Than Pipe Replacement

Public concern has grown in recent months about a plague of pinhole water leaks and high lead contamination levels in drinking water piping systems in the District of Columbia and suburban Maryland and Virginia.

Thousands of homeowners in Maryland have experienced costly piping failures due to pinhole leaks in copper pipes. At the same time, more than 4,000 homes in the region served by the Washington, D.C. Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) have tested far above the federal limit for lead contamination in water. In both cases, authorities are proposing complete replacement of water piping systems, both inside homes and outside, from the water main to the house. Such an undertaking is extremely costly, however, requiring extensive tear-down and replacement of interior walls as well as destruction of sidewalks and landscaping in addition to the pipe replacement itself.

The worst aspect is -- there's no guarantee that the new copper piping won't corrode within a few years anyway, causing the same problems all over again, according to Larry Gillanders, CEO and chief technology officer of ACE DuraFlo Systems LLC, an industry-leading provider of barrier coatings for lining the interior of potable water lines using a unique in-place pipe restoration technology.

"These problems being encountered in the D.C. area are caused by pipe corrosion, which is an insidious danger that is showing up in municipalities throughout the country," Gillanders said. "A major theory as to why leaks are showing up now involves an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirement that water districts must remove natural organic material (NOM) from drinking water, which makes the water itself more corrosive to pipes. In addition, the use of lead solder for joining pipes and fittings wasn't prohibited until 1988, so many older homes have lead solder joints that leach lead into the household water supply. Many people are now hit with a double whammy that is getting more serious every day."

So what can homeowners do?

Anti-Corrosion Barrier Coating

There is a more effective solution to the problem than replacing pipes, however. It involves the installation of a unique barrier coating that can be applied to the insides of existing household water pipes, providing a chemically inert protective lining. This coating not only prevents metal leaching into household water, it also prevents the major cause of water damage and mold formation in homes today -- pinhole leaks in corroding copper, lead or galvanized steel piping.

Gillanders' company, ACE DuraFlo(R) Systems LLC, based in Placentia, Calif., provides an alternative to repiping that has multiple patents pending. This service can be performed on the average home in just a day or two -- without tearing down walls. After shutting off the water supply, technicians connect special equipment to key access points in the water piping system and perform three primary steps. First, pipes are drained, heated and air-dried. Then the insides of the pipes are cleaned using special corundum to remove any scaling or corrosion of the metal. Finally, a proprietary epoxy is dispersed throughout the plumbing pipes, under pressure, to form the protective barrier coating. The coating completely seals the pipe, joints and fitting surfaces. Families can move back into their homes the next day and be assured they'll no longer have to worry about over-the-limit lead content originating from their household piping systems or pinhole leaks that cause water damage or mold growth.

"While we can't do anything about the lead content in water as it enters anyone's property, we can protect their internal piping system from corroding or leaching metals," Gillanders said. "This process doesn't remove the lead from the water, but it seals any lead pipes, lead solder or copper behind the epoxy barrier coating so that water-to-metal contact is eliminated."

Validation of the ACE DuraFlo approach is provided by a well-known office building in downtown Washington, the 1776 G Street building, across from the west wing of the White House. "The water in the building was tested for lead contamination and its lead content tested well above the EPA guideline," Gillanders said. "The management of the building was very proactive about the situation and lined the building's piping system using our protective coating technology. When the water was re-tested, the water quality was well within the EPA guidelines.

"Another growing issue is potential liability for landlords if they provide drinking water that is contaminated by corrosion of their building piping systems," he added. "Metal leaching into the drinking water can create a situation in which the water leaving the faucet may exceed EPA guidelines. This technology provides a permanent, safe solution for use in potable water systems; we use only coating materials that are certified safe for such use by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and the International Association of Plumbing & Mechanical Officials (IAPMO)."

About ACE DuraFlo

The ACE DuraFlo system is based on "in-place" water pipe restoration technology that uses a proprietary barrier coating technology to repair and restore pipes right within the walls of a home or building, without tearing them out. This revolutionary technology, which has multiple patents pending, has been successfully used by the U.S. Air Force, hospitals, universities, major hotels, resort facilities, apartments and industrial facilities worldwide for nearly 30 years. The ACE DuraFlo system repairs piping systems in half the time and with substantial cost savings when compared to a complete repiping of homes and buildings.