Pitting corrosion in faucets: What is it and how do you prevent small holes in your spout?
Are you experiencing unexplained, small holes in your faucet spout over time? There's a good chance you're dealing with pitting corrosion. At Vervangingsmarkt, we regularly receive questions about this problem. Not only does it look unsightly, but it can also lead to annoying leaks.
In this article, we explain exactly what pitting corrosion is, how it develops, and – more importantly – how you can easily fix it and prevent it in the future.
What exactly is pitting corrosion?
Pitting corrosion is an electrical phenomenon that occurs in water installations. As strange as it may sound, the cause lies in flowing water in combination with a small voltage difference.
When you turn on the faucet, the flowing water creates, as it were, an electrical connection between the faucet and the sewage system. This creates a slight electrical current between these parts. This small current causes a chemical reaction: metal atoms are loosened from the faucet material and dissolve in the flowing water.
How does the damage to your faucet occur?
Pitting corrosion can in principle occur with all types of faucets, regardless of brand. The process works as follows:
- Dezincification: Virtually all faucets are made of a brass alloy, which contains zinc. Due to the electrical current, the zinc is extracted from the brass from the inside.
- Formation of holes: Because the material is slowly attacked from the inside, microscopic holes (pits) eventually form that ultimately break through the outside of the faucet.
- Design faucets: With luxury design faucets, this problem often becomes visible more quickly. These faucets are generally more refined and thinner finished than standard faucets, which means the material corrodes faster.
How can you prevent pitting corrosion?
Fortunately, the solution is relatively simple. Because the problem is caused by electrical voltage, the solution is to properly ground the faucet. This safely dissipates the voltage. You can do this in two ways:
1. Grounding via the water line
You can ground the faucet by attaching an earth wire to the mounting thread end (at the bottom of the faucet body). You then connect this wire to a fully copper, grounded water line that runs uninterrupted to your meter cabinet. Note: if plastic piping (polyethylene or multilayer pipe) has been used anywhere in the piping, this method does not work well.
2. Grounding via an electrical outlet (The best solution)
A safer and even better solution is to ground the faucet directly via a grounded electrical outlet. The electrical voltage is dissipated most efficiently and safely this way. When you do this correctly, pitting corrosion hardly ever occurs again.
⚠️ Attention! Address the cause Do you replace a faucet that has been damaged by pitting corrosion, but don't adjust the grounding? Then there's a very good chance that your new faucet will have exactly the same problem over time. We therefore strongly recommend that you permanently fix the situation when replacing it. This way you avoid unnecessary costs and future damage.
