Copper pipe shelf life

[Jeremy p wright]

I am a GC and I have around $700 worth of unused type L or K left over from a commercial job I did a few years ago. I stored it outside and it gathered some leaf litter I have a project coming up for a friend's apartment building. Will this be ok to use? I asked one plumbing friend, he says it will be hard to clean but should be ok. Are there any technical problems with using it?

 

[Jeff Handy]

I would at least hose it all down, including blasting a strong stream inside each pipe to dislodge any crud or critters in there.
Then stack them slanted enough to get the water out from inside.

You will be polishing before soldering anyway, unless you are using ProPress. I have seen ProPress used to repair leaks on really old interior plumbing that was dark from age. No idea about how the o-rings will seal on that weathered surface, but they can be cleaned up anyway.

 

[Jeff Handy]

Maybe the inspector will be unhappy seeing the weathered pipes?

 

[frodo]

if it has been stored properly, and not just laying out on the ground, then heck yeah
it is good copper
if it has been laying on the ground or on concrete, then you need to inspect where it was in contact with the ground.
for pitting

i would go buy a $6.00 pack of open mesh sand cloth, the kind the sheet rock mud guy uses in his sanding pole
and knock off the real dirty stuff.

 

[Jeremy p wright]

Maybe the inspector will be unhappy seeing the weathered pipes?

It's an existing building, sonthe inspector won't see much of it and it will match the age of the building anyway so won't stand out

 

[Jeremy p wright]

Ok thanks for the help guys