Cause of Pipe Failure

Many factors affect the life expectancy of plumbing systems.

• Manufacturing Defects. Residual stress from improper manufacturing increases the chance of cracking and pinhole leaks later on. 
• Improper Installation. Improper installation can cause premature failure. This includes contact with concrete or dissimilar metals, lack of pipe support, and poor workmanship.
• Design Defects. Undersized drain lines can lead to clogs, excessive corrosion, and premature failure.
• Location. Drain lines on ground floors suffer from the combined gravitational effects of cumulative use and corrosion.
• Improper Use. Garbage disposals introduce grease and food residues that adhere to the interior walls of pipes, causing stoppages and backups, and often premature corrosion.  
• Corrosion. All metals corrode when they contact water, air, and chemicals. Corrosion can be internal, such as through contact with water and caustic cleaning chemicals, and external, such as from salt air near the ocean or contact with acidic or alkaline soils. 
• Patterns of Occupancy. In occupied homes, pipes maintain a consistent moisture level. In homes used only sporadically, pipes can dry out, which can lead to cracking. Piping in high-population buildings typically accumulates more corrosion and buildup. 
• Lack of Maintenance. Without routine preventive maintenance, such as hydrojetting main sewer lines, pipes can fail prematurely.
• Highrise Considerations. A midrise or highrise building adds another level of complexity with sophisticated mechanical systems that use pumps to distribute flow throughout the building via large-diameter steel piping. Each part of the system is prone to failure and can cause catastrophic water damage.

Telltale Maintenance Patterns. A good way to determine whether the pipes in your building are nearing the end of their life expectancy is to watch for emerging maintenance patterns. You'll see more pinhole leaks, clogs, and backups; more homeowner complaints; and more service calls. Particularly if you are managing mold from water damage caused by plumbing leaks, it may be time to evaluate replacing the system as a whole rather than making spot repairs.

Partial Repairs

If boards choose to replace some lines with copper but not others, mixing copper with galvanized can cause galvanic corrosion between the dissimilar metals, which will speed pipe deterioration. As a result, partially replacing galvanized lines is not a permanent solution. Sometimes, you can gradually replace plumbing in an older building. Following is a program implemented by one association:

Because our building is 35 years old, we assume a plumbing drain problem inside a unit extends to the entire line. So instead of repairing the immediate problem, we replace the line serving the unit and the units above and below. We allocate $8,000 per year for unidentified plumbing work in the Reserve Study. We attack the problem from the outside of the building, wherever possible, to minimize the inconvenience of repairs inside units. This almost always requires removing and replacing the stucco, but it is no worse than the cabinet, drywall, and painting inside the unit. It is much easier to coordinate work on the outside, which means it gets done sooner. This policy has virtually eliminated weekend plumbing emergencies. -Mike G.

Slab Leaks

Most housing in California is built on concrete slabs. This includes townhouses. During construction, water lines and drain lines either run beneath the slab or are embedded in it. At some point, water lines can fail. Some of the warning signs of a slab leak include: (i) warm or damp spots on the floor, (ii) low water pressure, (iii) higher water bills, (iv) the sound of running water, and (v) the water meter spinning with nothing running inside the house. 

Liability. Responsibility for repairing the leak depends on whether the townhouse is a condominium or a single-family home in a planned development. The association's CC&Rs should describe responsibility. In a 2010 case, the Dover Village Association (Association) is a 38-unit condominium complex in Newport Beach. A deteriorated cast-iron sewage pipe beneath Jennison’s condo was venting sewage. The leak seeped up into the floors and carpet of Jennison’s unit. The repairs were extensive and cost about $15,000. The work required cutting through Jennison’s floor, jackhammering the concrete slab underneath, and trenching out and replacing about 50 feet of sewer pipe connecting Jennison’s condo to the main service line. A dispute arose as to who was responsible. The association argued it was the owner's responsibility because it was an exclusive-use drain line. The court disagreed because the CC&Rs did not identify the lines as "exclusive use." (Dover Village Association v. Jennison (2010) 191 Cal.App.4th 123)

Repairs. The method of repair will depend on what kind of line failed--drain line or water line. For water lines, many associations will re-route pipes through walls and attics rather than jackhammer the slab. Boards should explore all options with a plumbing company to decide which method is best for their association. 

Insurance. Insurance may cover slab leak damage if the leak results from a covered peril such as fire, wind, explosions, or falling objects, but not if it results from maintenance issues or wear and tear.

Reserving for Pipe Replacements

A “lifetime building component” may be a correct reserve study term, but it's a misnomer, since nothing lasts forever. This is particularly true of piping systems. To generalize, galvanized steel pipes have a life expectancy of 30-50 years, copper 40-75 years, and cast iron 50-75 years, but it is not unusual to see pipes fail prematurely. Because most reserve studies have a 30-year horizon, HOAs rarely plan for pipe replacement. Unfortunately, that can result in system failures, water damage to buildings and personal property, mold, and loss of use.

Insurance

Many insurance carriers will not pay for water leak damage if they determine the damage resulted from the board's failure to replace the failing lines. Insurance will normally pay for sudden, unexpected losses, but not losses where the board knew about the problem and took no action to correct it. Other carriers will pay for the damage, but by the third or fourth leak, they will cancel the policy. Once canceled, new insurance premiums will be significantly higher.

Repiping Projects

Evaluation methods include videoing and hydrojetting sewer and storm drain lines, physical inspection, destructive testing, pipe sampling and analysis, and prototype repairs to typical units. Pipe replacement costs vary significantly because of accessibility issues. The costs of opening walls in units to expose the plumbing lines and repairing those walls can exceed the pipe replacement itself. Pipe replacement projects offer many options and combinations, which can be determined only after a thorough investigation.

Alternative Technologies. Pipe coating and lining are attractive options because they avoid costly demolition and renovation within units. These processes must be carefully considered for appropriateness. Often, a combination of strategies is best.

Re-piping projects often encounter hazardous materials. In the planning phase, before establishing the budget, it's wise to include a pre-demolition survey to determine the prevalence of hazardous materials. If any pipe failure has caused water damage, anticipate mold. Mold remediation can add 25% or more to a project's total cost.

ASSISTANCE: Associations needing legal assistance can contact us. To stay current with community association issues, subscribe to the Davis-Stirling Newsletter.