Copper, fittings and chrome corrosion

[GrannyP]

Hello, its granny P here, presenting a problem with my bathroom fittings

I seem to be having an issue with the water in my property corroding the pipes and fittings.

See pics attached. I do have a water softener installed. Recently I had to change all the pop up wastes and when they were removed all the bits crumbled apart. The water also seems to be doing something to the chrome plating of the shower screen.

What could possibly be causing this issue? The issue is only present on where there is running water. There does not appear to be any of this type of corrosion on the radiator valves/pipes.

 

[footprints]

The shower screen will be anodized aluminum I expect so will corrode. A lot of fittings are not brass simply a cheaper metal that has been plated.
Just one thing comes to mind. I expect I am talking out of my **** but, if the problem is since the softener is fitted maybe as some softeners use salt perhaps the water is too salty causing corrosion?
I wait for the hoots of derision from other posters!

 

[JohnD]

Unless the softener has a severe and usual fault, there will be no salt in the tap water. The salt is used to regenerate the granules in the cylinder, and rinsed away afterwards.

The softener leaves a tiny amount of bicarbonate of soda (as used in self-raising flour, indigestion remedies, soluble paracetamol) into the tapwater as it absorbs the calcium.

 

[JohnD]

The whitish deposit on the flexible hose fittings is limescale from a weeping joint. The aluminium corrosion I don't know. What cleaning products do you use? Maybe it is from an acidic limescale remover. If it is water damage there might be a long term leak. Stand back and take a wider pic to put it into context.

The popup wastes are probably made of an alloy containing zinc, magnesium and aluminium, and will go dark grey when exposed to the air.

 

[oldbuffer]

I think there is more than one issue here:
1. I have a water softener (ion exchange, salt type). Any fittings not made of brass, copper or stainless steel are often made of a "pot metal", zinc based alloy. I find that these corrode very quickly and can only think it is the tiny traces of salt which find their way into the softened water as the softener does a refresh cycle. My softener is nearly 40 years old, and I would expect a more modern one to leave less salt in the water.
2. If a softener is installed after the system has been use for some time without one, the softened water will, over time, wash away the deposited lime scale. I suspect this is what happened on the isolation valve pictured, although presumably it is leaking to get lime scale in the first place.
3. I suspect the same (washing away of old lime scale) applies to the shower cubicle framing. Probably not noticed as lime scale lifted the chrome, but very noticeable once the lime scale has gone.
4. The waste fitting was probably made of pot metal and thus corroded by the salt traces. Only answer is to replace with a brass based one.
5. Despite all the above, I find having the water softener overall very positive. No lime scale on anything but the kettle, easy soap lathering, reduced use of soap and detergent. Good opportunity to work out who makes quality bathroom goods and who uses rubbish materials.

 

[benjiman]

Hmm