Dezincification causes severe corrosion around water valves that are not built with proper materials. The corrosion is rock hard and looks like cauliflower growing around the pipe. This can result in water damage to the area around the water heater and beyond.
Defective Water Valve Lawsuit
While your damages alone may not be enough to warrant the action of an attorney, the thousands of people in the same situation probably have similar damages. All it takes is for one person to stand up and say this is not right; someone needs to pay for my damages.
By the time most people find out about the problem, extensive damage has already occurred and the replacement of the valve is that much more troublesome. When one purchases a new home, one does not expect to have a leaking water heater in the first years of ownership. However, homes throughout the country are falling victim to this problem caused by cheap water valves.
There is no risk to the consumer if you have an attorney ask for compensation. Plaintiff's attorneys generally get paid if and when they win the case. The consumer gets the valve replaced and the manufacturer is punished for not using proper equipment on their water heaters.
There are thousands of water valve manufacturers, most of these are made in China or Taiwan. Some manufacturers abroad include Golna, Kuhnway, SNSR, Puricom, Seven Universe, Valve-Tek, Mars Valve. Other U.S. water valve providers include Brady Products, Watts, EZ-FLO, American Valve, Gilmour, and Plumb Pak. These companies may offer zinc and zinc-copper water valves.
What is Dezincification?
Dezincification selectively removes zinc from the alloy, leaving behind a porous, copper-rich structure that has little mechanical strength. An in-service valve suffering from dezincification has a white powdery substance or mineral stains on its exterior surface. The valve may exhibit water weeping from the valve body or stem/bonnet seal.
Why Dezincification Occurs
Copper-zinc alloys containing more than 15% zinc are susceptible to dezincification. Zinc is a highly reactive metal, as seen in its galvanic series ranking. This reactivity stems from the fact that zinc has a very weak atomic bond relative to other metals. Simply, zinc atoms are easily given up to solutions with certain aggressive characteristics. During dezincification, the more active zinc is selectively removed from the brass, leaving behind a weak deposit of the porous, more noble copper-rich metal.
Common signs that dezincification is occurring include:
