Unusual "patina" on copper plumbing

[David Meiland]

Saw this today in a 2004 house. The copper has aged to an odd color, especially the flex connectors. Washer and dryer are in this room, which is in a walkout basement. Any explanation for this?

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[Jim Katen]

Laundry chemicals.

[David Meiland]

I was wondering about that. There were no laundry machines installed (they are being replaced), but the connection for the dryer vent looked poor, and I suspect a fair amount of the exhaust air ends up in the room.

[Jim Katen]

You don't even need it to be in the exhaust. An open container is all it takes.

[Tom Raymond]

I had one house with a well and chlorinater where all the copper was black. Even the brass valves on the boiler were darker than your pics.

[palmettoinspect]

Yep, looks to be the same type of corrosion you'd typically see under a bathroom sink where all the cleaning chemicals are stored.

My wife spays this clearer (Scrub Free) on the tubs to clean them and they eat the drain to the point where it needs to be replaced. Works great at cleaning the tubs though.

[RCHI1434]

You don't even need it to be in the exhaust. An open container is all it takes.

Wow Jim I love a lot of your posts I never would have thought of that but it makes sense. If it does that to pipes just think what it does to us!!!