New valve/faucets w/Ace Duraflow coating in place

Hi all:
Replacing the existing valve (and trim) for a tub/shower in a building with copper supply lines that were treated about 7 years ago with the Ace Duraflo epoxy lining process and not sure what my options are.

I know that I can't sweat for any new changes because it melts the epoxy...also not sure if I am asking for trouble if I need to replace any of the existing line (say from the valve to the shower head) with new copper that obviously is NOT epoxy lined...am i going to end up with pinhole leaks in that section, which was the reason they did the lining?

I assume Sharkbite fittings are part of my no-sweating solution, but would love some advice on my best approach here. There's gotta be a way to make changes to things after the Duraflo process right?

Thanks in advance.

-David

WHY does there have to be? It was a "last ditch effort" to make a repair. Use brass nipples and Sharkbites if that is the way you want to go.

Well there doesn't HAVE to be, but i figure that the coating has been used frequently enough that some folks must have run into the situation.
Assume it would ideal to use as much of the existing pipe as possible?

The big question is why did they resort to pipe relining in the first place? If you have particularly aggressive water, then replacing the whole thing with cpvc or pex might be the only long-term answer. If the pipe was defective, new stuff should be okay.

Well if more background helps. Building is about 40 years old. In the DC area. 9-story building. We were among many buildings that developed an epidemic of pinhole leaks around 2002/2003, the cause of which was presumably something in the water but no one ever really figured out. Thus the epoxy.

The process has also been used in Las Vegas hotels also, besides many other areas. It is a "stop gap" measure and its effectiveness depends ENTIRELY upon how well the scouring prepares the pipe and whether the epoxy actually reaches and adheres to ALL the pipe's interior.

David,

Yes, there is a way to make changes to things after the DuraFlo process. The best advice is always to call the manufacturer or installer of the product. Methods and practices are always changing and improving. Last year, the best way of handling this situation could be completely different than how it is handled today, so I would ask people that install epoxy linings on a daily basis.

Also, there are different companies that install epoxy linings. If they are lined by ACE DuraFlo®, the lining will be white and there will be ACE DuraFlo® labels on the pipes. I work for ACE DuraFlo® and if the pipes have our ePIPE® lining, we suggest that you use Sharkbite® push on fittings. They are UPC approved and work great with ePIPE®. If you are going to solder on ePIPE®, only use fuel that will burn at a low temperature like propane gas. Also, do not over heat the fitting.

ePIPE® is only used on pressurized piping. You should not find any lining on the non-pressurized piping, such as the line from the valve to the shower head. However, should you ever need a piece of pre-lined pipe, contact your nearest ACE DuraFlo franchise and they should be able to help you. If you go to the ACE DuraFlo website, you should find a list of authorized installers.