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Ocean County
Wells & Pipes

Wells, town water, septic and raised houses, from the Pines to the bay

Raised housesIn brief

Salt air works on the metal holding your pipes up

Salt air corrosion on pipes and hangers is worth checking on any raised house near the bay or ocean, from Long Beach Island to Brick and Toms River. FEMA treats corrosion as a coastal materials problem. You can look from the ground and leave any repair to licensed people.

Compiled from the sources listed at the end. Sources checked .

For houses raised or built up on pilings, in Long Beach Island, Toms River, Brick, Stafford & Manahawkin.

Boardwalk rail in front of white sand dunes with beach grass and low shrubs
Dunes and salt air at Island Beach State Park, 2016.

FEMA's P-499 handles this in two places. Fact Sheet No. 1.7, on coastal building materials, covers flood, wind, corrosion and decay resistance, and it names hot-dip galvanized steel for protection. Fact Sheet No. 8.3 is on protecting utilities. Separately, FEMA's plumbing Fact Sheet 3.4.3 calls for "corrosion-resistant connectors and fasteners" on elevated tanks in coastal areas. That line is about tanks. We read it as a reason to look at the other metal in that air.

This brief sets no schedule for pipe hangers. Look when you are down there anyway.

What can you check from the ground?

Keep your feet on the floor and your hands to yourself. A flashlight and a phone camera will do.

  • Rust streaks or flaking on straps, hangers and the screws that hold them
  • A green or orange crust where metal pipe meets a fitting
  • A strap that has let go, or a line that sags between supports
  • Drips, wet spots or stains on the floor below
  • Fasteners that look newer on one end of a run than the other, a sign of an earlier repair worth asking about

Photograph anything odd and show it to a New Jersey licensed master plumber. If you do not know what a line is, the list in our story on what changed under your house can help you sort it out.

Also asked

Should I paint over rust on a pipe strap?

Paint can hide a strap that has lost its strength, so show it to a plumber first.

Is rust on a water line a health question?

It can be a question to raise. If your water shows a change, ask your utility or a certified lab about testing.

Where this comes from