u/EnvironmentalYou8696

Protecting Copper HVAC Tubing from Corrosion in a Sewage Gas Environment
I am looking for advice from materials engineers or corrosion specialists.
I live in a remote area where a nearby canal has effectively become an open sewage channel because many houses discharge their wastewater directly into it. As a result, the area is constantly exposed to foul-smelling gases.
Over the years, every air conditioner I have installed has eventually developed refrigerant leaks due to pinhole corrosion in the copper tubing. In addition, exposed copper electrical conductors gradually change from their normal copper color to black, suggesting that the atmosphere is highly corrosive.
I was advised to coat the copper tubing with varnish, but the tubes still corrode and eventually develop leaks.
My questions are:
Is hydrogen sulfide the most likely cause of this type of copper corrosion, or could other sewage gases or environmental factors be responsible?
Is there a coating or barrier that can effectively protect copper tubing in this type of environment?
If no permanent solution exists, what protective coatings or treatments provide the longest service life and can be reapplied periodically?
Are there industrial standards or best practices for protecting copper tubing in continuously H₂S-rich or sewage environments?
I would appreciate answers based on corrosion science, materials engineering, or practical field experience rather than general HVAC advice.

Protecting Copper HVAC Tubing from Corrosion in a Sewage Gas Environment
I am looking for advice from materials engineers or corrosion specialists.
I live in a remote area where a nearby canal has effectively become an open sewage channel because many houses discharge their wastewater directly into it. As a result, the area is constantly exposed to foul-smelling gases.
Over the years, every air conditioner I have installed has eventually developed refrigerant leaks due to pinhole corrosion in the copper tubing. In addition, exposed copper electrical conductors gradually change from their normal copper color to black, suggesting that the atmosphere is highly corrosive.
I was advised to coat the copper tubing with varnish, but the tubes still corrode and eventually develop leaks.
My questions are:
Is hydrogen sulfide the most likely cause of this type of copper corrosion, or could other sewage gases or environmental factors be responsible?
Is there a coating or barrier that can effectively protect copper tubing in this type of environment?
If no permanent solution exists, what protective coatings or treatments provide the longest service life and can be reapplied periodically?
Are there industrial standards or best practices for protecting copper tubing in continuously H₂S-rich or sewage environments?
I would appreciate answers based on corrosion science, materials engineering, or practical field experience rather than general HVAC advice.

السلام عليكم

علي، ٢٢ سنة، بغداد.

طالب هندسة ميكانيك — وأول دفعة بكلية كانت معهد، يعني الفرصة مو متاحة لكل أحد وأنا من ضمنها.

من عمري ١٤ وأنا أشتغل بمحل قطع غيار سيارات، ٨ سنوات وأنا أشتغل وأدرس بنفس الوقت. الناس اللي أشتغل وياهم محترمين وما وقفوا بوجه دراستي يوم. بوقت الامتحانات يخلوني أروح وأرجع بعد ما أخلص.

أهلي يعتمدون عليّ وما عندي وقت فراغ زايد — بس طموحي أكبر من وضعي الحالي.

المشكلة مو إني ضايع — المشكلة إن عندي أكثر من طريق مفتوح وأريد أعرف أي واحد أركز عليه:

أول شي — أفتح محل قطع غيار لحالي. عندي الخبرة من ٨ سنوات، بس لازم أدرس السوق أكثر وأفهم التسعير والربح صح

ثاني شي — أكمل بالهندسة وأشتغل شركة أهلية. الخريجين اللي سألتهم قالوا الرواتب ما تنزل عن مليون ونص

ثالث شي — أكمل دراسات عليا وأصير تدريسي بالكلية أو أنتقل للتكنولوجية

رابع شي — عندي جماعة مهندسين معماريين يشتغلون بالطباعة ثري دي، ببالي ندخل مشروع مشترك ونفتح مكان للطباعة

خامس شي — أتعلم غرافيك ديزاين، بس هذي الأضعف عندي لحد الآن وما بديت بيها بعد

أنا مو أدور أحد يشجعني — أدور أحد مر بموقف قريب مني ويحچيلي بصدق شنو سوى وشنو تمنى لو سوى غيره.

المهم عندي مصدر دخل مضمون — بعدها باقي الخطوات تنحل 😄

Salam everyone,

Ali, 22, Baghdad.

Mechanical engineering student — first batch of a college that used to be an institute, so it's a rare spot and I'm part of it.

Since I was 14 I've been working at an auto parts shop, 8 years of working and studying at the same time. The people I work with are respectful and never got in the way of my studies — during exams they let me take time off and come back after.

My family depends on me and my free time is limited — but my ambition is bigger than my current situation.

The problem isn't that I'm lost — the problem is I have more than one open path and I need to figure out which one to focus on:

1st — Open my own auto parts shop. I have 8 years of experience, but I need to study the market and understand pricing and profit properly first

2nd — Finish my engineering degree and work at a private company. Graduates I talked to said salaries don't go below 1.5 million IQD

3rd — Continue with postgrad studies and become a lecturer at the college or transfer to the University of Technology

4th — I have friends who are architects and work with 3D printing, thinking of starting a joint venture and opening a 3D printing shop

5th — Learn graphic design, but this is the weakest option for me right now and I haven't started yet

I'm not looking for motivation — I'm looking for someone who's been in a similar spot and can tell me honestly what they did and what they wish they'd done differently.

A stable income source first — everything else can follow 😄أ