"I've seen a few brass fittings get pretty gnarly after several years, especially in areas with harder water."
Yeah, I've definitely noticed this too. Had a rental property a few years back in an area with notoriously hard water, and the brass fittings under the kitchen sink turned into a crusty mess after about 4-5 years. It wasn't just cosmetic either—ended up with an annoying slow drip that drove me crazy until I finally swapped it out.
Funny thing is, I initially went with brass fittings because I'd heard they were reliable and easy to work with, but the corrosion issue caught me off guard. I did some research afterward, and it seems like brass can vary a lot in quality depending on the alloy mix. Cheaper fittings sometimes have more zinc content, making them more prone to dezincification, especially in hard water. So maybe it's not just your luck—could be the fittings themselves.
Since then, I've switched mostly to stainless steel or even PEX fittings under sinks. Stainless steel has held up really well for me, but I've also found that good-quality brass fittings (the ones specifically marked as resistant to dezincification) can last just as long if installed correctly. It's usually worth the extra couple bucks to get something that's rated for harder water.
Have you tried using dielectric unions or any kind of corrosion inhibitor? I've heard mixed things about their effectiveness, but I'm curious if anyone's had personal experience with them actually making a difference long-term.
I've never messed with dielectric unions myself, but I did try one of those corrosion inhibitor anodes once. Honestly, I couldn't really tell if it made a difference or not. The fittings still got pretty crusty after a few years, but maybe it slowed things down a bit? Hard to say. Has anyone here tried a whole-house water softener instead...wondering if that might be a better long-term fix for the hard water issue.
"Honestly, I couldn't really tell if it made a difference or not. The fittings still got pretty crusty after a few years..."
Yeah, same experience here—tried one of those anodes and it felt like tossing pennies in a wishing well. 😅 I bit the bullet and installed a budget-friendly whole-house softener about two years ago. Honestly, it's been night and day. Not only are my pipes happier, but my dishwasher and washing machine seem to appreciate it too. Definitely worth considering if you're tired of battling crusty fittings every few years...
Ha, tossing pennies in a wishing well pretty much sums up my experience too. I remember a customer who swore by those anodes, so I gave it a shot on a stubborn kitchen sink leak. Fast forward a year, and I was back under there scraping off crusty buildup and grumbling to myself. Eventually, I swapped out the fittings for brass ones and added a basic whole-house filter to cut down on sediment. Not as fancy as a full softener setup, but it did the trick for me—haven't had to crawl under that sink since (knock on wood).
"Not only are my pipes happier, but my dishwasher and washing machine seem to appreciate it too."
Yeah, appliances definitely notice the difference. I had a client whose dishwasher was practically choking on mineral deposits. After installing a softener, she joked that her dishes were finally clean enough to impress her mother-in-law...which apparently was no small feat.
Yeah, brass fittings were a game changer for me too. I tried those sacrificial anodes once—seemed promising at first, but ended up with the same crusty mess you described. Switched to brass and added a sediment filter...haven't had issues since. Even my coffee tastes better now.
