In the earliest days of high pressure steam boilers, extremely small "tell tale" holes were drilled partially into its shell and heads from the outside in order that a small leak would develop after internal corrosion had reached a certain point internally.

     The theory was that as the internal wall deteriorated, it would meet the partially drilled hole, develop a small but controlled leak, and thereby signal that the vessel wall had reached that predefined point where further operation was unsafe. Then, the boiler could be removed from service before deteriorating further and potentially exploding.


     While such "tell tale" holes presented certain inherent problems, such as stopping the leak once started, they did offer perhaps the most accurate corrosion warning since it was the steel of the boiler itself deteriorating under true internal corrosion conditions. Such pre-drilled "tell tale" holes were actually the first corrosion monitoring devices patented back in the 1900's for boilers and pressure vessels . Although no longer employed, they still remain as one of the most accurate indicators for corrosion loss.


     Having a predefined wearable surface, CorrView ® basically acts like the "tell tale" hole from a century ago. CorrView ® allows for a similar failure event to occur - but instead safely contains the leak within its fully sealed, high pressure sight glass. Liquid entering into its core then triggers a high visibility warning indication at its clear front viewing window.

     Physically, the CorrView ® monitor is similar in form to a standard hex shaped pipe plug - except that is has a sight glass window, a hollow interior chamber, and water contacting thin wearable metal surface.

     Under normal conditions, this sight window shows a white color signifying normal monitoring status. As long as the wear dimension of the liquid inserted side of CorrView ® remains intact, the sight window will always remain white.

     This normally occurring or default color may remain for one year or decades - all depending upon the level of corrosion within the pipe, in combination with its wearable dimension. For example, CorrView ® installed into a chilled water system having a corrosion rate of 0.3 MPY would easily last many decades.

     Once in place, CorrView's ® forward surface wears and corrodes at the approximate rate of the pipe itself since it is manufactured from the same grade of steel commonly used in black iron pipe. The major benefit of CorrView ® is that it experiences the same corrosive deterioration due to electrical and galvanic forces, chemical effects, flow and erosion, microbiological attack, and all other environmental influences commonly existing within most piping systems - but absent the corrosion coupon rack. View corrosion testing reports

     Manufactured from a solid piece of bar stock, the forward surface of CorrView ® is precision machined to provide a fixed wall thickness at its front. This is either 0.035, 0.050, 0.100, 0.150 in., or any thickness dimension specified.

     CorrView ® remains in place, constantly wearing thinner depending upon the interior piping environment, and will signal a bright visual alarm should a high corrosion condition produce sufficient wall loss. The varying dimensions of its front surface provides great flexibility in monitoring needs.

     Once the forward or liquid inserted side of CorrView ® corrodes sufficiently to produce a water or moisture leak into its interior cavity, the normal white color at the sight window turns bright fluorescent orange - signifying a failure condition and a likely corrosion problem.

     CorrView's ® vivid color change can be seen at distances well exceeding 40 ft., and provides a universally recognized signal that a problem condition exists. This color change is permanent and non-reversible.

     Each CorrView ® corrosion monitor is provided with a two part identification tag to both identify its purpose and to also direct any watch engineer of exactly who to notify. The tag is self laminating to protect the contact information from moisture or environmental damage, with the bottom tear off stub providing further tracking information.

     Its that simple, making CorrView ® the perfect addition to every corrosion monitoring program. It especially offers benefits to those smaller or less critical piping systems or tanks which, though they may not represent a serious corrosion threat, still warrant some attention.

     Standard forms of CorrView ® are CNC machined from solid bar stock of the equivalent to ASTM A 53 grade B mild steel - the most commonly used material in HVAC, fire sprinkler, process water piping, and many recirculating systems. Additional metals, from stainless steel to copper are available on special order. CorrView ® can be manufactured from any metal alloy commercially available or provided to CVI.

     Standard models are available in U.S. pipe thread sizes 1-1/2 in. NPT - making it ideal for most HVAC piping, fire protection, and process water systems. Thread sizes 3/4 in. and 1 in. NPT will be available. On special order, CorrView ® is also available in any standard NPT, BPT, AWWA, or metric thread size.

     A clear quartz sight glass at the front of CorrView ® provides the window through which indication of a problem condition is shown. This sight glass is thermally fused into the steel itself, and is custom manufactured to strict specifications. It is impact resistant, and is certified to 10,000 PSI - well beyond any operating limits and thereby safely containing any internal piping pressures. View a pressure test report.

     During extreme condition testing for artic applications, whereby a fully water filled CorrView ® unit was frozen solid, the 0.100 in. thick wearable steel surface bulged due to the tremendous pressures of the expanding ice, estimated at over 7,000 PSI, whereas the fused sight glass never cracked or leaked.



     Under normally low corrosion conditions, CorrView ® may remain in place for decades without change. Similar to an electrical fuse for any power circuit, CorrView ® remains passive to provide peace of mind that high wall loss is not occurring. Under high corrosion conditions, however, and especially where strict corrosion control has not been maintained, CorrView ® will provide years of advance notice that a problem exists. Review some of its many recommended applications.

     CorrView ® is a single use only device - to be removed and disposed of after a warning indication has taken place. Until that time, it provides a cumulative measurement of wall loss. In effect, CorrView ® acts as a virtual "Pipe Fuse" - remaining in place to signal a hidden or otherwise unknown corrosion problem.



     Each CorrView ® corrosion monitor is permanently stamped with its wear dimension, and manufacture date, and comes with a heavy duty vinyl tag suitable for recording all necessary user information, test location, and most importantly - the installation date. Each unit is manufactured entirely in the U.S. It is quality inspected during manufacture, carefully assembled, and then finally inspected prior to shipping. An installation manual is provided.

     We recommend installing CorrView ® directly into a threadolet fitting or open port in order for it to best experience the same corrosion conditions as the pipe itself. For those 24/7 piping systems or other applications where a shutdown may not be possible or desired, CorrView ® should be installed at sections of pipe that can be isolated - such as at individual pumps, cooling towers, heat exchangers, or refrigeration machines.

     Please contact CorrView International, LLC for any further information regarding availability, quantity discounts, representation, resale, or custom configurations, etc. Contact CVI.


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