Every piping system has its own separate issues as well as presents a different level of threat to the building owner / manager / operator.  Condenser water is always close to the top of concerns for any chief engineer or property manager due to its critical role, known higher corrosion levels, the potential to cause A/C interruption, as well as the capacity to produce catastrophic water damage.  Failures at threaded condenser water lines have been the cause of some of the most damaging piping failures we are aware.

Location is also important.  A condenser water main at the roof presents little to no real threat should a pinhole occur on the low pressure supply header.  Yet, that same diameter pinhole can produce massive damage and downtime where it crosses over a first floor data center under much higher pressure.

Storm drains, on the other hand, rate far lesser concerns, as do oil or natural gas lines.  Wet fire standpipe systems very rarely suffer any significant deterioration in contrast to dry and pre-action fire sprinkler systems which have been known to fail in under 5 years.  Their location, typically over critical electronic and computer services, always threatens a large scale financial loss should a leak occur.

For all piping systems, age has always been the primary enemy defining vulnerabilities and system longevity.  Today, however, lower quality pipe plus the many issues discussed on this Internet site make knowing the condition of all piping systems a major building management concern and responsibility.