Lead water pipes

Hi
Following a thread I posted on here he other day about plumbing in my washing machine - one kind user spotted my mains water pipe looks about to pop.
The plumber has been and confirmed this and said all the pipework is old and lead.
Should I be drinking this water ? Is it safe ?
I have never had lead pipes before so do not know much about them

Comments

  • greyteam1959
    greyteam1959 Posts: 4,565
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    If you are worried about the lead pipes just make sure that you run your tap for a minute or two before using the water.
    It's not something that would worry me though.
    You might be surprised how many lead pipes are still on the go in millions of properties.
  • MrsStepford
    MrsStepford Posts: 1,546
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    When we moved into our house we had no idea that the main into the house was lead - until it burst. That was easily replaced with plastic piping BUT as lead is a good conductor of electricity, sparkies of yore would attach the Earth to it.

    However, if the water main in your road has been replaced with plastic and you have lead with an Earth on it - the Earth won't work and you need to get an electrician in.
  • blackshirtuk
    blackshirtuk Posts: 542
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    However, if the water main in your road has been replaced with plastic and you have lead with an Earth on it - the Earth won't work and you need to get an electrician in.

    But the pipe is buried in the ground, or earth. Isn't that the intended destination for any electricity in the earth wire?
  • MX5huggy
    MX5huggy Posts: 6,819
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    However, if the water main in your road has been replaced with plastic and you have lead with an Earth on it - the Earth won't work and you need to get an electrician in.

    No as long as the lead pipe is the earth it will provide an earth it doesn’t need to be connected to a metal pipe meters away in the street.

    I’ve had the lead pipes at 2 properties replaced FOC with plastic by water companies. I did have to do the digging myself.
  • tonyh66
    tonyh66 Posts: 1,736
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    MX5huggy wrote: »
    No as long as the lead pipe is the earth it will provide an earth it doesn’t need to be connected to a metal pipe meters away in the street.

    I’ve had the lead pipes at 2 properties replaced FOC with plastic by water companies. I did have to do the digging myself.

    You can use an earth spike to ground your electricity supply. no need to connect it to a metal pipe in the street.
  • sevenhills
    sevenhills Posts: 5,838
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    restless6 wrote: »
    Hi
    Following a thread I posted on here he other day about plumbing in my washing machine - one kind user spotted my mains water pipe looks about to pop.
    The plumber has been and confirmed this and said all the pipework is old and lead.
    Should I be drinking this water ? Is it safe ?
    I have never had lead pipes before so do not know much about them


    Grants may be available for replacing lead pipes. Contact your Local Authority before you start work.
  • JohnB47
    JohnB47 Posts: 2,536
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    restless6 wrote: »
    Hi
    Following a thread I posted on here he other day about plumbing in my washing machine - one kind user spotted my mains water pipe looks about to pop.
    The plumber has been and confirmed this and said all the pipework is old and lead.
    Should I be drinking this water ? Is it safe ?
    I have never had lead pipes before so do not know much about them

    I'm pretty sure he didn't say it was about to pop, only that it is a lead pipe. That sort of swollen joint is common on lead piping - its solid lead, not thin skinned like a balloon. So, to my mind, it's just a case of you not wanting to drink water fed through lead - fair enough.

    Every house I've lived in has water fed through lead, at least into the house. Actually, my wife and I currently drink only bottled water - my wife can't stand the taste of tap water and I started drinking bottled after a year of gut problems. No idea if it helped cure that but the problem has gone and I'm happy to continue drinking bottled. Nothing to do with lead though - may be something to do with chemicals added to tap water. I found this advice on the Anglian Water site:

    If you choose not to replace any lead pipework in your property,

    "Only use water from the kitchen cold tap for drinking and cooking, as hot water dissolves more lead than cold. Never cook or mix infant formula using water from the hot tap.

    Run the tap for a few minutes before you use the water and make sure you feel the temperature drop before cooking, drinking or brushing your teeth. This is especially important if the water has been standing for a long time in the lead pipes, such as overnight."

    I'm a cynic and I particularly like the advice about running the cold tap 'for a few minutes' before drinking. Useful advice to waste water from a company that charges you for it. Still, probably cheaper than bottled.

    Personally I wouldn't worry. I wonder if any reputable agency has done any research on the levels of lead typically found in drinking water fed through lead piping and the possible health risks.
  • EachPenny
    EachPenny Posts: 12,239
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    JohnB47 wrote: »
    Personally I wouldn't worry. I wonder if any reputable agency has done any research on the levels of lead typically found in drinking water fed through lead piping and the possible health risks.
    The problem with lead is it is a cumulative poison. The human body gets rid of it relatively slowly, so if your intake is greater than the body's ability to remove it then the concentration of lead in your body will gradually increase over time.

    Therefore even a very small quantity of lead in drinking water could over time cause some people to have significantly high levels of lead in them. Even if studies show that the quantity of lead in drinking water is not a significant concern for the general population, you could be one of the unlucky ones whose previous/ongoing exposure to lead in other forms and/or individual body chemistry, combine to cause a level of lead which has a harmful effect.

    The safe course of action is to identify potential sources of lead exposure and eliminate them where feasible. If your local water company or council will pay for your lead pipes to be replaced then it would be crazy not to. :)
    JohnB47 wrote: »
    Every house I've lived in has water fed through lead, at least into the house. Actually, my wife and I currently drink only bottled water - my wife can't stand the taste of tap water and I started drinking bottled after a year of gut problems. No idea if it helped cure that but the problem has gone and I'm happy to continue drinking bottled. Nothing to do with lead though - may be something to do with chemicals added to tap water.
    We're not supposed to give medical advice on the forum, so I'll just quote a bit from wikipedia and leave it at that.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_poisoning#Signs_and_symptoms
    Early symptoms of lead poisoning in adults are commonly nonspecific and include depression, loss of appetite, intermittent abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and muscle pain.
    "In the future, everyone will be rich for 15 minutes"
  • konark
    konark Posts: 1,260 Forumite
    As JohnB47 says that is a standard wiped solder lead joint and it's definitely not going to pop. Lead pipes are so old they are probably all lined with limescale etc by now so the water won't really be touching the lead.


    By the way, don't forget to weigh the lead in when you replace it, it should help pay for the replacement pipe.
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