O/T Lead Water Main into house

[KeegansHairPiece]

Buying a 1930's house and there is some lead piping in the house, plus the mains water into the property to the stop cock is a lead pipe.

Anyone got any advice opinion about how safe that is? Something to be concerned about, or something many old properties live with?

Presumably to remove it, it would need a new main put in from the street across the front garden into the house?

Many thanks for any help.

 

[Uncle C]

Oh dear.

 

[KeegansHairPiece]

So as I thought, not good...

https://www.southernwater.co.uk/lead-plumbing

 

[Creaky]

The supply pipe to our house is lead - we've lived here for nearly 40 years and it hasn't done us any harm . . . . . . . . . . . . or has it

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

I would not worry too much about it, it's not like asbestos.
Millions of homes have lead pipes still.
When I did my surveyors course it was something that was flagged up as information for the customer rather than a warning that it should be replaced asap.
Still best to get a free test just in case the level of lead is high but I very much doubt it.
I live in a Victorian house more probs with radon gas in the SW than lead.

 

[KeegansHairPiece]

Request from your water company a lead test, which they will probably do for free.

If you do choose to live there, always "flush" your pipes before usage, by running the water for 30 seconds or so.

Almost certainly, the quantity of lead in your water would be negligible, as a mineral coating lines lead pipes minimising lead corrosion.

Probably nothing to worry about, but of course it would best to replace them if possible.

I would not worry too much about it, it's not like asbestos.
Millions of homes have lead pipes still.
When I did my surveyors course it was something that was flagged up as information for the customer rather than a warning that it should be replaced asap.
Still best to get a free test just in case the level of lead is high but I very much doubt it.
I live in a Victorian house more probs with radon gas in the SW than lead.

Thank you. I just read this too from the defra.gov.uk website which backs up what you're saying...

In hard water areas the scale that forms on the inside of pipes protects against the dissolution of lead from the pipe into the water. However in soft upland water supply areas there is a greater likelihood of lead from pipes being present in the water. Where this risk exists, water companies treat the water with orthophosphate and this reduces the problem significantly. None the less, particles of lead may build up in these older pipes and intermittently appear in tap water.

 

[happypig]

If you chose to remove it, don't worry about disposing of it. A nice travelling man will remove it from your driveway and won't even disturb you by ringing the doorbell to let you know.

 

[Uncle C]

The supply pipe to our house is lead - we've lived here for nearly 40 years and it hasn't done us any harm . . . . . . . . . . . . or has it

"Initially, lead poisoning can be hard to detect — even people who seem healthy can have high blood levels of lead. Signs and symptoms usually don't appear until dangerous amounts have accumulated".

 

[KeegansHairPiece]

Oh dear.

"Initially, lead poisoning can be hard to detect — even people who seem healthy can have high blood levels of lead. Signs and symptoms usually don't appear until dangerous amounts have accumulated".

Are you always this helpful and constructive?

 

[Simster]

Are you always this helpful and constructive?

That is typical of him, yes. Sad isn't it?

By the way, I've just moved into a 1930s house with lead. I'm sure this was raised by our solicitor too, but can't remember whether it was specifically the piping in the house or under the ground. Either way, it was deemed a very trivial risk as I recall. Good luck anyway. Obviously best to seek professional advice on this, but be reassured that this isn't an uncommon finding.

 

[KeegansHairPiece]

I have spoken to SW, and like someone else said they will come and test the water for free - so we'll do that when we move in for piece of mind.

Also, confirmed what others have said, in a hard water area the pipes are quickly lined with mineral buildup and so the likelihood of contamination from historic pipes is very slim.

 

[Paul Reids Sock]

Its one of the good things about scale and probably why there hasn't been a mandate to replace every lead pipe be it a supply pip or not.

There are talks about competition for household customers coming in from OfWat rather than waiting for it to go through Parliament (competition for non household customers took some thing like 10 yeas to come into effect) In the case of this happening, you will still own the pipe and still be responsible for it, but you might be able to wangle some form of payment toward it or even the full cost from your water company by playing it off against the competitors. They may even offer anyway, at my old company there was a customer that had had petro chemicals chucked into an open excavation outside his house, it leaked into his own pipe yet still got a full replacement from the company. Its a bit like Customer Side Leakage that most will fix free.

Also, you only own the pipe until your boundary edge so could be an argument there that the water company should replace it for you as they will own part of the lead pipe, it also means you won't have any horrendous traffic management costs to pay should you wish to replace it.

On the whole they are fine, most water companies have a lot of people on them and there aren't disastrous effects around the country, get the test done and check out your options if needed