Lead pipes are the original building block of most plumbing systems, but they can have some significant drawbacks over time. This post covers the different issues associated with lead pipes.

Lead pipes can corrode and break.

One of the biggest problems with lead pipes is that they can corrode over time. The lead piping may be held together with a solder joint in many older homes. Since the solder is an oxide, it will not hold up against corrosion and eventually break down. Eventually, the pipe will rust from the inside out, creating a leak that usually results in a huge water bill. While this problem is not as bad for newer homes that have installed plastic plumbing, it is still important to check your water bill regularly when you have an older home, as this problem can also happen in these older homes.

Lead pipes are brittle.

Lead pipes were originally made to be brittle. This is because they will break if they are hit too much or bent. That means that lead pipes will crack and break easily if they aren’t handled with care. Lead piping has been known to crack under the following circumstances:

Recent studies established a link that drinking tap water from older homes with lead pipes could increase cancer risk. The long-term effects of this are still not known, but it’s something to be wary of should you live in an older home with lead piping or if you have any children in your home who might drink tap water regularly. Since the problem is the same as regular lead solder, it may not be entirely safe to drink tap water from a house built before the 1980s and still has its original plumbing system intact.

Lead pipes degrade the quality of your water.

The biggest problem with lead piping is that it is known to leach lead into the water that passes through it. While this means that you should avoid drinking lots of tap water while lead drains are still installed in your home, it also means that you can get sick from drinking too much water when lead drains are poorly maintained. That can happen if you have a well or if your local municipality is not keeping its pipes clean. Luckily, most municipalities will take steps to ensure their pipes stay clean, but ask your local plumber to check for any concerns about the quality of your water supply before he does anything else.

Lead pipes pose a threat to public health because of their toxicity levels and how they leach into drinking water. They also create heavy financial burdens on cities due to rising maintenance and repair costs that can take decades to complete.

 

For more information, contact Vinny’s Jersey Plumbing, located in Wayne, New Jersey.  We also service other towns in New Jersey, such as Hackensack, West Orange and Parsippany.