To Remove Lead Water Pipes, First You Must Find Them

[progressive hunter]

I don't think solder ever comes in contact with the water on a copper pipe joint if it is done right. So that is a non-issue as well.
The solder is what makes the joints watertight, of course it comes into contact with the water. That's why they banned it.

How many copper pipes have you soldered? None, didn't think so. I made my living working with just that medium. The configuration of the soldered joint never allows the water to contact the solder. The solder just holds the pipe in place. Just STFU, you don't know shit.

If you aren't smart enough to know that you need to solder a copper sweat joint I highly doubt that you worked with that medium. Better yet, you put a sweat joint together without solder and stand under it while I turn the water on.

how does it make it water tight if it never touches the water??

OK I'll make it really simple. You have a sweat joint with say a straight pipe and an elbow. You clean the outside of the pipe and the inside of the elbow, then you slide the elbow onto the pipe. Fits kinda snug but is not water tight, trust me if you turned the water on now it would blow the two pieces apart. . The solder fills the gap between the two pieces of copper, fills it completely otherwise it would leak. So not only does the solder weld the two pieces of copper together it acts as the seel to keep the water in. The water is pushing on the solder so of course it comes in contact with it.

OK Einstein, when you slide the small pipe into the expanded end of the pipe it can only go in 1-1.5 inches and then it stops because it butts up to the necked down expansion. If the end of the small pipe is square, there will be a hairline opening .001" or less. The solder does not enter the water course of the pipe--it only serves to hold the pipe in place. Truth be known, the impurities in the water will soon fill that .001 crack and no, the water will not contact the solder. SMH.

The solder fills the gap. That means it touches the water.

One last time, there is a point where the internal copper pipe butts up to the external pipe--the solder does NOT enter the water course--it fills a capillary gap and holds the two pipes together. Maybe this graphic will make it clear, but I seriously doubt it.
View attachment 479002View attachment 479002
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according to your diagram the water touchs the solder,,

and thats in a perfect world,, the chances of a straight cut and a solid compression against the back of the fitting is ZERO,,,

 

[farmer]

Sorry, got confused with the quote stream

That's not the only thing you are confused about, moron.

Safe drinking water for everyone in America is an important goal, and Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan makes a $111 billion investment toward that. While the majority of the funding goes to modernizing water treatment and delivery systems and remediating potentially harmful chemicals like PFAS, what’s gotten the most attention is a $45 billion initiative to “replace 100 percent of the nation’s lead pipes and service lines.”

If we could manage to do this, it would make a huge difference. Lead exposure has been credibly linked to stunted child development, kidney disease, auditory problems, brain damage, behavioral challenges, and more provocatively, crime. We eliminated leaded gasoline and paint in the 1970s and yet it still lingers as a persistent problem. And part of that comes through water tainted as it flows through lead pipes.

But if you want to replace all the lead water pipes in America, the first thing you have to do is find all the lead water pipes in America.

First 100: To Remove Lead Water Pipes, First You Must Find Them

And then you have to remove the whole pipe, including the part on private property.

prospect.org

This sounds like it has the makings of a chaotic nightmare. I don't have a problem with it as long as homeowners are not having to come up with money to replace them.

in all my 45 yrs of working on old houses I have never seen a single lead water pipe,, they are used fro drain pipes but not water pipes because they cant handle the pressure,,

I've been a Realtor for 45+ years and never saw a lead pipe. polybutylene piping has been a major problem in our area but we're about through all the houses built with that material.

You won't find many lead pipes inside a house. Mostly they are the supply lines under the street and up to the house. Our small town is slowly redoing the older streets and putting in new water and sewer lines. Finding lots of lead water lines in the oldest parts of town.

 

[Jim H - VA USA]

Safe drinking water for everyone in America is an important goal, and Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan makes a $111 billion investment toward that. While the majority of the funding goes to modernizing water treatment and delivery systems and remediating potentially harmful chemicals like PFAS, what’s gotten the most attention is a $45 billion initiative to “replace 100 percent of the nation’s lead pipes and service lines.”

If we could manage to do this, it would make a huge difference. Lead exposure has been credibly linked to stunted child development, kidney disease, auditory problems, brain damage, behavioral challenges, and more provocatively, crime. We eliminated leaded gasoline and paint in the 1970s and yet it still lingers as a persistent problem. And part of that comes through water tainted as it flows through lead pipes.

But if you want to replace all the lead water pipes in America, the first thing you have to do is find all the lead water pipes in America.

First 100: To Remove Lead Water Pipes, First You Must Find Them

And then you have to remove the whole pipe, including the part on private property.

prospect.org

This sounds like it has the makings of a chaotic nightmare. I don't have a problem with it as long as homeowners are not having to come up with money to replace them.

>But if you want to replace all the lead water pipes in America, the first thing you have to do is find all the lead water pipes in America.

I suppose the logical way to go about it is to test homes, and if the lead content is high, then test the water being supplied to the home to determine if the source is the home, the supply, or both.

If the lead content is not high, no need to replace the pipe, even if is does have lead content or solder.

In some cases, it might make more sense to simply run new lines, instead of removing the old ones at possible extra cost.

Jesus christ people. Just look at your water meter. The inlet side will tell you what kind of pipe feeds your house

> Jesus christ people. Just look at your water meter. The inlet side will tell you what kind of pipe feeds your house

Who cares. What matters is lead content at the tap.

Older cars are not as safe as newer ones. either. It doesn't mean that ones that are working perfectly fine need to be replaced preemptively.

 

[Markle]

This is an easy fix. Houses in urban areas are fed from the street, usually from a metering box with 100 feet of the house. The feeds can be retrofitted with PEX. This can be done by giving contracts to local plumbers, creating jobs for them, as well as the suppliers, as well as the manufacturers of the pipe and fittings. Homeowners get an upgrade to their houses, increasing their value, fixing the toxic water problem at the same time.

First, how many and where are these water systems with lead pipes. Every public water system is required to monitor their water and report the quality to their customers and government annually. Which ones report toxic levels of lead? Any? How many kids report having toxic levels of lead in their blood?

This is a shining example of Democrats "solving" a problem that does not exist. Democrats are desperate to distract attention from real problems our country faces.

By the way, the broken mirror theory has been proven, many times, to be a complete failure.

 

[Markle]

In really old houses water mains are cast iron with lead solder.

In really new houses water pipes are copper with lead solder. I think lead in water is mostly an excuse for Dem PORK. If Dems want to accomplish something for the environment they should fix their broke ass sewage systems in their cities and stop spilling hundreds of millions of gallons of raw untreated sewage into public rivers and oceans.

I don't know about your area but I've been a Realtor here in Florida for over 45 years. I have never seen copper with leaded joints used in new or any other sort of construction. Material and labor costs are way too high. Maybe that's just here in Florida.

 

[bripat9643]

In really old houses water mains are cast iron with lead solder.

In really new houses water pipes are copper with lead solder. I think lead in water is mostly an excuse for Dem PORK. If Dems want to accomplish something for the environment they should fix their broke ass sewage systems in their cities and stop spilling hundreds of millions of gallons of raw untreated sewage into public rivers and oceans.

I don't know about your area but I've been a Realtor here in Florida for over 45 years. I have never seen copper with leaded joints used in new or any other sort of construction. Material and labor costs are way too high. Maybe that's just here in Florida.

No, that's true pretty much everywhere. It used to be quite common, but now plastic pipe is much cheaper.

 

[bripat9643]

Sorry, got confused with the quote stream

That's not the only thing you are confused about, moron.

Safe drinking water for everyone in America is an important goal, and Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan makes a $111 billion investment toward that. While the majority of the funding goes to modernizing water treatment and delivery systems and remediating potentially harmful chemicals like PFAS, what’s gotten the most attention is a $45 billion initiative to “replace 100 percent of the nation’s lead pipes and service lines.”

If we could manage to do this, it would make a huge difference. Lead exposure has been credibly linked to stunted child development, kidney disease, auditory problems, brain damage, behavioral challenges, and more provocatively, crime. We eliminated leaded gasoline and paint in the 1970s and yet it still lingers as a persistent problem. And part of that comes through water tainted as it flows through lead pipes.

But if you want to replace all the lead water pipes in America, the first thing you have to do is find all the lead water pipes in America.

First 100: To Remove Lead Water Pipes, First You Must Find Them

And then you have to remove the whole pipe, including the part on private property.

prospect.org

This sounds like it has the makings of a chaotic nightmare. I don't have a problem with it as long as homeowners are not having to come up with money to replace them.

in all my 45 yrs of working on old houses I have never seen a single lead water pipe,, they are used fro drain pipes but not water pipes because they cant handle the pressure,,

I've been a Realtor for 45+ years and never saw a lead pipe. polybutylene piping has been a major problem in our area but we're about through all the houses built with that material.

You won't find many lead pipes inside a house. Mostly they are the supply lines under the street and up to the house. Our small town is slowly redoing the older streets and putting in new water and sewer lines. Finding lots of lead water lines in the oldest parts of town.

The main supply lines are always cast iron. I never heard of lead being used for this purpose.

 

[Markle]

You won't find many lead pipes inside a house. Mostly they are the supply lines under the street and up to the house. Our small town is slowly redoing the older streets and putting in new water and sewer lines. Finding lots of lead water lines in the oldest parts of town.

Was the water system being tested at toxic levels of lead? Doubtful. Were the kids being tested being reported as having toxic levels of lead?

 

[Concerned American]

In really old houses water mains are cast iron with lead solder.

In really new houses water pipes are copper with lead solder. I think lead in water is mostly an excuse for Dem PORK. If Dems want to accomplish something for the environment they should fix their broke ass sewage systems in their cities and stop spilling hundreds of millions of gallons of raw untreated sewage into public rivers and oceans.

I don't know about your area but I've been a Realtor here in Florida for over 45 years. I have never seen copper with leaded joints used in new or any other sort of construction. Material and labor costs are way too high. Maybe that's just here in Florida.

On the west coast, we don't see a great deal of copper pipe in water systems. My place has copper in the manifolds for the radiant heat system, but generally, potable water systems are PVC or galvanized steel pipe--some faucet connectors are reinforced tygon tubing, but I think there is very little if any lead pipe on the west coast. The places I have heard mentioned are Detroit and Chicago.

 

[Markle]

Older cars are not as safe as newer ones. either. It doesn't mean that ones that are working perfectly fine need to be replaced preemptively.

It did to the failed administration of President Obama. Remember the boondoggle called "Cash for Clunkers".

 

[Jim H - VA USA]

Safe drinking water for everyone in America is an important goal, and Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan makes a $111 billion investment toward that. While the majority of the funding goes to modernizing water treatment and delivery systems and remediating potentially harmful chemicals like PFAS, what’s gotten the most attention is a $45 billion initiative to “replace 100 percent of the nation’s lead pipes and service lines.”

If we could manage to do this, it would make a huge difference. Lead exposure has been credibly linked to stunted child development, kidney disease, auditory problems, brain damage, behavioral challenges, and more provocatively, crime. We eliminated leaded gasoline and paint in the 1970s and yet it still lingers as a persistent problem. And part of that comes through water tainted as it flows through lead pipes.

But if you want to replace all the lead water pipes in America, the first thing you have to do is find all the lead water pipes in America.

First 100: To Remove Lead Water Pipes, First You Must Find Them

And then you have to remove the whole pipe, including the part on private property.

prospect.org

This sounds like it has the makings of a chaotic nightmare. I don't have a problem with it as long as homeowners are not having to come up with money to replace them.

Oh look, the safety of PEX is questioned as well...

Whelton recently published a study examining PEX piping in Journal — American Water Works Association.

“PEX pipes caused greater odor than the polypropylene pipe and released more organic carbon as well as volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds. Water quality impacts were less after 30 days. Regulated and unregulated contaminants were found in three PEX plumbing systems. Drinking water odors were attributed to toluene, ethyl-tert-butyl ether, and unidentified contaminants,” the study said.

Scientists Raise Questions About How PEX Pipes Affect Water

<p>Plastic pipes used in water systems are raising concern among some scientists about the potential for leaching chemicals into tap water.</p>

www.wateronline.com

Whoopdeedo. I have drunk plenty of water out of nasty-smelling outdoor hoses.

Pick your poison...

How Does Leaching Affect Water Quality?

 

[farmer]

You won't find many lead pipes inside a house. Mostly they are the supply lines under the street and up to the house. Our small town is slowly redoing the older streets and putting in new water and sewer lines. Finding lots of lead water lines in the oldest parts of town.

Was the water system being tested at toxic levels of lead? Doubtful. Were the kids being tested being reported as having toxic levels of lead?

Don't know, my point was that there were lead water pipes in the street. They are doing it smart, if you already have the street tore up replace everything so you don't have to do it again if something fails in a few years. Most of these lines are 60 to90 years old. They will fail eventually.

 

[Concerned American]

Safe drinking water for everyone in America is an important goal, and Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan makes a $111 billion investment toward that. While the majority of the funding goes to modernizing water treatment and delivery systems and remediating potentially harmful chemicals like PFAS, what’s gotten the most attention is a $45 billion initiative to “replace 100 percent of the nation’s lead pipes and service lines.”

If we could manage to do this, it would make a huge difference. Lead exposure has been credibly linked to stunted child development, kidney disease, auditory problems, brain damage, behavioral challenges, and more provocatively, crime. We eliminated leaded gasoline and paint in the 1970s and yet it still lingers as a persistent problem. And part of that comes through water tainted as it flows through lead pipes.

But if you want to replace all the lead water pipes in America, the first thing you have to do is find all the lead water pipes in America.

First 100: To Remove Lead Water Pipes, First You Must Find Them

And then you have to remove the whole pipe, including the part on private property.

prospect.org

This sounds like it has the makings of a chaotic nightmare. I don't have a problem with it as long as homeowners are not having to come up with money to replace them.

Oh look, the safety of PEX is questioned as well...

Whelton recently published a study examining PEX piping in Journal — American Water Works Association.

“PEX pipes caused greater odor than the polypropylene pipe and released more organic carbon as well as volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds. Water quality impacts were less after 30 days. Regulated and unregulated contaminants were found in three PEX plumbing systems. Drinking water odors were attributed to toluene, ethyl-tert-butyl ether, and unidentified contaminants,” the study said.

Scientists Raise Questions About How PEX Pipes Affect Water

<p>Plastic pipes used in water systems are raising concern among some scientists about the potential for leaching chemicals into tap water.</p>

www.wateronline.com

Whoopdeedo. I have drunk plenty of water out of nasty-smelling outdoor hoses.

Me too! There is one thing that is guaranteed the day you are born and that is that one day you will die. Some just die at a slower rate than others. By all of the cautions that I have received over my lifetime, I should have died 30 years ago. Still kicking, Thank you very much. Best advice--Use COMMON SENSE and don't let government science frighten you or influence your decisions.

 

[bripat9643]

Safe drinking water for everyone in America is an important goal, and Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan makes a $111 billion investment toward that. While the majority of the funding goes to modernizing water treatment and delivery systems and remediating potentially harmful chemicals like PFAS, what’s gotten the most attention is a $45 billion initiative to “replace 100 percent of the nation’s lead pipes and service lines.”

If we could manage to do this, it would make a huge difference. Lead exposure has been credibly linked to stunted child development, kidney disease, auditory problems, brain damage, behavioral challenges, and more provocatively, crime. We eliminated leaded gasoline and paint in the 1970s and yet it still lingers as a persistent problem. And part of that comes through water tainted as it flows through lead pipes.

But if you want to replace all the lead water pipes in America, the first thing you have to do is find all the lead water pipes in America.

First 100: To Remove Lead Water Pipes, First You Must Find Them

And then you have to remove the whole pipe, including the part on private property.

prospect.org

This sounds like it has the makings of a chaotic nightmare. I don't have a problem with it as long as homeowners are not having to come up with money to replace them.

in all my 45 yrs of working on old houses I have never seen a single lead water pipe,, they are used fro drain pipes but not water pipes because they cant handle the pressure,,

The entire issue in Flint Michigan with their water pipes was due to lead in the water system, so it's a fallacy to say this isn't a problem in the USA.

So far, all we know is that it's an issue in Flynt Michigan.

 

[bripat9643]

You won't find many lead pipes inside a house. Mostly they are the supply lines under the street and up to the house. Our small town is slowly redoing the older streets and putting in new water and sewer lines. Finding lots of lead water lines in the oldest parts of town.

Was the water system being tested at toxic levels of lead? Doubtful. Were the kids being tested being reported as having toxic levels of lead?

Don't know, my point was that there were lead water pipes in the street. They are doing it smart, if you already have the street tore up replace everything so you don't have to do it again if something fails in a few years. Most of these lines are 60 to90 years old. They will fail eventually.

The problem isn't with the pipes in the street. It's with the pipes in the houses.

 

[progressive hunter]

You won't find many lead pipes inside a house. Mostly they are the supply lines under the street and up to the house. Our small town is slowly redoing the older streets and putting in new water and sewer lines. Finding lots of lead water lines in the oldest parts of town.

Was the water system being tested at toxic levels of lead? Doubtful. Were the kids being tested being reported as having toxic levels of lead?

Don't know, my point was that there were lead water pipes in the street. They are doing it smart, if you already have the street tore up replace everything so you don't have to do it again if something fails in a few years. Most of these lines are 60 to90 years old. They will fail eventually.

The problem isn't with the pipes in the street. It's with the pipes in the houses.

thats incorrect,,

 

[Markle]

In really old houses water mains are cast iron with lead solder.

In really new houses water pipes are copper with lead solder. I think lead in water is mostly an excuse for Dem PORK. If Dems want to accomplish something for the environment they should fix their broke ass sewage systems in their cities and stop spilling hundreds of millions of gallons of raw untreated sewage into public rivers and oceans.

WRONG!!!

new houses get mostly pex and very few get copper and those that do are required to use leadfree solder,,,

Houses built up to 1998 still contained lead in the copper pipe solder.

Really? Who knew?

Why are you always so eager to prove your ignorance on virtually any topic?

The 1950s
Use of lead pipes mostly stopped in the 1950s. Most cities replace lead pipes they find when they are replacing water mains. Homeowners are typically responsible for replacing lead pipes from the shut-off to their home.


1986
How Old Is the Plumbing in Your Home? Solder connects pipes in household plumbing. In 1986, the U.S. mandated a lead-free solder for plumbing, so the age of your house and knowledge of when the plumbing was installed can help you. If your house was built before 1986, your plumbing may have lead solder.

 

[Dragonlady]

Safe drinking water for everyone in America is an important goal, and Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan makes a $111 billion investment toward that. While the majority of the funding goes to modernizing water treatment and delivery systems and remediating potentially harmful chemicals like PFAS, what’s gotten the most attention is a $45 billion initiative to “replace 100 percent of the nation’s lead pipes and service lines.”

If we could manage to do this, it would make a huge difference. Lead exposure has been credibly linked to stunted child development, kidney disease, auditory problems, brain damage, behavioral challenges, and more provocatively, crime. We eliminated leaded gasoline and paint in the 1970s and yet it still lingers as a persistent problem. And part of that comes through water tainted as it flows through lead pipes.

But if you want to replace all the lead water pipes in America, the first thing you have to do is find all the lead water pipes in America.

First 100: To Remove Lead Water Pipes, First You Must Find Them

And then you have to remove the whole pipe, including the part on private property.

prospect.org

This sounds like it has the makings of a chaotic nightmare. I don't have a problem with it as long as homeowners are not having to come up with money to replace them.

in all my 45 yrs of working on old houses I have never seen a single lead water pipe,, they are used fro drain pipes but not water pipes because they cant handle the pressure,,

The entire issue in Flint Michigan with their water pipes was due to lead in the water system, so it's a fallacy to say this isn't a problem in the USA.

So far, all we know is that it's an issue in Flynt Michigan.

Who is this “we” you speak of? I posted a link to an article that said the 10 million homes are being served by lead pipes in the United States.

Apparently millions of people are aware that this is an ongoing issue, but you are not one of them.

 

[progressive hunter]

Safe drinking water for everyone in America is an important goal, and Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan makes a $111 billion investment toward that. While the majority of the funding goes to modernizing water treatment and delivery systems and remediating potentially harmful chemicals like PFAS, what’s gotten the most attention is a $45 billion initiative to “replace 100 percent of the nation’s lead pipes and service lines.”

If we could manage to do this, it would make a huge difference. Lead exposure has been credibly linked to stunted child development, kidney disease, auditory problems, brain damage, behavioral challenges, and more provocatively, crime. We eliminated leaded gasoline and paint in the 1970s and yet it still lingers as a persistent problem. And part of that comes through water tainted as it flows through lead pipes.

But if you want to replace all the lead water pipes in America, the first thing you have to do is find all the lead water pipes in America.

First 100: To Remove Lead Water Pipes, First You Must Find Them

And then you have to remove the whole pipe, including the part on private property.

prospect.org

This sounds like it has the makings of a chaotic nightmare. I don't have a problem with it as long as homeowners are not having to come up with money to replace them.

in all my 45 yrs of working on old houses I have never seen a single lead water pipe,, they are used fro drain pipes but not water pipes because they cant handle the pressure,,

The entire issue in Flint Michigan with their water pipes was due to lead in the water system, so it's a fallacy to say this isn't a problem in the USA.

So far, all we know is that it's an issue in Flynt Michigan.

Who is this “we” you speak of? I posted a link to an article that said the 10 million homes are being served by lead pipes in the United States.

Apparently millions of people are aware that this is an ongoing issue, but you are not one of them.

I think we are past the time you should worry about america and focus on your own country,,,

Canada is now officially a totalitarian shithole

the level of this is amazing,, how can you call yourself a decent people when you allow the government to do this to you for just going to church,, JAILED the pastor, STORMED the church, FENCED it off, now DOZENS of Covid TROOPS in gas masks raid worshippers OUTSIDE! [VIDEO] The pastor of...

www.usmessageboard.com

 

[DGS49]

I apologize for not reading all of the postings on this thread, but I have heard from reliable sources that once a lead pipe has been in service for a number of years, there is no longer any leaching of lead into the water unless something is disturbed. That is to say, it is generally harmless.

This is why in most municipalities, the policy was to leave lead pipes alone until they were damaged and had to be replaced anyway, or when the line was being replaced in a periodic update. There is generally no campaign to simply replace lead supply pipes just because they are made of lead, because that is an ungodly expensive thing to do, and it is NOT NECESSARY to correct any existing health threat.

Has anyone previously posted data indicating lead poisoning of children from lead pipes that had been in service for many years?