[boondocks95]

I recently learned of the potential of lead to leech into drinking water if you have an older home with lead pipes because of the solder used. My home was built in 67' and it has copper pipes.

I'm just wondering if this is a major issue, or over blown? I do have a two year old, but we use a pitcher to filter our drinking and cooking water so he's only getting it in the tub and when he brushes his teeth.

Is it worth it to invest in a lead-free faucet?

 

[Ghostmaker]

If your concerned get this http://www.walmart.com/ip/10099170?...72038672&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=46695700581&veh=sem

 

[Bud9051]

I built a house in 70 and we had already switched over to lead free, 67 is borderline.

The instructions for testing are to test the water after it has been running for a minute. I don't remember the details, but it is the water that stands for long periods near the lead based solder. Once it is running the lead levels drop to extremely low, in other words you see the lead content of the water without the contamination of local solder connections.

For peace of mind, review the testing procedures and have your water tested. Also, if any of your plumbing is accessible, like an unfinished basement, much of that old copper can easily be replaced with pex. At least so far they havn't found anything wrong with that approach.

But you may not have an issue, being a 67 home and in any case, just avoid drinking from the initial water out of the faucet until you know for sure.

Bud

 

[WhatRnsdownhill]

I recently learned of the potential of lead to leech into drinking water if you have an older home with lead pipes because of the solder used. My home was built in 67' and it has copper pipes.

I'm just wondering if this is a major issue, or over blown? I do have a two year old, but we use a pitcher to filter our drinking and cooking water so he's only getting it in the tub and when he brushes his teeth.

Is it worth it to invest in a lead-free faucet?

for the most part, if its copper lines with leaded solder, not much to worry about, as the amount of solder exposed inside the pipe should be almost none, lead water main...I would look to get replaced....older facets used lead to seal pin holes and porous brass, but again most people run the water a few seconds to get cold water out and the water that would have the lead leeched into it is down the drain..if your still worried you can install a seperate water fill for drinking and cooking water and many good multi stage filters will take all the nasties out of that water..

 

[Daniel Holzman]

The OPS said "if you have an older home with lead pipes because of the solder used". Lead pipes are typically not soldered together, and lead pipes are a definite potential hazard. That said, perhaps the OPS meant he had copper pipes that used lead containing solder. My 1959 house was built using copper pipes, and the solder used was the old 50/50, meaning 50 lead, 50% tin. Eventually my pipes developed pinhole leaks due to acidic well water, and I replaced all the pipes with PEX.

If you have copper pipes soldered together, you may want to invest in a water quality test, the lab can check for lead in your water. The lab will provide you the bottle for the sample, along with explicit instructions on how to take the sample and get it to the lab for analysis.

 

[WhatRnsdownhill]

The OPS said "if you have an older home with lead pipes because of the solder used". Lead pipes are typically not soldered together, and lead pipes are a definite potential hazard. That said, perhaps the OPS meant he had copper pipes that used lead containing solder. My 1959 house was built using copper pipes, and the solder used was the old 50/50, meaning 50 lead, 50% tin. Eventually my pipes developed pinhole leaks due to acidic well water, and I replaced all the pipes with PEX.

If you have copper pipes soldered together, you may want to invest in a water quality test, the lab can check for lead in your water. The lab will provide you the bottle for the sample, along with explicit instructions on how to take the sample and get it to the lab for analysis.

read the last sentence of the ops first paragraph............"My home was built in 67' and it has copper pipes."

 

[boondocks95]

My apologies, I meant copper in both instances and yes, I do have copper pipes. We are actually going to do a bathroom gut and would have access to nearly all the pipes, BUT because of all the repairs I don't think we would be able to afford all of that. We are hoping to sale in the next year anyhow.

I wonder if we have leaks though. We are having to do the bathroom gut because of mold, so I'll have to investigate once the sheetrock is torn. I do have lots of green spots on the pipes, so I assume there have been leaks in the past.

I'll have my child's lead levels tested and go from there. Thanks for all the helpful advice !

 

[Nik333]

boondocks95 - double-check that the filter pitcher you have does filter lead, I assumed Brita did & then realized after a year that it didn't! It seems like it filtered everything BUT lead! A better product for lead filtering appears to be the filter you attach to the faucet. Both Pur and Brita make those.

I've also read that hot water has more lead. Sorry no reference right now.

 

[boondocks95]

I have the best rated pitcher filter according to my research. I use a Zero filter.

 

[boondocks95]

We do have a LOT of those gator bites because my husband had to fix a leak himself a couple years ago. I assume the brass has lead. Would this be a concern?

 

[Nestor_Kelebay]

We do have a LOT of those gator bites because my husband had to fix a leak himself a couple years ago. I assume the brass has lead. Would this be a concern?

Gator Bite fittings work on copper pipe.

There won't be any lead in the copper pipes. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, so there won't be any lead in the brass fittings. Bronze is an allow of copper and tin, so there won't be any lead in your bronze water valves on the copper water supply piping.

The only place I can see lead is in the solder joints in your copper water supply piping; both hot and cold water lines.

 

[boondocks95]

I don't really understand how plumbing works. Are you saying the copper slides down into the brass and thus the water wouldn't touch the brass fittings?

I was reading that only recently did they start making these lead free and of course gators are made in China.

I can't help but think if it weren't an issue why you couldn't buy them in VT or CA?

 

[rjniles]

Gator Bite fittings work on copper pipe.

There won't be any lead in the copper pipes. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, so there won't be any lead in the brass fittings. Bronze is an allow of copper and tin, so there won't be any lead in your bronze water valves on the copper water supply piping.

The only place I can see lead is in the solder joints in your copper water supply piping; both hot and cold water lines.

Until about 2006, brass use in plumbing fittings contained about 8% lead. Recent lead free regulations still allow up to 2%.

 

[SeniorSitizen]

This may be useful if you haven't read it.

http://allthumbsdiy.com/reviews/sharkbite-vs-gatorbite-vs-tectite

 

[boondocks95]

Well I counted and there are about five of them all next to the water heater (the GatorBITES). They do comply with NSF-61 but not the latest version since this was done in 2012.

I can't exactly justify re-doing all the plumbing. It is what everyone had until 2014 so I will live with it.

 

[WhatRnsdownhill]

you probably get more lead from anything made in china that you use....lead is also absorbed through the skin, as many other chemicals...

 

[Daniel Holzman]

You may want to consider getting your water tested for lead, it is not very expensive, you take a sample to a laboratory. Lead only leaches out of solder and fittings if the water chemistry is a particular way, so it is entirely possible that your house has lead solder and fittings containing lead, yet has little or no lead in the water. Only a test can tell.

 

[boondocks95]

I think I'll check in to having it tested.

I assume the pH is the factor on if it causes leeching. If I have green spots on the copper lines would that indicate a bad pH level or still not indicative without a test? I presume they're original lines but I really don't know.

 

[WhatRnsdownhill]

green spots on the copper can mean alot of things....sometimes acidic water can eat through copper pipes over time, could be bad copper pipe....I have replaced lots of copper pipes with pinholes and green spots...take some sand paper and clean the spots to see if the pipe is seeping or leaking in those areas..

 

[Daniel Holzman]

You need to test the water for lead concentration. When the lab does the test, they will check the pH, but pH alone does not tell you if you have a lead problem. As to green spots on the copper pipe, that is probably copper oxide, which can form if the pipe gets wet due to leakage or condensation.