lead pipes ?

[DrGonzo]

Next door was saying that half their flat seems to be lead pipes and the other copper. Got me thinking as ours is fairly similar although I'm sure most of it is copper.
Are there any health problems with this and how do you tell the difference anyway? Copper looks more bronzy coloured and lead is what, darker ?

 

[wonderb0y]

scratch the pipe with a key if it leaves a nice shiney silver line on it then it's lead, also the shape of lead pipe is fairly distinctive it's not as perfectly round as copper and it's thicker.

As for health problems, you should at least run your tap a good 30 seconds before using it for drinking, to clear the pipes of the water thats been stood in the pipes, and you should probably look at replacing them relitivly soon, at least one good thing, you can take it to scrappers and get a bit of money

 

[Timmyturtle]

If you live in a hard water area and dont have a softner it will be coated in hard limescale and lead wont even touch the water

 

[BoxBasher]

If you live in a hard water area and dont have a softner it will be coated in hard limescale and lead wont even touch the water

Most water is phospate dosed at works to reduce plumbosolvency anyway, but the level of lead in water can still reach unsafe levels if in contact with pipe walls for any length of time.

 

[clf-gas]

plumbosolvency

Liquidators for bankrupt plumbers

 

[Steady]

DrGonzo, if you spent as much time actually doing some work on your house/flat as you do asking naff questions on here you'd have it finished by now.

 

[DrGonzo]

DrGonzo, if you spent as much time actually doing some work on your house/flat as you do asking naff questions on here you'd have it finished by now.

lol. got to ask somewhere !

 

[ChrisR]

Find out once, and you do it right as many times as you need.
Just do it, and you do it wrong as many times as you need to get it right...