The fact is you can have lead in your domestic water supply if lead pipes supply the water in your home. If your house was built, or modernised, before 1970, there is a chance that you have lead water pipes. It’s important, also, to be aware that lead pipe replacement in your home is your responsibility. Safe drinking water is something we tend to take for granted, but having lead pipework means you increase the risk of lead contamination.
Have You Checked Your Pipework?
The supply pipe within your property boundary is yours to look after. It carries water from the common supply stopcock in the street. Your water utility company has responsibility for the common supply, but not the pipework on your property.
Whereas this is a responsibility, it is relatively straightforward to check whether or not you have lead pipework. Have a look at the service pipe in your kitchen, normally behind or under the sink. It may be dull in appearance, or appear ‘soft’ to the touch. If you gently scrape the surface with a coin edge, and it reveals a silvery layer beneath, then it’s made of lead. Lead can also sometimes be found in other pipe fittings, such as joints.
What Happens Next?
We can replace your old lead supply pipe with a safe, modern, durable plastic service pipe. This doesn’t have to be a disruptive process: we use trenchless technology for our lead pipe replacement work, which involves us drilling strategic boreholes into the ground.
We then pull the new pipework through these boreholes to get it into place. This means we avoid having to dig extensive excavations on your property for the replacement pipes.
In short, getting your lead pipes replaced is more straightforward than you probably think. And if you have any concerns about the quality of your drinking water, then it’s the safe, sensible thing to do to give you peace of mind.
