Comic Strips

It's very rare anymore that you find lead pipes in houses - even old ones.

Modern water supply pressures being what they are means that the pipes mostly have failed. Going on almost 60 years now since the "old school" leaded piping was made and used. Lead was used because it lasted longer then iron or copper, - but not THAT much longer.

Leaded pipes usually would get brittle and crack.

I grew up in a few places where the pipes were old and the standing rule was ALWAYS let the water run for a few minutes before you got some to drink, as you were bringing in fresh water that wasn't going to have much leachate in it.

Also, the cracks in the lead pipes would get bacteria in them and the water would just smell and taste metallic.

You can have copper pipes and the solder to join it will have lead in it. Some of that still exists because it wasn't until the late 80's/ early 90's that all lead was finally banned from plumbing materials.

After the mid-60's that was where the main "new plumbing" source of lead leachate into water supplies in homes came from - not so much pipes anymore so much as the solder used in valves, faucets and joints.

Thing is, you can STILL buy leaded plumbers solder (50/50 its called), but it's used for HVAC, sheet metal applications and wastewater - NOT supply.

You're more likely to come across old leaded paint in houses that long ago had the plumbing redone. The ceilings, walls and trim - well that just got covered over with a nice new coat of paint.