Lead Pipe Replacement Chester

If your house was built before the 1970s there is a chance that your pipes are made from lead and not plastic. Exposure to lead can cause health implications, including; damage to your kidneys and developing brain. The greatest risk is to children under six and pregnant women.

If you are living in an older house, we recommend you replace your lead pipes as soon as possible. At RPDNW, we offer a lead pipe replacement Chester service.

Problems with Lead Pipes

There are various health issues that can be linked to lead pipes. As the Governments Drinking Water Inspectorate states, lead is toxic and can build up in our bodies, particularly among young children and pregnant women. These toxins can interfere with our metabolism of calcium and vitamin D, affect our mental well-being resulting in behavioural problems, and affect our central nervous system.

Backed up by the World Health Organisation (WHO), they explain that most lead in water arises from plumbing where the best solution is a lead pipe replacement. As a soft metal, the lead pipe wall is thicker to withstand the pressure of water supplies which tends to result in the internal bore becoming restricted, limiting the volume of water so the water flow fades away.

Therefore, lead pipe replacement will improve your overall health, the quality of your pipes and your water supplies.

How do I know if I need a Lead Pipe Replacement?

Of course, it isn’t mandatory that you replace your lead pipes. It’s not illegal to have lead pipes, however, it’s strongly recommended for your own health that you do replace these pipes. To check if your house has lead pipes, you can find the water pipe that leads to your kitchen sink.

If these pipes are made from lead then they’ll feel quite soft and be lead coloured. It’s also likely that if your neighbour has a property of a similar age to yours and they have lead pipes, then you do too. You can also check the piping from the stop value to your house by opening the flap of the stop valve located outside your property. If this is difficult to access, one of our team can always check this for you.

You may also notice a leaking supply pipe that requires a lead pipe replacement from a damp patch in your garden, driveaway or anywhere noticeable in dry weather, if your grass is greener in some places more than others, if your water pipes are making a constant hissing noise, or if there’s a significant drop in water pressure.

Replacing Lead Pipes with Plastic

Lead pipes were commonly used in the years before the 1980s, the use of lead has since been banned by the government for water pipes and other pipelines. If you have any lead pipes in your home, it’s important that you look into replacing these with plastic as soon as possible.

It’s possible that copper pipes or galvanised steel can be used as a replacement for lead, although our first choice would be PVC plastic pipes. This is because copper pipes can be quite expensive and have the potential to leech into your water resulting in nausea from overconsumption. Plastic pipes are much more cost-efficient and certainly less toxic when compared to copper.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a lead pipe be repaired?

It’s not impossible for a lead pipe to be repaired rather than replaced, however, we would always recommend a lead pipe replacement as these pipes were created before 1970 and can have a serious impact on your health when it affects your water supplies. It’s important to note that lead pipes last around 100 years, whereas the most cost-effective and efficient alternative of plastic pipes, last indefinitely.

How do I know if my house has lead pipes?

We have a simple trick to check whether your house has lead pipes or not. You can check your water pipe which likely leads to your kitchen sink. If this water pipe leading to your sink is lead coloured and quite soft, then it’s most likely made from lead.

How much are Lead Pipes?

Calculating the cost of replacing lead water pipes with plastic pipes is dependent on a few factors. We’ll need to look at the current system you have in place including the depth of your pipework before we can offer a competitive price.