Our lovely new house has got lead pipes...

[Iwannamovenow]

We knew the pipework may need re-doing, so it's not really a suprise.

How bad is it for us to drink?
I'm just looking on the defra site and it says it's worse for infants.

Dh said we all would have had water from lead pipes, when we were younger etc.

I've got ds2 15 months and ds1 who's 8.
I'm thinking of getting bottled water, to make up their drinks with.
Will me, dh and dsd (15) be ok from it?

Dh is in the middle of ripping the bathroom out, and will replace the pipes with copper. But the ones in the wall, going down into the kitchen, we were hoping to leave until we do the kitchen.

Is this really bad?

Any advice welcome.

My house has lead pipes. It really worried me when I moved in ten years ago, and I tried to sort out replacing them but it was such a nightmare I gave up in the end!

The water company has confirmed that the water main under the road, that serves our street, is also lead. They are legally obliged to replace this if you request it, but you have to have your own pipes replaced first (this may have changed since, I don't know). Getting the internal piping done is no problem, but digging up and replacing the bit that connects the inside pipe from the cellar to the main pipe, under the front yard/pavement is the hard bit. It needs a trench digging etc. and no one will do it for me! It's a small job really so no one I have had to look at it has even bothered to send me a quote afterwards.

I've always used the Britta type water filters, and have had no issues at all for me or the kids. I don't worry about it now, although I know if I try to sell it will come up in surveys.

yes, you should ask the water co to test for lead before you start work.

Working on the pipes will disturb them and invalidate the test, and if there is a subsidy available, you will not get it if you have already done the work.