Do you think the main water pipe to my house is lead?

[ZippingAround]

I'm worried that the main water supply to my 1928 bay-fronted house might be a lead pipe? Does anyone know when they stopped using lead? The pipe is buried under a concreted front garden & then presumably under our solid oak hall floor. The kitchen is a new extension so all pipework there is modern. I have no access to any areas where I might be able to check the incoming pipe. If the inlet is lead can we get lead poisoning from the water? All pipework on the streetside has been changed by Thames water.

from memory, you own the the pipe under your garden, but you can check this with your water company. If it's any help, if you live in a hard water area the scale that forms on the inside of the pipe will prevent any lead from being dissolved, most of Thames water's area is hard. Once again, you can check with them about your supply.

It's quite possible. You can have the water tested as a way of finding out. Where is the main stopcock inside? You can probably see the pipe there, coming in to the tap. If there is a lead pipe, you can run the cold water for a short while before using the water sot it hasn't been sitting in contact with the lead before you drink it.

this explains ownership: www.ofwat.gov.uk/households/supply-and-standards/supply-pipes/

Thames water will want to know if you plan to replace your pipe, more info here: www.thameswater.co.uk/Help-and-Advice/Water-Quality/Whats-in-your-water/Lead/Checklist-for-replacing-lead-pipes

If you are in a hard water area the risk is small . soft water and lead pipes do need action.

Your water company will come out and test your water for free.

the first thing you should do is ask your water co to test your drinking water for lead content. Do this today. There can be quite a delay in getting an appointment.

Sometimes there is a lead replacement subsidy, but you must have the test results before starting work.

A house of your age might also have iron water pipes. These are likely to be leaking by now, and may have perforated through cavitation corrosion at the elbow where it turns upwards to rise through the kitchen floor.

When the streetside pipes were changed it would probably have been possible to peer into the hole and see the pipes used to connect to your house. If you still have an outdoor stopcock that has not been concreted over it may still be possible.

I am very much in favour of replacing old pipes, even if they are not lead, because:

• they probably leak
• they are of narrow diameter which constricts waterflow and prevents you getting adequate performance from a combi or an unvented cylinder.

It is not especially hard to trench for a new pipe. If you have solid concrete floors inside the house it will be rather tiresome, but the new pipe does not have to follow the old route, and sometimes it can go round the side of the house.

We had lead pipes in our 1930s house..and we replaced it due to health reasons and to get a bigger gauge pipe. It was a relatively easy job. They used a moling technique and dug holes every 10 metres down our driveway to get the pipe in. (Although we also have crazy paving which makes the making good quite easy). Was a few hours work and cost around £1200-1400 Inc VAT. Maybe give someone local who does this work to have a look.