Quote:
Originally Posted by jaykellogg
Regarding lead in home water pipes, some homes have acid water. The water will dissolve a bit of solder overnight. Also your kitchen faucet is probably made of brass with up to 2% lead added to help the chips break up when the brass is machined. It is good practice to run just a bit of water into the sink before you collect some for drinking or cooking. I have used the plumbing solder with antimony in it and cannot tell the difference. Copper pipes are on their way out anyway.
The EPA has written rules that has made many other businesses unprofitable.
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Uhhhhhh................... you do understand that the lead in your car battery sits in a solution of 40% SULFURIC ACID, right? as in, burn your flesh right off you acid.
And, you do understand that a TOMATO has more acid in it than your water ever would, right? Cut a tomato, and put it on a fishing weight and leave it there. You will see........ absolutely NOTHING will happen to it.
There has been no lead in solder for plumbing pipe for nearly 25 years. In 1986, the Safe Water Drinking Act bumped lead from pipe solder.
Now; BEFORE that, lead solder in pipes would last about forever. But NOW........now solder uses tin and antimony, and a bit of silver. What will burn up in a solder is the tin and antimony.
A big part of why copper pipes tend to not last as long as in the previous generation is the different alloys now used in solder have different dialectic qualities, and they will attract some minerals/ elements, and some they will promote stripping it from surrounding materials. Meaning........ they will strip elements from the copper pipe itself, allowing it to corrode.