Houses built in the 1920’s are beautiful and exude their own charm but the first thing you have to do after you have purchased these old houses is to make sure that you are not going to have problems with the plumbing system, electrical wiring, etc. The reason is homes or apartment buildings that were built during this time has water pipes that were soldered with lead. This is important especially when you consider the fact that tap water is the second among the most common sources of lead poisoning in children and adults, after lead paint in toys, of course. Drinking water is contaminated when it passes through your lead pipes from the water facility and through your faucet.
Apartments and houses built before the 1920’s have lead pipes for their water mains and used lead solder to connect the lead pipes to copper ones that were built during the 1950’s to 1980’s. So before you take that very first glass of water from your faucet, make sure that you are going have a professional test the water first to be sure that you are not about to drink a glass of lead filled water. A very important part of this inspection is that you work with a plumber that you can trust; a good idea is to ask among close friends or family members about plumbers they have hired in the past. You need to work with a plumber that has been in business for a long time and are highly recommended by their previous clients. You need to be sure that you can trust the professional you are going to entrust the testing of your tap water to. Study your options carefully before you make a decision.
Water that has sat for several hours in these pipes would have a higher lead content than fresh water. If you have not had the pipes replaced yet, or not have had the water tested, it is advisable to run cold water in the faucet for several minutes so you can be sure that you are not going to get water that has sat in the pipes for several hours. You need to do this before you or any of your children gets a glass of water to drink or brush your teeth with every morning; forget about how it is wasteful, you are going to avoid drinking a glassful of dangerous water, anyway.
