Replacing Lead Main

Wills03

One of my rentals has a lead water main that has 2 holes in it near the meter that previous owner patched with scraps of rubber and hose clamps. We have excavated to the curb box to replace with copper. The city will only replace from main to curb box if it is bad so we are stuck with cutting the lead just past the stop and going with copper from there to meter only. Question is how to connect the copper to the lead? Was the lead sweated to the stop originally. City is no help at all.

Thanks for any help.

Grumpyplumber

You're going to need a plumber.

The city won't turn the water on without a licensed plumber & permits for the work.

Double-A

It was most likely a wiped joint.

Lead work is nothing to learn on. Its practically a lost art in most parts of the country younger. I would recommend you get someone with experience out there to make the repair.

Your costs are deductible since this is rental property.

This is nothing like PVC or ABS or PEX. You can screw it up royally even if you think you've done everything properly.

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Wills03

Double A

If I cut the lead 6" or so past the stop is there no way to join copper to it other than a wiped joint. The chances of finding an old plumber with experience in this is slim to none.

Sure would be nice if the city would step up to the plate and replace their portion of pipe and a flared stop. We would be from the stop to the meter and backfilled in an hour.

So much for the lead fear.

KillerToiletSpider

What lead fear?

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rbsremodeling

The fear that Lead water pipes are gonna kill you or your tenants.

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KillerToiletSpider

You do know that there was no real research done to support that theory right? All of their info was a projection of lead amounts taken from samples of lead paint consumption.

The chances of lead poisoning from a water service is about the same as knocking down the Sears Tower with a 4 oz. ball peen hammer.

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rbsremodeling

I know this I have a lead service in my newly remodel house. I do have a water filter on my 3K refridgerator just in case though


I think its bunk myself but water service replacements run 3-10K around here.

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neolitic

I know that if you run Middle Sis's
water on a real lead test kit
1st thing in the morning, it'll turn
color.
After the water's been running a bit
it's cool.

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Ron The Plumber

Never seen a lead water service here.

KillerToiletSpider

I'm in more danger of lead fumes from melting the lead to wipe a joint on a lead water service than I ever am from the service itself. The last wiped joint I did was on my water service last summer.

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Ron The Plumber

I would not even know how to do a wiped joint for a water service, interesting, I can't see how it could hold up to the pressures given.

rbsremodeling

The city sent out a memo to like 50k telling people to run the tap water for 2 mins I think before drinking it

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KillerToiletSpider

A wiped joint is twice as thick as the pipe it is joining at the joint point. There is no good way to describe how to make a wiped joint, I have looked for pics in the past with little luck, the only way I can convey would be to show you.

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Ron The Plumber

Long ways to Chicago But now I have seen wiped lead bends here for the closet flange, never done one myself.

neolitic

Watched Grandpa do it.
The pipe looks diseased.

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We Fix Houses

Published 1910 I'm sure the illustrations will look familier to some of us.

http://books.google.com/books?id=ked...um=5&ct=result

KillerToiletSpider

He was using an old candle then.

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neolitic

White gas.

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Grumpyplumber

I'm with Ron here..have only found extremely old lead pipes under crawspaces here.

I don't wanna get into a debate or semantics, but to even hiint at using lead on potable here would get a very adverse reaction from anyone in the biz.