Replacing Your Lead Piping With MDPE Pipe | Home Improvement

By prettyone
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Many properties still contain large amounts of copper and more worryingly lead piping. This type of pipe has been extensively used for over fifty years but even though water companies strive to eliminate any traces of lead in drinking water, particles of lead still occur in the water leaving people's taps. This why it is advisable to replace these older pipes with a new material, such as one of the more modern materials is MDPE or Medium Density Polyethylene.

Reasons to replace old piping not only concern the traces of lead in drinking water; but as metals are more prone to wear and degradation they are subsequently more susceptible to leaks. Additionally, older pipe usually has a smaller diameter; this can also lead to poor water flow, especially bad for that power shower. It is due to these reasons that changing to MDPE pipe is so advisable.

In most cases, for homeowners that are worried about lead piping it is possible to have their pipes checked by an operative from the water board or even the council. In many instances this check can even be free of charge. Ultimately however the homeowner is responsible for their own pipe work, in addition they are also responsible for the pipe between the property and the street boundary, normally up to the connection to the mains supply. In extreme circumstances however the homeowner may be responsible for pipe beyond the limits of the main; this however is a rarity. In cases where neighbours share a link to the main there is a joint responsibility.

Fundamentally it boils down to liability, if the homeowner wants to replace their existing pipe with MDPE they will have to pay for the entire system up to the junction with the mains supply; this is unless the pipe work within the property is pre 1935, any pipes before this period will be replaced at the expense of the water board.

When assessing your own pipe work in the property it is important to see how the water enters the house; typically this can be seen at the place where the stop tap is located. The kitchen sink is normally the best place to start, remember that if the pipe is not made of a plastic such as MDPE it will be made of lead or iron. To find out which a simple test can be applied, all that is needed is to lightly scratch the pipe's surface, if it is lead it will be shiny and silver underneath the oxidised layer.

The new pipe that you should install, as previously stated will be constructed from medium density polyethylene (MDPE). In most cases this will be twenty five millimetres in diameter. However this is not to say that copper no longer has its uses in piping; the connections from the tap to the MDPE connector will normally be constructed from copper. MDPE however does have its limitations, in ground where there may be a suspicion of hydrocarbon contamination; for example petrol or oil, MDPE pipe should never be used. In these instances a wrapped PE pipe or PVC wrapped tube should be used.

It is hoped that this article has given homeowners a clear understanding of firstly why lead piping should be replaced with MDPE, secondly how to find out if new piping is needed and finally how to go about the replacement process.

About the Author

Home improvement expert Thomas Pretty looks at why lead piping should be replaced with MDPE pipe and how the process is conducted.

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