Lead water pipe replacement

[dave_r]

Many references in this thread to new PVC pipes. I thought that pvc was less desirable option but maybe not so bad then?
AFAIK pretty much all the piping around here is Polyethylene since sixties or something.
And Plumbing in new houses is almost entirely xlpe pipes instead of copper. (Not that those are entirely trouble free either, there has been also some cases that chemichals are leaching off the xlpe pipe material)

Like everything, there's always tradeoffs.

I'm just glad my house was built just a few years after they stopped using cardboard for the sewer connection from houses to the main line.

[Mister ED]

Re inept water utilities:

The cryptosporidium outbreak in Milwaukee in 1993 was ultimately caused by a change in the filtration chemistry.

Oh don't remind me of that one!!! I lived on that side of the lake at the time. We were in South Milwaukee (different water system) ... but some of us did end up sick. We figure it was from eating out, which we were doing a lot of since my in-laws were over visiting. My mother-in-law was pretty bad off.

[garagemark]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/poisoned-water.html

This is by far the most explanatory piece I've seen on the issue to date(I'm a NOVA fan anyway). It clearly explains what went wrong in Flint, and also has some connotation of why lead pipes, per se, are not all that dangerous if properly maintained.

[Mister ED]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/poisoned-water.html

This is by far the most explanatory piece I've seen on the issue to date(I'm a NOVA fan anyway). It clearly explains what went wrong in Flint, and also has some connotation of why lead pipes, per se, are not all that dangerous if properly maintained.

That was a very good piece, I had not seen it in the past. I do wish they had touched on the fact that Flint had been using the river 2x per month for 5 decades. So, they had been breaking the federal lead & copper rule since its inception in '91.

[Cobra62]

Like everything, there's always tradeoffs.

I'm just glad my house was built just a few years after they stopped using cardboard for the sewer connection from houses to the main line.

Mine wasn't. Had to get it changed in 2001. I couldn't believe they used tar impregnated cardboard for sewer lines!

It did last from 1959 to 2001 so I guess it wasn't that bad.

[J Tiers]

Sheesh.

Clay tile here, actually iron pipe under the house, and clay tile outside. Never heard of tarred cardboard. Our iron and clay sewer pipes are now lined with a fiberglass material all the way out to the yard trap, so it is not a concern. Digging to replace would have meant taking down two trees, and digging down 10 feet or more. I bet the tarred cardboard let the tree roots right in. Can't see roto-rooter being able to do much with it, and I suspect it could not be effectively lined.

[reggie_obe]

Mine wasn't. Had to get it changed in 2001. I couldn't believe they used tar impregnated cardboard for sewer lines!

It did last from 1959 to 2001 so I guess it wasn't that bad.

Are you reffering to Orangeberg pipe?

http://www.sewerhistory.org/articles/compon/orangeburg/orangeburg.htm

[Ridgerunner]

You're probably talking "Orangeburg pipe". Pretty common around here for sewer laterals and downspout lines for old timers.

[Paul Alciatore]

I used to drink from the hose. Odd taste, but when you are hot and thirsty...

Anyway, one day I was watering the lawn/flowers and I noticed that some pieces of a lizard started to come out of the nozzle that I was using. I haven't used a hose for drinking since.

City of Flint.
The street here ...<snip>...

The external hose bibs have to comply because there is a remote chance a child will drink from a hose.
This house, built 1926, has been inspected using X Ray Fluoroscopy, and has lead under most painted surfaces.