Is this a lead pipe?

[Dace]

Renderers nicked it when removing old stuff. Also sure;y if I replace it, it should be in a position to not be nickable next time, s*** how much will this cost, googling suggests £1k if I want to replace it all if it's all lead. This is a victorian property &U(*&()_

 

[Deleted member 267285]

It certainly looks like lead. Costs vary up and down the country and the type of work involved, whether moling, machine dug or hand dug out.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Scratch it with a Stanley blade, does it come up shinny? If so, it's lead.

Andy

 

[Dace]

Thanks guys, yep it's 100% lead, cant believe it. It's a disgrace that any lead pipes are still legal in the UK.

 

[HERTS P&D]

It's a disgrace that any lead pipes are still legal in the UK.

You say that but most people don't want to pay to have it removed as it sometimes involves ripping up internal floors.

Andy

 

[oldbuffer]

1. Lead pipes are perfectly fine in a hard water area. Limescale forms on the inside, so that the water doesn't touch the lead. Still wise to run off the water in the pipe first thing in the morning. Run for a minute or so.
2. Much more of an issue in soft water areas as the water dissolves minute traces of lead, which build up in the body.

 

[Madrab]

Get in touch with your LA, in a lot of cases there are lead replacement schemes that may cover some or all of the costs. A lot of the schemes were pulled due to funding but there are still of lot of LA's that have them still in place, certainly worth a call.