Copper joined to lead pipe = Corrosion ?.

I am thinking about a problem of my neighbour's & helping to prepare her for a discussion with the chap her installed her new bathroom about four months ago.

The houses are 1909 built large semis. The bathroom is above the hall entrance. Cold water is diverted up to the bath room via a lead pipe, which would be orginal of course ,and which is largely buried in the plaster in the internal corner of the hallway against outside walls.

My neighbour has this original configuration . ( When i did the equivalent bathroom refit in my own house , I by-passed the lead by surface mounted copper pipe leaving the redundant lead in situ).

I am assuming ( but cannot be certain ) that my neighbours plumber has joined the lead to copper in the bathroom , under the bath , somewhere where the lead enters the bathroom. I suppose that alternatively he may have used plastic , But can you physically join lead to plastic ?

Some four months later my neighbour has noticed pronouced damp in the hall corner. I have examined this and it is very clear that the lead pipe is failing.

My first reaction was that either the lead had failed with age ( presumably it does eventually ? )

or looking at the coincidence with the recent plumbing job above , then perhaps the jointing work above has disturbed the lead pipe resulting in the failure. However , to be honest, it is difficult to imagine disturbance to the lead pipe , buried as it is , at least partly, in the wall. Later it has occurred to me , does not not joining copper to lead lead to corrosion ? presumably in the lead ? and that this is the most likely cause of the failure at this time. ?

I would appeciate any comments on my diagnosis. It it's relevant, this is a ( I think, very ) hard water area. When I did my bathroom and by passed the same lead pipe , I must admit I was not thinking about corrosion but more about preparing for a possible future water softener . Lead, I know being a no no for a system with a softener . Possibly for similar chemical reaction reasons ?

Thanks

Richard

Reply to
Moggs
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Sweating a pipe to lead leaves a huge lump as big as your fist. If it corrodes at all it will take forever to get to the surface.

Where did you join your piping and to what?

Reply to
Weatherlawyer

Is that due to lead poisoning?

Reply to
polygonum

Hard water coats the inside of the lead pipe, preventing any of the lead disolving into the drinking water. Soft water on the other hand does pick up traces of lead. In soft water areas they add chemicals to prevent the lead dissolving into the water. I've forgotten now, but I think it is phosphates that they add - it was 10 years ago when I was designing and testing control panels for these systems.

Steve Walker

Reply to
Steve Walker

We weren't and neither were you.

You mentioned that you ran a pipe from somewhere in your house. That's what this half of we were discussing.

We ain't now. Ta ta.

Reply to
Weatherlawyer

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