As we all know, lead is extremely dangerous. To the surprise of most, a large percentage of homes in NYC still have lead water mains feeding their house from the city main. It is important to understand that the EPA has determined that their are no safe levels of lead where historically, it was believed that a low level of lead in water was not viewed to be a concern. The EPA has actually lowered the max contamination thresholds to zero!
As time goes on and homeowners become more aware, we are finding that more people are upgrading their lead water mains with copper. In 2020 alone Harris Water replaced over 1000 lead water services with copper.
If you are considering the replacement of your lead water main with copper it is important to understand the installation process and the impact it will have on your home. Many customers do not completely understand that we will be required to excavate and open the roadway to install the pipe from the city main, to inside the foundation wall.
Where it may appear to be a “big job” for the average homeowner the installation process is actually pretty straight forward for an experienced plumber. In many cases a lead water main upgrade to copper will be completed in one day.
If you are entertaining the idea of upgrading the material make up of your pipe it is suggested to take the time, watch our video tutorial and ask any questions you may have before the work is scheduled.
