lead pipe replacement Altrincham

Your Guide to Lead Pipe Replacement

lead pipes

Why Replace?

Lead is a toxic substance to the human body, with lead poisoning in severe cases being fatal.

Everyone should be aware of the dangers of lead poisoning but children and pregnant women are particularly at risk.

For pregnant women the dangers include miscarriage or premature birth whilst for children lead poisoning can lead to learning difficulties.

But how do you get lead poisoning from lead pipes? Over time, flakes in the interior of lead pipes can be worn away and get into your water supply. The danger is when you then shower or drink from your taps, as you run the risk of lead poisoning from constant exposure.

lead poisoning

Symptoms

Symptoms of Lead poisoning can include;

Abdominal pain and headaches
Irritability and fatigue
Loss of appetite and weight loss
Vomiting or constipation
Hearing or memory loss
High blood pressure
Joint and muscle pain
Pain, numbness or tingling of the extremities

Whilst some of these symptoms are more concerning than others, all should be taken seriously as lead poising can be fatal. If you suspect you or someone in your household is suffering from lead poising you should consult your doctor immediately.

are they difficult to

Replace?

In the past replacing pipes could mean extensive digging of trenches across your property with a lot of disruption.

Fortunately, this is no longer the case, with modern techniques such as Moling, DHC Utilities can replace pipes with minimal disruption to your gardens and driveways.

This solution has the added benefits of being cheaper and faster than traditional methods of digging a trench. Moling means in many cases we can complete the work in one day.

For a free, no obligation quote, contact us today on the form below and we would be happy to help.

Why isn’t the utility company replacing lead pipes?

1:

Utility companies are not always responsible for the water pipes on your property.

2:

They are only responsible for shared services and only for the drainage of dirty water, so the pipes running beyond your properties boundary which is usually to the edge of your garden.

3:

For shared services of clean water, you as the home owner are responsible.

How to tell if you have lead pipes

Firstly, was your property built after 1970? If it was, you shouldn’t have lead pipes as more modern materials were used after this point.

If your property was built before 1970, there’s a good chance you might have lead pipes however. To check, look for the stop valve outside your property and the pipe it’s connected to. If the pipe;

Is a very dull grey colour
Has soft or irregular bends in it
Reveals a shiny metallic surface when the paint is scratched off

There is a high chance that you have lead pipe

Ask us a

Question

If you have any questions or need to make an enquiry, fill out the form here and we’ll come back to you as soon as we can.

For any emergencies though, please call 07753 259 174