Fuse Plumbing Services News

The Dangers of Old Pipes in the Old Houses

2022-06-14 16:49 Recommendations
Don't we all just love the old houses? The charm of crown moulding, hardwood floors, ghosts... of good plumbing which is not there any more. Unfortunately, the fancy facades of old houses hide not only history and character, but also a number of problems. One of them is possibly corrosive or toxic old pipes.

What Is Wrong with the Old Pipes?

Any home built before 1990s could potentially have one of the most common plumbing issues:
  • Lead. Lead is one of the oldest materials that plumbers used to build pipes. It is indeed a very durable material, but in addition it is very toxic. Exposure to it may result in gastrointestinal pain, irritability, fatigue, and memory loss.
  • Galvanized. Galvanized pipe is made of iron and coated with a layer of zinc. With time, zinc erodes and leaves the pipe to corrosion and breakage.
  • Polybutylene. Polybutylene pipes are very fragile and they do not match the current US building codes. The chance you have it in your house is low, but better safe than sorry.
With great home comes great responsibility. If you are worried your pipes might be too old, contact our plumbers. They can re-pipe your whole house and get rid of the old pipes leaving only the old charm. Give us a call at (408) 721-2530 or drop an email at support@fuseservice.com to schedule a free estimate.