1119: Lead Pipes and More Plumbing Fun

Building materials improve over time. Plumbing materials are no exception. A short and incomplete history:  Lead gave way to galvanized steel, which gave way to copper. According to DC Water, lead service lines were predominately installed prior to the mid-1950s in the District of Columbia, but there are records of lead service lines being installed as late as 1977. DC Water has been making strides to replace lead lines with copper ones in the sections of the service line in public space. The private portion of those lines, from the property line to the building are the responsibility of the property owner. Its incredibly invasive and expensive to change the line. The pictures below will explain why. But we did it, because it was the right thing to do. In the process, we found a heroin needle under the house, which had rolled though a hole that had developed in the floor boards. Like I said, unoccupied houses attract lots of unwanted intruders.