In a nutshell
Homes built before about the mid-1950s are the ones to check. Go to the spot where water enters the basement and inspect the short run of pipe below the meter. Lead is matte grey, shows silver when scratched and does not hold a magnet. If so, plan the replacement, and until then use cold water that has run for a while for anything you drink or cook with.
Working through it
1. Go to the entry point
Low on the front basement wall, close to the meter. In some houses it rises in a corner of the furnace room.
2. Judge the colour
Copper has a brownish penny tone. Galvanized steel is a hard, rough silver. Lead is soft grey, often with a swollen, smooth joint where it meets the next pipe.
3. Scratch, gently
Drag the edge of a key across it. Lead shows shiny metal right away and feels soft. Steel barely marks.
4. Hold up a magnet
Steel grabs it. Lead and copper do not.
5. Check upstream, too
A copper pipe in the basement does not always mean copper all the way to the street. Only a full replacement record or a dig confirms that.
Clues worth noticing
- Old brass faucets and fittings, which can contain some lead.
- Lead-based solder on copper joints in houses plumbed before about 1990.
- A partial replacement in the past, where only one section was changed.
- A metallic taste after water sits in the pipes overnight.
Signals that it needs a licensed plumber
If the key test shows soft grey metal, book a replacement of the private section and ask the City about the public section at the same time. See lead pipe replacement for how the two halves are coordinated.
Calls we field, answered plainly
Does boiling water remove lead?
No. Boiling concentrates it slightly. Use a certified filter or flushed cold water instead.
Are plastic water services lead free?
Yes, though the fittings at either end should still be checked.