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Lars(wi) 
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Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Permian Basin
Points: 6716
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 Topic: PVC pipes for drinking water?
Posted: 12 May 2024 at 11:53am |
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How safe is it? Been reading report’s published within the past couple years stating ‘using pvc piping for drinking water should be avoided’. Wasn’t pvc supposed to be our savior for water piping? Galvanized pipes were vilified, copper is now prohibitively expensive, now we have pvc leaching harmful substances into the water. What is the best alternative?
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I tried to follow the science, but it was not there. I then followed the money, and that’s where I found the science.
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steve(ill)
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: illinois
Points: 78158
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Posted: 12 May 2024 at 12:43pm |
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I have PEX in the house after the CPVC became brittle after 30 years.... We are on city water and the feed is a 4 inch PVC pipe, 40 years old.
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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Codger
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Joined: 23 Dec 2020
Location: Illinois
Points: 1825
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Posted: 12 May 2024 at 12:50pm |
Our city mains are 8" PVC new in 1993 in front of the house. Entrance to the house is 1" copper and interior of the house is all 3/4" CPVC, (including risers) I installed in 1990 replacing the original galvanized supply. No problems at all with anything hot, or cold.
Water is tested routinely around here and samples taken from point of use are welcome. Never a lead, or leaching problem we've encountered.
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A career built on repairing and improving engineering design deficiencies, shortcomings, and failures over 50 years now.
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Lars(wi)
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Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Permian Basin
Points: 6716
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Posted: 12 May 2024 at 1:17pm |
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Here we have a 1” pvc from the city meter box into the house, which then is a hodgepodge of copper, pex, galvanized, and pvc. About 10-12 years ago the city ran all new laterals from the street to the houses, everybody got pvc. At that time, on this property the city disconnected the 1.5” line(galvanized) that ran from the street in front of this house, and tapped into the water main of the street that is at the side of our house with the pvc. I have a call out to the city, to inquire why that change was made.
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I tried to follow the science, but it was not there. I then followed the money, and that’s where I found the science.
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Lars(wi)
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Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Permian Basin
Points: 6716
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Posted: 12 May 2024 at 1:21pm |
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At certain times of the year when the city ‘flushes the mains’ we have rust tinted water for a week or so. That would lead me to believe this city still has a fair amount of iron piping in the mains.
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I tried to follow the science, but it was not there. I then followed the money, and that’s where I found the science.
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jaybmiller
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Greensville,Ont
Points: 21609
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Posted: 12 May 2024 at 1:23pm |
water tested here is a joke, only coliform and ecoli tested NOT anything serious like heavy metals, everything...ene on the end or nitrates. Last one is kinda serious for young children, my well is full of it ...hmm..maybe due to all the farmland upstream of the acquifer that corn is planted with ??
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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)
Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water
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bigal121892
Orange Level
Joined: 05 Jan 2010
Location: Nebraska
Points: 756
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Posted: 12 May 2024 at 3:16pm |
 jaybmiller wrote:
water tested here is a joke, only coliform and ecoli tested NOT anything serious like heavy metals, everything...ene on the end or nitrates. Last one is kinda serious for young children, my well is full of it ...hmm..maybe due to all the farmland upstream of the acquifer that corn is planted with ??
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More than likely, the nitrates are from natural sources.
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plummerscarin
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Joined: 22 Jun 2015
Location: ia
Points: 3173
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Posted: 12 May 2024 at 8:25pm |
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Lots of plastic being used and many different types. PE( polyethylene) and PVC for cold water only. CPVC (chlorinated) good for hot and cold as well as PEX. As for particle leeching? IDK. Consider everything else that comes in contact with plastic including the containers you heat food in the microwave? We're not getting away from it and copper and ductile iron mains are too costly to continue use.
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DonBC
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Courtenay, BC,
Points: 901
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Posted: 13 May 2024 at 1:44pm |
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It amazes me how often commonly used products end up being hazardous to your health. My first home was built in the 1930s and the water service pipe from the street to the house was a lead pipe. We lived there at the time that lead was considered so hazardous to your health that it was even being banned from soldered used to join copper water pipe. Fortunately the city water was so heavily mineralized that it seemed to develop a mineral coating on the inside of the pipes. City mains were often asbestos cement pipes that also could be considered hazardous.
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Jack of all trades, master of none
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plummerscarin
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Joined: 22 Jun 2015
Location: ia
Points: 3173
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Posted: 13 May 2024 at 2:52pm |
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The water was treated with a chemical to line the piping. From an excerpt:
Anti-corrosion chemicals can be used to prevent lead and other metals in the pipes from leaching into the water. Corrosion inhibitors like zinc orthophosphate are used by water systems to coat the inside of lead pipes and fixtures with a thin, protective layer that reduces leaching and flaking.
The rust color you see inside a pipe is that coating. At least that’s how it appears here. I see it in plastic piping and toilet tanks as well so maybe the user is protected the same way as for metal pipes and and this whole plastic leaching is another blown out of proportion issue.
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