Should I replace a lead or galvanized water service line?

What is a water service line, and which part is mine?

The water service line is the pipe that carries drinking water from the water main in the street to your house. It runs from the tap on the main, to the curb stop (a shutoff valve under a small cap near the sidewalk), then under the yard or sidewalk and through the foundation to the meter and the main shutoff inside.

In Philadelphia, PWD generally owns the main and the section up to the curb stop, and the property owner is generally responsible from the curb stop to the house. Confirm that with PWD, since boundaries and programs change. On the Main Line and in Bucks County towns served by Aqua Pennsylvania, or in Bucks areas on a municipal system, the dividing point is set by that utility, and it is often the curb stop as well. Ask your water provider where your responsibility begins before you plan any work.

How do I tell if my service line is lead, galvanized, or copper?

Go to where the pipe comes through the basement wall or floor, before the meter. Scratch the pipe gently with a coin or a key.

• Lead: dull gray, soft, and the scratch shows bright silver. A magnet will not stick. The pipe often has a bulge where it was joined to the meter. Lead is common in Philadelphia rowhomes built before the mid-1900s.
• Galvanized steel: dull gray or silver, hard, and a magnet sticks to it. Threaded fittings at the joints. Common in early-1900s Main Line homes and in some Bucks County homes from the 1950s.
• Copper: the color of a penny, sometimes with green or dark tarnish. A magnet will not stick.
• Plastic: white, blue, or black, often with printing on it.
• If the visible section is copper, that does not prove the buried part is. Partial replacements were common, and the old pipe may still be underground. PWD keeps service line material records for many Philadelphia addresses; check current PWD resources, or ask us to identify the material during a visit.

Why replace a lead service line?

Lead dissolves into water that sits in the pipe, especially when the water is warm, acidic, or has been still for hours. The EPA's position is that there is no known safe level of lead in drinking water, and children and pregnant women are most affected. Water utilities add corrosion control to limit leaching, and flushing the tap before drinking helps, but the only permanent fix is to remove the lead pipe.

Two things to know. First, replacing only your side while the utility's side stays lead can temporarily stir up lead, so utilities generally try to coordinate both sides. PWD has been doing lead service line replacement work in parts of Philadelphia, and in some cases replaces the city side when a homeowner replaces theirs. Check current PWD programs for your block. Second, a certified lab test of your tap water is the only way to know your actual lead level. The pipe material tells you the risk, not the number.

Why replace a galvanized service line?

Galvanized steel is iron pipe with a zinc coating. Over decades the zinc wears off, the iron rusts, and the rust builds up inside until a pipe that started with a full opening is passing water through a narrow channel. That is why so many older Main Line and Philadelphia homes have weak pressure at the second-floor shower even though the street pressure is fine. Rust also flakes off and shows up as brown water after the supply is shut and turned back on.

There is a lead angle too. Galvanized pipe that sat downstream of a lead service or lead goosenecks can absorb lead into its rough interior and release it later, which is why EPA's lead rules treat galvanized pipe that was ever downstream of lead as a line to replace. Confirm how your utility applies that. If your line is galvanized and the pressure has dropped, replacement solves the pressure and removes the question. Our guide on low water pressure in older homes covers the plumbing inside the house.

How does a water service replacement work?

A water service replacement is an underground job, and it is one our two underground crews do regularly.

• Locate: we find the curb stop and the route, and confirm the property line and the utility boundary.
• Permits: Philadelphia L&I plumbing permit plus a street or sidewalk permit; Lower Merion Township or your Bucks municipality in the suburbs. Confirm current requirements.
• Install: new copper, or another approved material, from the curb stop to the meter, often pulled through with minimal digging when the path allows, or by open trench.
• Inspect and restore: the connection is inspected, the line is flushed, and the sidewalk or lawn is restored.
• The estimate is driven by the length and depth of the run, whether the sidewalk or street has to be opened, the condition of the curb stop, and permits. If the city side is also lead, we coordinate with PWD. To find out what your line is made of, request a visit; we will identify the material, check the pressure, and give you options in writing. 0% financing available with approved credit (Wisetack).