Your Older Home's Hidden Threat: Lead in the Water Supply and How to Tackle It

Are you living in an older home and worried about the quality of your water? You are not alone. Lead in household water, primarily due to aging infrastructure, can present significant health risks. Let's delve into the problem of lead in your home's water and explore how you can resolve it with the right filtration system.

Unseen Danger: Lead in Your Household Water

Lead was a common component in plumbing until its use was restricted in the late 20th century. However, many homes built before 1986 likely have lead pipes, fixtures, and solder. Over time, these can corrode and leach lead into the water supply.

Lead in drinking water can lead to various health problems. Even at low levels, lead exposure can result in serious health issues, especially in children. These include developmental issues, learning difficulties, and impaired hearing. For adults, it can cause cardiovascular problems, decreased kidney function, and reproductive issues.

Identifying Homes at Risk: Signs of Lead Contamination

Detecting the presence of lead in your water might be challenging without testing, but you can be on the lookout for certain indicators that hint at potential lead contamination:

• Age of the Home: If your home was constructed before 1986, it likely contains lead-based plumbing, putting it at risk for lead contamination.
• Corroding Pipes: Signs of corroding pipes such as visible rust could be a warning sign. Lead pipes are prone to corrosion, which can leach lead into your water supply.
• Metallic Taste: An unusual metallic taste in your water can also suggest the presence of lead. Lead can alter the taste of your water, making it noticeably different.
• Professional Testing: Despite these signs, professional testing is the most reliable way to determine if your water supply contains lead. If you notice any of the above indicators, it's a good idea to get your water tested.

Fighting Lead with Filtration

Fortunately, there's a solution to protect your household from lead contamination: water filtration. While there are several filtration methods available, reverse osmosis systems and acid neutralizers have proven exceptionally effective at removing lead from household water.

Lead can often come from the solder joints in older household plumbing systems that run on wells with acidic water. The acidic water causes corrosion, which leaches lead from the old pipes into your home's water supply. You can easily combat this by installing an acid neutralizer, preventing corrosion and dropping lead levels in the water significantly. 

Reverse osmosis systems work by forcing water under pressure through a semi-permeable membrane, which filters out contaminants, including lead. The result is water that's safe and pleasant to drink, cook with, and use for daily needs.

The Solution to Your Lead Problems

If you're concerned about lead in your home's water, we recommend two filtration systems:

1. Pure-75 Reverse Osmosis System. This system employs an advanced filtration process to effectively remove lead and other harmful contaminants, ensuring you have access to safe and clean drinking water at home.
2. Vortech Acid Neutralizer. If you're dealing with acidic corrosion in your pipes, an acid neutralizer can prevent this problem and drop lead levels signficantly.

How We Can Help You

Don't let old pipes dictate your family's health. Make the investment in water filtration systems and safeguard your household from the dangers of lead. If you'd like to learn more about acid neutralizers and reverse osmosis systems and why theyre beneficial, our guides provides a comprehensive breakdown. Start your journey towards superior water quality today!

If you need further advice or have any queries, don't hesitate to contact us at 800-460-5810 or email us at support@midatlanticwater.net. Our team of water quality experts is always ready to guide you towards the best water solutions for your home!