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Comment by bushbaba | Hacker News Reader

What does this mean for Pex and other plastic water mains?

I was going to say, get a reverse osmosis filter, but then I looked up what themembranes are made of: polyamide. Not sure if that's an implicated type of plastic or not.

Good question. We built a house 25 years ago and insisted on copper throughout all the way to the street. Cost more, but was probably a good idea on multiple fronts.

I thought about doing this but then realized that there is basically zero chance there is copper all the way to my house, so yeah, I gave up.

I actually saw the plumber dig up the mains that ran to my place and it was pex.

Do you mean from the mains to the water meter or from the water meter to the house? We used copper all the way to the street.

I can’t believe the mains themselves could use PEX: if nothing else the pressure would be too high.

They meant HDPE but assumed it was PEX, which it isn’t. PEX is cross linked polyethylene and used for mostly indoor piping, and HDPE is high density polyethylene. Common mistake.

HDPE is used extensively in all underground utilities, including but not limited to water, sewer, gas, electric, fiber.

Ok but it's plastic, and not cooper ?

Lead soldered joints?

Even if they used leaded solder, in the conditions that would cause lead leeching you would also be corroding the copper pipes within a few years to leaking so it wouldn't last too long.

That's why Flint's water system had to be almost completely replaced. Even fixing the pH problem wasn't enough because they turned their pipes into swiss cheese.

You’re basing your belief on one anecdote?

Lead solder was banned for plumbing in the US in 1986.

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