wrote in message
oups.com...
In removing a gate value for the hose in my garage this morning I had
to heat one of the copper joints to remove it and I noticed how easily
the solder melted and flowed. So I wonder if there is some amount of
lead in it.

My house was built in 1953 and my guess is that this pipe joint is
original, so...

1) Did plumbing solder in 1953 contain lead?
2) Can I test some of the solder blobs easily?
3) Should I consider replacing all of the pipes in my house? (Note: I
have a small ranch house with easy access to all of the plumbing; this
would not be a difficult job for me.)

1- Almost all homes with copper pipes used solder containing a 50/50 mix of
tin and lead that have been built up to the last few years.

2- why worry about the solder blobs. YOu can be sure they are the lead type
the same as the other joints in your house.

3- replace all the pipes in the house. Go with the plastic pipes . Then
someone will decide something will come out of the plastic and you will
have to replace those pipes.

If the lead in the pipes had been very bad for us, most anyone that lived in
a house built in the last 50 years would have been affected. I doubt that
anyone can prove the lead has caused any problems.

Too many people worry about too many small things. They do not seem to
worry about the 40,000 or so killed in the US by cars each year.

If you do replace the valve use some of the BAD old 50/50 mix and not the
newer no stick junk.