DIYbanter - View Single Post - Are stainless steel braided supply lines really better?

philo [_2_]

On 10/10/2013 03:18 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 10 Oct 2013 15:23:47 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

On 10/10/2013 1:41 PM, dave wrote:
How safe is the water coming through braided steel lines (what is the risk of chemicals leaking into the water from the inner plastic tubing)?

I don't see where it would present a problem. No worse than any other
plastic that is used for water supply.

BTW, my last house was built in 1948 and had a lead water main from the
street into the house. No one living there ever had a problem, nor did
anyone from the other few hundred houses built that way.

Most of that just depends on the pH of the water.
Hard water with a high pH will coat the inside of the pipe and
sequester the lead to some extent. If you have mildly acidic water,
the lead is coming along for the ride.

All that said, most lead is actually traced back to kids eating paint.

I think the stainless steel braided lines have a rubber or plastic
interior anyway. I just installed one a few days ago but did not examine
it closely.

If it is stainless steel all the way through it's fine.

Stainless steel fixtures and work areas in the food industry are usually
a requirement.

BTW: My house was built in 1898 and the incoming water line is lead.

I had my water tested and was told first to use NO water for 12 hours so
it could stand in the pipes ...then a water sample was taken. Next a
second sample was taken after I just let the water run until cold.

The first sample had a tiny trace of lead in it...but the 2nd was lead
free. I was told that the simple act of flushing a toilet was enough to
clear the lines.

As a precaution though I put a filter on the kitchen sink and have a
filtered spigot.

Side note: Most of my adult life I have been living in old apartments
which were certainly fed by lead pipes. ...and finally:
For my job...I worked with industrial batteries which are made of
lead...so I was required to have lead tests every six months.
My lead level was almost immeasurable...certainly well below anything to
think about.