lead water main & chimney flues

Hello all, Well, we are getting closer to closing on a house and just got the inspection back. A few things came up on it that were concerning to us and since a lot of you have your own brownstones OR work on them, we figured we would ask your expert opinions. One of the main things on the report was the lead water main coming into the house. Does anyone have any idea of what kind of cost /time is associated with fixing this? Are there some alternatives to immediately replacing it? I guess, we just want to know how big of a ticket item this is. The other main thing were unsealed flues. How big of a deal is that? What is the cost associated with sealing them? Thank you in advance!

kellyj

in Brownstoner Renovation 12 years and 7 months ago

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davidbalkan | 12 years and 7 months ago

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The median price for replacing a lead water main in Brooklyn is around $3,500.00 to $4,000.00 complete. As an FYI lead is not found naturally in our drinking water supply. The lead present on the main distribution lines (the NYC wtaer main lines) does not actually come in contact with the water inside the pipes – it is used to hold the oakum in place the forms the actual waterproof joint. Gaskets are now used without any lead needed and are less and less of an issue.

slvillager | 12 years and 7 months ago

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also re your chimney- you should ask for a chimney inspection. we had chimney issues (needed to be relined) and it was pretty costly. a chimney inspection is under 1000 and repairs could be over 10K so probably worth it or close with a 10k escrow pending inspection. if you have more than one chimney, multiply it accordingly. big apple chimney (jason) is a good bet.

slvillager | 12 years and 7 months ago

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congrats on the house. we too discoverd a lead water main upon inspection of our house too. with a small child, we were pretty concerned until did the research and discovered above with respect to nyc water treatment and lead presence all over the system. we figured what’s the point of replacing our main at great expense when a few feet down the line it’s lead, lead, lead. if anything, it’s just made me really uncomfortable with nyc water in general. it’s treated but once the water sits in the pipes the treatment is ineffective. run the tap for 30 seconds on cold before using it for consumption including boiling. we got a reverse osmosis system for our drinking water which is really the only think that gets rid of lead completely. we put it in the basement and then connected it to the refrig. it was about 500 I think. if you have a small kid, consider filtering bathwater with a bath ball thingy that goes on the bath tap. they are much more susceptible to lead. take iron supplements and make sure kids do in particular becasue that’s a good defense againt lead in the body. i know it sounds nuts but you’re bathing and washing your clothes in water that although treated may have traces of lead and it’s better to be safe. take care!

daveinbedstuy | 12 years and 7 months ago

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Also, if these are the only two issues, set your closing date ASAP.  these are insignificant.

daveinbedstuy | 12 years and 7 months ago

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Get the water tested.  Chances are that due to the amount of iron corrosion that fills the pipes, no lead will be detectable, like the others said but just for another reason.  You should have been able to check water pressure yourself by turning on a number of faucets all at once and seeing what happens.

Putnamdenizen | 12 years and 7 months ago

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No need to filter the water.

kellyj | 12 years and 7 months ago

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Thanks all for the answers. I have heard that for a multi-family home the smaller lead pipes can lead to signifigant water pressure issues if multiple units are running water. Not sure if that is true, but between that and the lead in the water we were concerned about replacing it. Guess we will leave it till it breaks, or our potential future tenants complain and until then we will filter our water. 🙂

Bond | 12 years and 7 months ago

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NYC puts a chemical in the pipes (I think it’s orthophosphate) that bonds to the bare lead minimizing the leaching.  I’m with John and Gennady, not a whole lot to worry about, certainly not something I would view as a a deal breaker.  If you do decide to replace the house main, the price will be effected by distance from the street main, how far down they have to dig (usually for a water main, they’ll use an air torpedo, but they still have to dig pits on both ends, do they have to bust up a patio or slab next to the house, the type of foundation they will be penetrating and if there are any obstructions like big trees.  You’re probably looking at around 5K.  Don’t forget that depending on the age of your house, most of the solder joints inside will have lead as well, which in my mind is another reason not to replace it unless you have to.  Why bother?

shahnandersen

in Brownstoner Renovation 12 years and 7 months ago

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Neither is a really big deal. The main you don’t have to touch until it breaks and the flues are a cheap fix if necessary.

ellenlourie | 12 years and 7 months ago

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Half of underground stret water piping in NY made from lead. So replacement of water service pipe wil do litle good.