Your Plumbing System Could Be Silently Contaminating Your Drinking Water – Here’s What You Need to Know

Most homeowners trust that the water flowing from their taps is safe to drink, but what many don’t realize is that lead can enter drinking water when a chemical reaction occurs in plumbing materials that contain lead. This is known as corrosion – dissolving or wearing away of metal from the pipes and fixtures. Even if your municipal water supply meets all safety standards when it leaves the treatment plant, your home’s plumbing system can introduce dangerous contaminants before the water reaches your glass.

How Your Plumbing System Affects Water Quality

Because lead contamination of drinking water often results from corrosion of the plumbing materials belonging to water system customers, understanding your home’s plumbing is crucial for water safety. The most common source of lead in water is lead service lines and household plumbing. For this reason, lead is a potential concern for all homes whether on a public (municipal) or private (individual well or spring) water supply.

Certain pipes that carry drinking water from the water source to the home may contain lead. Household plumbing fixtures, welding solder, and pipe fittings made prior to 1986 may also contain lead. Even newer homes aren’t immune to contamination risks. Plumbing that is lead-free, including brass, can still legally contain some lead, up to 0.25% as of 2014. Before 2014, the legal limit of lead content in lead-free plumbing was 8%.

Common Contaminants from Plumbing Systems

Lead isn’t the only concern when it comes to plumbing-related water contamination. An abundance of these minerals can cause hard water, plumbing and laundry stains, or bad odors. Other contaminants that can originate from your plumbing system include:

Copper: Corrosion of copper pipes in homes is the leading source of copper in drinking water.
Iron and Manganese: Iron in concentrations greater than 0.3 mg/l and manganese in concentrations greater than 0.05 mg/l may cause brown and black stains on laundry, plumbing fixtures and sinks. A metallic taste also may be present.
Bacteria: If the total coliform count is high in your water, it is likely that harmful germs—including certain viruses, bacteria, and parasites—are also in your water.

When to Test Your Water Quality

Regular water testing is essential, especially in certain circumstances. Even if you receive a CCR, it doesn’t report on the actual condition of the water coming out of the taps in your home. For example, an older home that predates the 1986 Safe Drinking Water Act might have lead pipes or might have lead in other components of the home plumbing system.

You should consider testing your water if:

Your water develops an unexpected color, taste or odor. You notice deposits on fixtures or see that your laundry isn’t getting clean.
You replace or repair any part of your well system. You notice a change in your water’s taste, color, or smell. These changes sometimes mean your water got contaminated.
You may want to test your household water even if it comes from a PWS if there is a possibility of in-house contamination due to your home’s plumbing, connections or treatment system.

Professional Testing vs. DIY Kits

While home testing kits are readily available, they have limitations. These kits are useful for quick checks—for example, identifying hard water or elevated chlorine levels — but they are less reliable for detecting trace chemical contaminants such as lead, arsenic or PFAS. For homes where water safety is a concern, DIY test kits should be viewed as a starting point rather than a comprehensive solution.

In-home testing by a water treatment expert, complemented where necessary with certified laboratory testing, is the best option when you need certainty about harmful contaminants or compliance with EPA and Health Canada guidelines for safe drinking water. Use a state-certified laboratory to test your water.

Protecting Your Family’s Health

Since you cannot see, taste, or smell lead dissolved in water, testing is the only sure way of telling whether there are harmful quantities of lead in your drinking water. There is no safe level of lead. If there is lead in your home environment, you should take steps to reduce your exposure.

Simple precautions can help reduce exposure:

Individuals should drink or cook only with water that comes out of the tap cold. Water that comes out of the tap warm or hot can have higher levels of lead.
If water hasn’t been used for several hours, run water for 15-30 seconds or until it becomes cold or reaches a steady temperature before using it for drinking or cooking. This flushes out any stagnant water in your home plumbing and replaces it with fresh water from the water main in your street.
The best, most reliable option is to use a water filter that is certified to remove lead.

Working with Professional Plumbers

When water quality issues are traced back to your plumbing system, working with experienced professionals is essential. Companies like wizard plumbing understand the connection between plumbing integrity and water safety. Founded in 2007, Drain Wizard Plumbing & Rooter Service is a family-owned and operated business based in Cocoa, Florida, proudly serving homeowners and businesses throughout Brevard County and the Space Coast. We specialize in full-service residential plumbing, drain cleaning, and repair solutions tailored to meet your needs with precision, reliability, and integrity.

With over 40 years of combined plumbing and rooter experience—and backed by 20 years of former military service—we bring a strong foundation of values to every job we take on. Our approach is rooted in honesty, hard work, loyalty, and a deep commitment to quality workmanship. These are the core principles that drive our success and build lasting relationships with the customers we proudly serve.

Taking Action for Safe Water

Water quality testing isn’t just about peace of mind—it’s about protecting your family’s health. “A detailed water test is the most important thing you can do for your home,” says Maria Mozden, Senior Lab Manager at Culligan. “While it is important for everyone, it is especially important if you’re on a private well, as the EPA recommends testing at least once a year — yet some well owners go 20 years without ever doing it.”

Don’t wait for visible signs of contamination to appear. While some contaminants can cause foul tastes or odors, many others can’t be seen, tasted or smelled. That’s why professional water testing is so important. Whether you’re dealing with aging pipes, recent plumbing work, or simply want to ensure your family’s safety, regular water quality testing combined with proper plumbing maintenance is your best defense against contaminated drinking water.

Remember, your plumbing system is the final gateway between your water supply and your glass. By understanding the risks, testing regularly, and working with qualified professionals when issues arise, you can ensure that the water your family drinks every day is truly safe.