- Lead
- Always replaced, whatever condition it is in
- Dutch limit
- 5 micrograms of lead per litre at most
- Water test
- About € 50, an answer within days
- Hourly rate
- €114.95 incl. BTW, no call-out charge
Signs that replacement is due
Pipes usually give plenty of warning. The trouble is that the warning gets blamed on something else: hard water, or an old tap.
Watch for these five:
- Brownish or yellow water, especially the moment you open the tap
- A metallic or musty taste or smell to the tap water
- Noticeable pressure loss at several outlets at once
- Damp patches, rust or visible corrosion on the pipes you can see
- Repeated leaks in different places within a short time
The year your house was built is the quickest first indicator. Homes from before roughly 1960 sometimes still have lead in part of the run. Houses from the seventies and eighties often have galvanised steel that silts up from the inside, which you notice in the pressure before you see it in the water.
What the Dutch authorities say about lead
The RIVM warns that lead harms brain development in young children, and holds drinking water to a limit of 5 micrograms per litre at most. Old lead pipes miss that limit easily, particularly water that has stood overnight.
Responsibility is set in law. As the owner you have the lead replaced from the water meter into the house. The stretch from the street to the meter belongs to the water company. If you rent, the duty sits with your landlord, and you can report it there. The government explains how to trace lead pipes and have them replaced. Ask your municipality and water company whether a contribution scheme applies, because that differs by region.
How to test whether it really has to happen
Three checks together give you the full picture before you bring anyone in for the work itself.
- Water test. A laboratory tests the first water from the tap for lead, usually for about € 50. Above 5 micrograms per litre there is reason to act.
- Camera inspection. A camera down the pipe shows corrosion, narrowing or breaks you cannot see from outside. Useful above all with old pipes buried in walls or floors.
- Pressure test. Before new pipes are closed in, the connections go under pressure to prove they hold.
Never skip that pressure test, not even on a small repair. It is the cheapest certainty you can buy against expensive making good later.
Relining or full replacement
With old pipes the market offers two routes, and the choice depends mostly on the material and the state of the existing pipe.
Relining puts a new plastic lining inside the existing pipe, without opening walls. That only works where the pipe itself is still sound, so no cracks and no heavy corrosion. Less disruption, but a shorter life, and with lead it is not an option at all: that has to come out regardless.
Full replacement is the only route with lead, with structural damage, and when several stretches are worn out at once. On materials you usually end up with plastic, multilayer with an aluminium core, or copper. In every case ask for KIWA-approved material that meets the NEN standards.
What it costs
Costs vary widely with scale, access and the number of connection points. In the market, the lead sections alone usually come out between € 1,500 and € 3,500. Replacing a complete internal system often falls between € 2,000 and € 5,000, depending on the size of the house.
Expect making good on top of that. Where pipes run through walls or floors, there is plastering, tiling or painting afterwards. Ask about it explicitly, because many quotes name only the installation.
On site I charge €114.95 incl. BTW per hour, with no call-out charge. For a complete run of pipework I would rather give you a fixed price, so you know where you stand before I start. It is all on the prices page.
From inspection to handover
A well-run job follows the same order, whatever its size:
- Survey. I look at the situation, with a test or an inspection where that is needed.
- Quote. You get a written price with materials, programme and guarantee.
- The work. The old pipes come out and the new ones go in.
- Pressure test. Before anything is closed in, every joint goes under pressure.
- Making good and handover. Walls and floors are closed up, and I walk you through what was done.
In an average family house the work usually takes two to four days. Runs with a lot of buried pipework stretch to a week.
Getting it done
Not sure what state your pipes are in, or does the pressure at your boiler keep dropping? That last one comes from old pipework more often than people think. Send me a few photos and your postcode, and we will work out whether it has to happen now or can wait for a renovation.
You deal with me directly, you get a clear price before the work starts, and my work carries a 12-month guarantee for leaks and issues. What customers mention most is that clarity up front, which is reflected in 4.9 out of 5 across 56 reviews.
There is more on the approach on the pipework and chasing page. If your pipes are in the wrong place rather than worn out, read moving bathroom pipes instead. To talk it through, send me a message.
Common questions
Lead pipes have to go, because lead above the limit of 5 micrograms per litre is a health risk, particularly for young children. Badly corroded or leaking pipework has to go too, whatever it is made of.
The year the house was built is the quickest first clue: homes from before roughly 1960 sometimes still have lead. You only know for certain with a water test, because lead is invisible in the water itself.
As the owner you are responsible for the stretch from the water meter into the house. If you rent, replacing it is the landlord's duty. The part from the street to the meter belongs to the water company.
Copper and plastic last decades when properly installed. Old galvanised steel often causes trouble after thirty to forty years, because it silts up from the inside. Lead has no acceptable lifespan left on health grounds.
Yes. I replace and reroute water and heating pipes across Noord-Holland, including cases where pressure loss at the boiler turns out to come from old pipework. My rate is €114.95 incl. BTW per hour; for a whole run I give you a fixed price.
