Checking water for lead or contaminants?

[luckykitty]

Hi,
I am living in a building where the pipes are pretty old, is there someone/a service I could get to check the water for lead?
The water came out really rusty when it was left unused when I first moved in, so I'm worried that it could leech something, even though the water has been clear now.

Also are there any laws on what's acceptable water quality if you are renting? This building is prob from the 40s or 50s and I don't know when they changed the pipes.

Thanks
LK

[Mook]

The building company is responsible for them.

And what if the water isn't up to it - you get to move out for 3 months while they do the pipe renovation (and then the landlord doubles the rent because you have a shiny new bathroom.

anyhow, I doubt that there's lead

[Rosamunda]

There was a thread on that a few years back. I can't remember who posted it but there was some useful information on how/where to get well or tap water tested. Maybe you can find the thread using the search.

[luckykitty]

There was a thread on that a few years back. I can't remember who posted it but there was some useful information on how/where to get well or tap water tested. Maybe you can find the thread using the search.

Thanks for the response. I tried searching for tap water, well water, and water, but couldnt find any threads about that . Do you remember what it was called?

The building company is responsible for them.

And what if the water isn't up to it - you get to move out for 3 months while they do the pipe renovation (and then the landlord doubles the rent because you have a shiny new bathroom.

anyhow, I doubt that there's lead

Well that's the thing, they already said they were doing plumbing renovation in 2011. If the water is messed up I might as well move out earlier if i find a place. I don't want a shiny bathroom but lead would be bad they used to use that in piping, and it dissolves into water if the pipes rust.

Since im not sure when they redid the plumbing, and wondered if there was a way i check.

[Mook]

The pipes are done every 50 or so years. (although there's places from the 70s being done now because the quality was bad)

The water is only usually brown when they've been doing some work somewhere (building or street), rather than coming normally. I doubt the pipes are lead anyway - and if you look at the old ones when they come out they're iron. (anyhow, lead doesn't rust...)

[brengun]

I think mook,s spot on there. Its often the case that after some pipe work been done one gets that dirty water coming through, or if the flat was unoccupied for a time the standing water in the pipes builds up rust(rust being iron oxide,which may even be good for you), and even if the pipes were lead,which i doubt, the interior soon gets coated with lime or other deposits and there,s no absorbtion into the flowing water, but as a precaution just run the cold tap for half a minute to clear any standing water from the pipes every morning, this was widely practiced in the old victorian houses of England which DID have lead pipes. So, stop worrying but if you still do phone the house manager(telephone number in the entrance hall) he,ll speak English and he,ll also confirm that the old pipes are iron as Mook suggests. The putki remonti (plumbers) people will be able to tell him... By the way is this putki remonti business another scam, seems to be a lot of it about!. cheers.

[rinso]

The rusty pipes are iron. All iron pipes have some rust in them. The brown water comes from an abrupt change in water flow. (The rust loosens)
The problem doesn't need to by in the building even. In some old neighbourhoods it also happened when the fire brigade opened a hydrant in the street nearby.

There are no major health concerns, but if you have the washing machine running when it happens, you have a problem.

Water quality is tested by the health department of the local kunta or region. (at least in the countryside) And of course by the water production company. But I don't know if they will check private complains.

[Tiwaz]

The rusty pipes are iron. All iron pipes have some rust in them. The brown water comes from an abrupt change in water flow. (The rust loosens)
The problem doesn't need to by in the building even. In some old neighbourhoods it also happened when the fire brigade opened a hydrant in the street nearby.

There are no major health concerns, but if you have the washing machine running when it happens, you have a problem.

Water quality is tested by the health department of the local kunta or region. (at least in the countryside) And of course by the water production company. But I don't know if they will check private complains.

Water department will not look into this unless there is good reason to believe that problem comes from their end of pipes.

Essentially, rule of thumb is that once it is on property you "own", problem is yours.

Electric company might have responsibility to ensure that electricity comes to your house without issues, whatever happens to it after the measuring device is your problem.
Same with water. Once it is in your house, it is your responsibility. Or more specifically responsibility of company which owns the house.

You might want to talk to superintendent or whatever that word for isännöitsijä was.

[Upphew]

But I don't know if they will check private complains.

Yes they will, but then the bill will be complainers headache. One would be looking at something in the ballpark of 500e for whole shebang and maybe tenth of that for just the lead or other heavy metals. \../

http://savolab.fi/savolab/index.php?id=80 doesn't list lead as a thing to look at, so they probably doesn't check it as default. lukcykitty, maybe you should contact your local health inspector for more info?

[Upphew]

You might want to talk to superintendent or whatever that word for isännöitsijä was.

It would help people to understand his/her job better if the title was Taloyhtiön toimitusjohtaja, CEO of the housing company... maybe then people wouldn't call him when the radiator is cold or tap drips.

[jas_rho]

Lead doesn't rust so rusty water would not mean that there is lead in the water.

[Pursuivant]

Or you might contact the aediles to inquire if your aqueduct has lead pipes, and then go to the temple of Cloacina to get a reading of sheep intestines from the augur

[Tiwaz]

You might want to talk to superintendent or whatever that word for isännöitsijä was.

It would help people to understand his/her job better if the title was Taloyhtiön toimitusjohtaja, CEO of the housing company... maybe then people wouldn't call him when the radiator is cold or tap drips.

Well, he usually is guy who runs the daily issues with janitorial company etc, so it makes sense to contact him. Specially when they are hired professionals instead of just some guy from B36 who does it since nobody else is willing to do.

[Pursuivant]

We've got two offices, one is the janitor/company office you do your "daily stuff" with. Then if its anything financial or going into the company level then I call the caretakers office. But if you have a small OY with a small company then it well might be that the contact is much "closer".

[DMC]

There are a couple of earlier threads you could look at:

Wells, wells, wells

Well Water Testing