Lic No: L985
We accept Visa, Mastercard and Eftpos
22
Apr
Share
No Comments on Contaminated Drinking Water and PEX Piping Drinking Water, Water Contamination
Contaminated Drinking Water and PEX Piping
We recently completed a project where the customer was noticing a strange smell and taste from their drinking water. They also reported that they were concerned as the drinking water was giving off a distinct petroleum smell.
The customer first engaged Sydney Water to carry out a test of their drinking water to determine what was causing it and if their water supply was safe to drink. Sydney Water reported that the water between the water meter and tap did in fact contain levels of chemicals that were not normally found in drinking water and although these chemicals were not at dangerous levels, they were likely the cause of the smell and taste issues.
One likely cause of these chemicals was the use of PEX piping for their water supply. PEX (Cross Linked Polyethelene) generally looks like a black plastic flexible pipe and is commonly used by plumbers for water supplies mainly used because it’s cheaper and easier to install than the traditional copper pipes.
While there is insufficient testing and data to prove that certain brands of PEX pipe leaches chemicals into the water supply, there have been several overseas tests that have concluded that chemicals have in fact leached into water supplies from certain brands of PEX.
More definitive conclusions will no doubt be reached as longer-term testing is carried out but it is certainly something to keep in mind when having any pipes being replaced or added and we recommend doing your own research before making a decision.
On this job we replaced the majority of the PEX piping with the more traditional copper pipe as we were confident the pipes were causing the raised chemical levels. Due to its location there were a few small areas of PEX that we were unable to replace as doing so would have caused significant damage to the surrounding area which was cost prohibitive for the customer.
After we completed the replacement, Sydney Water carried out another test and found the chemicals previously found had significantly reduced to negligible levels. The customer also happily reported that to their relief the water no longer had a strange smell and taste.
If you are experiencing strange smelling or tasting drinking water or are concerned about any PEX piping you may have for your water supply, we recommend that you contact the Sydney Water Monitoring Service to provide testing. You can contact them at the link below:
If you are having issues with your water service or are wanting to replace any PEX piping with traditional copper pipes, Poole & Co Plumbing has over 50 years’ experience and can help with almost any plumbing work so feel free to contact us for advice or a quote today.