Lead pipes: how to tell if your home has them and what to do
Lead water pipes are most likely in older Ontario homes. The City of Hamilton says lead was used widely in service lines before 1955.[1] The City of Toronto says lead was common before the mid-1950s.[2] The only ways to know for sure are to look at the pipe where it enters your home and to test the water at your tap.
Our free check takes a few minutes and shows what public data says about homes in your area.
On this page
What counts as a lead pipe
Lead can reach your tap from three places:
- The service line: the pipe that brings water from the street into your home. In older homes, this is the most common lead pipe.
- Household plumbing: older pipes inside the home.
- Solder and fixtures: lead solder joining copper pipes, and taps or fittings with lead in them.
The City of Hamilton says lead in drinking water is usually caused by corrosion of plumbing materials that contain lead.[1]
Tap a label, or a part of the drawing, to find it.
Illustration. Not to scale.
How old does a home have to be?
Each city puts it a little differently:
| City | What the city says |
|---|---|
| Hamilton | Lead was used widely in service lines, solder and fittings before 1955. |
| Toronto | Lead service pipes in homes built before the mid-1950s; lead solder used to join pipes before 1990; and leaded-brass fixtures such as faucets and valves. |
| Ottawa | About 15% of homes were built with lead service pipes. Homes built after 1958 are at little or no risk of lead from tap water, though a few may be connected to an older watermain whose City section is lead. |
Sources: City of Hamilton[1]; City of Toronto[3]; City of Ottawa.[4]
Toronto says apartment and other buildings with more than six units do not have lead service pipes, whatever their age.[3] Ottawa says the same of multi-residential properties.[4] Solder and fixtures can still contain lead in any building.
How can I tell if a pipe is lead?
Look at the pipe that brings water into your home. Here is how.
- Find the pipe that brings water into your home from the street. It is usually in the basement, where it comes through the foundation wall and connects to the water meter.
- Look at the colour. A lead pipe is dull grey[5] or greyish-black.[6]
- Do a scratch test. Scratch the pipe gently with a key or coin. Lead shows shiny metal underneath, and Health Canada says it is soft and easy to dent or scrape.
- Try a magnet. A magnet does not stick to lead or copper. It sticks to galvanized iron, which can also look dull grey but stays grey when scratched.
- Still not sure? Ask your city or water utility. Health Canada says your municipality probably knows whether your neighbourhood has lead service lines. In Hamilton, the City offers a free inspection (lead pipes in Hamilton) and a short video on finding your pipe (City of Hamilton: how to identify a lead water service pipe). In Toronto, 311 can check City records for you, which can take up to 30 business days.[3]
Two more tips from other cities: Toronto says a lead pipe is grey, scratches easily and does not sound hollow when you tap it.[3] Ottawa suggests scratching the pipe with sandpaper to expose bare metal, on the short section between the basement floor and the water meter.[4]
Lead shows shiny metal under the scratch
A magnet does not stick to lead
Illustration. Not to scale.
| Pipe | Looks | Scratch test | Magnet | Other signs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | Dull grey | Shiny metal underneath; soft | Does not stick | May have a bulge near the meter connection; pipe tends to be larger |
| Copper | Copper-coloured, may have green corrosion | Shiny copper | Does not stick | Smaller pipe |
| Galvanized iron | Dull grey | Stays dull grey | Sticks | May have threads at the connection |
| Brass | Similar to copper | May have threads at the connection |
Source: City of Greater Sudbury[5], plus Health Canada[6] for lead’s softness and colour. If you still can’t tell, a licensed plumber or home inspector can check.
-
Lead
- Looks
- Dull grey
- Scratch test
- Shiny metal
- Magnet
- Does not stick
- Other signs
- May have a bulge near the meter
-
Copper
- Looks
- Copper colour, may have green spots
- Scratch test
- Shiny copper
- Magnet
- Does not stick
-
Galvanized iron
- Looks
- Dull grey
- Scratch test
- Stays grey
- Magnet
- Sticks
- Other signs
- May have threads at joints
-
Brass
- Looks
- Like copper
- Other signs
- May have threads at joints
If you rent, ask your landlord, superintendent or property manager about the pipes.[1] See our guide for renters.
Is it safe to have lead pipes?
Health Canada says lead is a risk to everyone’s health, and that children, infants and fetuses are most at risk because their brains are still developing.[6] It says no level of lead has been identified below which there is no effect on children’s brain development, so lead should be kept as low as reasonably achievable.[7]
Two numbers you may see:
| Limit | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Health Canada guideline (maximum acceptable concentration) | 5 micrograms per litre (0.005 mg/L) | Health Canada, 2019 |
| Ontario drinking water standard | 10 micrograms per litre (0.010 mg/L) | Ontario Regulation 169/03 |
Having a lead pipe does not tell you how much lead is in your water. A test does. See how to test your water for lead and what your result means.
Do I need to worry about lead pipes?
If your home is old enough to have them, it is worth checking, and testing if you find one. Health Canada says the best permanent solution is to replace the lead service line.[6] Until then, a few simple habits lower how much lead you drink (below).
Lead exposure: signs and symptoms
Lead exposure usually has no clear signs you can see. Health Canada names effects on children’s brain development and behaviour, including lower IQ, and higher blood pressure and kidney problems in adults.[6] The City of Hamilton says your blood lead level is the best way to know your exposure, and your doctor can test it.[8]
If you are worried about lead exposure, talk to your doctor or your local public health unit.
Does your area have older homes?
Enter the first three characters of your postal code to see what public data says about your area: how many homes were built in 1960 or before, from the 2021 Census, and whether many homes nearby use wells, from Ontario well records. It describes your area, not your home.
You can also look up lead test results the province publishes for schools and daycares, or see the map.
What to do next
- Test your water. See how to test your water for lead.
While you wait
- Use cold water only for drinking and cooking. Health Canada says hot water increases how much lead leaches from plumbing.[6]
- Run the tap if water has sat in the pipes for several hours. Health Canada says run it until it is cold, about one minute. Your city may advise longer: Hamilton says at least five minutes for homes with a lead service pipe.[1]
- Use a filter certified for lead. Health Canada recommends a certified tap filter as a temporary step. See water filters for lead.
- Plan to replace the pipe (next section).
You take the sample yourself and a licensed lab tests it: see how to test your water for lead. To lower lead day to day, use a certified filter; to remove it for good, replace the lead pipe: see water filters for lead.
Can boiling water remove lead? No. The City of Hamilton and the Middlesex-London Health Unit both say boiling does not remove lead.[1][9]
Replacing lead pipes
Health Canada says the best permanent solution is to replace the lead service line.[6] In most communities, the city owns part of the line and the homeowner owns the rest.
Where the line splits depends on your city:
- Hamilton and Toronto: at the property line.[10][3] The city owns the part from the watermain to the property line; you own the part from the property line into your home.
- Ottawa: at the water shut-off valve.[4] The City owns the part from the watermain to the valve; you own the part from the valve to your home.
Replace the whole line, not half
Health Canada’s guideline document says the best way to reduce lead is to remove the full service line, and that partial replacement has been shown to increase lead levels through corrosion where old and new pipe meet.[7] Toronto Public Health says cutting the pipe to replace just one side can release lead particles and cause a temporary spike in lead levels, and recommends replacing your side at the same time as the City replaces its side.[3] Keep using a certified filter around replacement time (water filters for lead).
Help by city
| City | What the city offers |
|---|---|
| Hamilton | Free inspection; the City replaces its side once you replace yours; a loan of up to $3,000 for your side. See lead pipes in Hamilton. |
| Toronto | If you commit to replacing your side, you can apply to have the City replace its side through its Priority Lead Water Service Replacement Program. The City also replaces its side during planned road, sewer and watermain work, which is a chance to replace yours at the same time. Toronto estimates just under 16,000 City-owned lead service pipes remain. |
| Ottawa | When a watermain is replaced, the City replaces its part of a lead service pipe with copper; the owner’s part stays lead unless the owner pays to replace it. The City runs a Lead Pipe Replacement Program for full replacement. |
| Other cities | Ask your city or water utility about replacement programs. We add cities as we cover them. |
Sources: City of Toronto[3]; City of Ottawa[4]; Health Canada.[6]
How much does lead pipe replacement cost? It depends on the length and depth of the pipe and what sits on top of it. We only publish costs a city or program states. In Hamilton, the City loan covers up to $3,000. For a price on your home, get a quote from a licensed contractor.
Are lead pipes banned in Canada?
For new work, yes. Health Canada says the National Plumbing Code allowed lead service pipes until 1975, and lead solder has been banned in new drinking water plumbing and repairs since 1990.[7] Homes built before then can still have them.
Lead in the rock, not just pipes
Lead can also come from the ground. The City of Hamilton says lead occurs naturally in Southern Ontario bedrock in varying amounts and unpredictable patterns, and some drilled wells above the Niagara Escarpment in rural Hamilton have high lead because of it.[11] If you are on a well, see well water testing.
Babies and pregnancy
Children six and under and pregnant women are the groups cities single out. For feeding babies, including formula, see babies and formula in our filters guide.
Renters
You can still check, test and ask. Ask your landlord what the pipes are made of and whether they plan to replace them. See our guide for renters.
Sources
- City of Hamilton, Lead Water Service Replacement. Checked . ↩︎
- City of Toronto, Lead Testing for Residents. Checked . ↩︎
- City of Toronto, Lead in drinking water. Checked . ↩︎
- City of Ottawa, Lead Pipe Replacement Program FAQ. Checked . ↩︎
- City of Greater Sudbury, How To Conduct a Scratch Test and What To Look For. Checked . ↩︎
- Health Canada, Drinking water: what about lead? Checked . ↩︎
- Health Canada, Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality: Guideline Technical Document, Lead. Checked . ↩︎
- City of Hamilton, Lead in Your Drinking Water. Checked . ↩︎
- Middlesex-London Health Unit, Lead and Drinking Water. Checked . ↩︎
- City of Hamilton, Water Service Line Replacement. Checked . ↩︎
- City of Hamilton, Naturally Occurring Lead in Bedrock. Checked . ↩︎
How we source our figures: Sources and method.