Water Quality in Older Buildings
Brownstones, pre-war apartment buildings and older homes have plumbing histories that can change the water between the street and your glass.
Why building age matters
Older buildings rarely have just one plumbing system. Instead, they often contain layers of installations and repairs completed over decades, including an original service line, replacement pipe sections, newer fixtures, and renovated kitchens and bathrooms.
New York City stopped allowing lead service lines in 1961, and federal law banned lead solder in drinking water plumbing in 1986. Buildings older than those dates may still contain one or both, even if parts of the system have since been replaced. When older plumbing materials are a concern, lead laboratory analysis in New York City can help determine whether lead is present in a water sample.
Service lines, risers and rooftop tanks
Water enters through a service line, travels up vertical pipes called risers and branches off to each apartment. In many New York City buildings it first passes through a rooftop storage tank, which the city requires owners to inspect every year.
Each of these parts can affect water quality. Tanks can collect sediment, risers can carry corrosion products and long branch lines can hold water for hours in units that sit empty.
Stagnation, hot water and low-use units
When water sits still in pipes, it has more time to dissolve metals such as lead and copper. It also gradually loses some of the disinfectant added at the treatment plant. As a result, the first water flowing from a tap in the morning may differ from water that has been running for a while.
Large hot water systems, vacant apartments, and rarely used fixtures can also create conditions that allow bacteria such as Legionella to grow. In buildings where these risks are a concern, Queens Legionella water testing specialists can help assess potential bacterial growth in water systems.
Why renovations can change your water
Plumbing work, street construction and even turning valves that have not moved in years can shake loose scale and particles from the inside of pipes. Those particles can carry lead and iron.
Discolored water after construction usually clears with flushing, but particles containing lead can appear even when the water looks clear.
Practical steps for residents and owners
- Run the tap. If water has been sitting for several hours, run the cold tap until it feels noticeably colder before drinking or cooking.
- Use cold water for drinking and cooking. Hot water dissolves more metal from plumbing.
- Clean faucet aerators. Screens at the end of faucets can trap particles, including lead.
- Ask about your service line. Utilities and building managers can often tell you what material it is.
- Test after major changes. Renovations, new fixtures or a change in taste or color are good reasons to test.
- Use certified filters correctly. If you use a filter for lead, choose one certified for lead reduction and replace cartridges on schedule.
Testing designed for older buildings
Olympian Water Testing plans sampling around the building, the outlets people actually use and the question being investigated.