Federal law banned lead solder in residential plumbing in 1986. If your home predates that, your pipes may still contain it — and your utility's treatment can't fix what's inside your walls.
Get a Free Water TestOlder neighborhoods have higher concentrations of pre-1986 housing stock with legacy lead solder.
A $40–60 first-draw lab test tells you exactly where you stand.
Best balance of cost and protection for drinking and cooking water. NSF/ANSI 58 certified systems tested specifically for lead removal.
NSF/ANSI 53 certified pitchers work, but require frequent cartridge replacement every 1–3 months. Not practical as a whole-home solution.
Carbon filtration does not reliably remove lead. Do not rely on a whole-home carbon filter alone if you have lead pipe concerns.
Eliminates the source entirely but is only warranted for confirmed high-level lead (50+ ppb). Most homeowners get better value from point-of-use RO first.
If your home was built before 1986, there's a meaningful chance it has lead solder at pipe joints. Homes built before the 1960s may have lead service lines from the street. The fastest way to know is a first-draw lead test from a certified lab — run your tap for 30 seconds, then draw a sample without running further. Tests cost approximately $40–60 and give you a definitive answer.
Yes and no. Triangle treatment plants finish water at 0.001–0.003 ppm (1–3 ppb), which is very low. But lead enters the water after it leaves the treatment plant — from your home's own pipes, solder joints, and fixtures. The utility controls what's in the supply line; you're responsible for what happens inside your walls.
The EPA's action level is 15 ppb, but there is no established safe level of lead exposure — particularly for children and pregnant women. The EPA has proposed reducing the action level to 10 ppb. The CDC and EPA both state that "no level of lead in blood is safe for children."
Yes, for a limited amount. Flushing 30–60 seconds clears water that's been sitting in contact with solder joints at your fixtures. It's a short-term mitigation measure, not a solution. It doesn't help if your home has a lead service line from the street.
Reverse osmosis forces water through a semi-permeable membrane with pores small enough to block lead ions. NSF/ANSI 58 certified RO systems achieve 95–99% lead reduction — dropping levels like 50 ppb down to below 0.5 ppb. This is the most effective and cost-practical solution for most Triangle homeowners with lead concerns.
We'll run a free in-home water assessment and show you what a point-of-use RO removes — including lead.
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