Sink vs. Drain pipe
Sink: 100 years old.
Drain pipe: 2 years old.
Failure had caused a small leak.
Feb 24 · 2 months ago · 😮 1
4 Comments ↓
👻 darkghost · Feb 24 at 17:51:
They don't make em like they used to. But it probably used to be lead.
🚀 stack [OP] · Feb 24 at 18:49:
@darkghost, true. But I have a theory that since all those radioactive materials decay into lead, the pipe would be continuously reinforced with newly accreted layers and last for millenia.
I seem to remember (hate to fact-check, as you may have noticed) that lead oxide is stable and largely prevents lead contamination...
👻 darkghost · Feb 24 at 19:26:
Lead oxide is lead contamination, the corrosion product that forms from old pipes when exposed to acidic pH. Orthophosphate is added to water to keep the lead from corroding in acidic water if this is a known risk. This is what happened in Flint, MI when penny wise pound foolish politicians switched the water supply to the corrosive Flint River to save a few bucks and didn't bother to check.
🚀 stack [OP] · Feb 24 at 19:36:
oops. I had it backwards. I was thinking of lead carbonate or as you pointed out lead sulfate...