Hello from accross the pond

[skoronesa]

I'd be more worried about what was in the water if I was in Flint, MI !

Yeah, that was really dumb of them. Unfortunately it is a common thing here in the states. Lots of leaded brass fittings and even lead service lines. Sometimes we still have to connect to them.

A municipality near me still has wooden mains under the streets. They just repaved the main drag as well, granite curbs and all. They have to put out something like 375 psi at the pump house to get 75 at the houses because it leaks so bad. Some of our guys had to redo a connection off it to a house. They had to shut half the town down to do it. The old hole just got a wooden plug pounded in.

Luckily we have very basic water so the lead doesn't leach out.

 

[plumbandplumber]

Thanks for your extensive answers, Skoronesa. Never hears of wooden water mains, but Googled it, and seem quite common in the States. Some are just hollowed out tree trunks, others look like very long barrels with wood fillets and steel bracing around the outside. Can't imagine how much they must leak.

 

[Ric2013]

They used to use wooden mains in Italy too.

 

[Chuck]

They used to use wooden mains in Italy too.

It was used in this country up until about 1900. There are a various examples in the Science Museum in London.