Maybe it’s common knowledge but I didn’t know, almost all garden hoses have lead in them. Unless the house is specifically labeled drinking safe or lead free it has lead. The amount that gets into your plants isn’t huge but any is bad. Particularly if you use raised beds it builds up over time. Take care of your green babies.
Brass contains lead,
Just want to note that there are alloys that contain less than 0.25% of lead, which is determined to be below the level of exposure for any adverse effects. These alloys are labeled as safe for potable water, and are used frequently in valves, fixtures, and other components of potable water systems in buildings fit for human habitation.
I’d still avoid it for a random garden hose manufacturer, because who knows what they do, but I didn’t want somebody to read this and panic if they saw a brass valve or nipple above their water heater or something.
I think there’s a difference between systems where the lines always are full of water treated/potable water, with no air in the lines (like the main water line to a hot water heater) and a line that is drained constantly (like a water hose).
I remember hearing/reading about lead water pipes being mostly okay so long as the lines are always charged with properly treated/conditioned water. Something about the water chemistry making a film that keeps the lead from leaching into the flowing water. It might be the same with brass fittings in similar water systems.
I remember hearing/reading about lead water pipes being mostly okay so long as the lines are always charged with properly treated/conditioned water.
While this is true to my knowledge, I believe it’s mostly an excuse for local governments to not have to replace aged water mains. No plumbing code to my knowledge allows for installation of new lead parts in potable water systems. There are brass parts for plumbing systems that are explicitly labeled as not safe for potable water systems as they contain above the permissible 0.25% of lead in the alloy.
It’s also impossible to ensure that there is never any air in a pressurised water line coming from a municipal water source, this is why every plumbing code I know of in North America requires water hammer arrestors to be placed on valves serving any fixture or appliance with a fast closing valve such as washing machines and dishwashers.
It’s also impossible to ensure that there is never any air in a pressurised water line coming from a municipal water source…
True but I’d imagine there is a difference between a few air bubbles sometimes or during some damage to the water pipes/water flow than my garden hose that sits empty for like 50% of the year.
