Salmon Plumbing Guarantee to ARRIVE ON TIME to your scheduled appointment.
In the rare instance that your plumber has been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, we promise to give you a MINIMUM 30-minutes notice of ANY change in arrival time and will offer to reschedule, if that’s more convenient for you
If we don’t give you at least 30 minutes notice in advance, we will happily give you a FREE Hour of Service on your plumbing job.
This offer is not to be used with any other offer.
Does not apply to quoted jobs.
Discounts will not be applied to overdue amounts.
Deposits
Deposits are not refundable however partial or total refunds of deposits may be made at the sole discretion of Salmon Plumbing.
Cancellations
Salmon Plumbing reserve the right to charge for lost time as a result of cancellations and or postponement made less than 2 business days from the scheduled appointment time.
Warranties
Salmon Plumbing offers a 6 and half year warranty as per the Queensland Building & Construction Commission (QBCC).
There is lead, everywhere. You encounter it in the air, the soil, dust, some hobbies, some alternative medicines and in aged paint. We used to pump it straight into the air back when “super” petrol was the default. Nowdays, it’s your taps and pipes may also be delivering lead right to your glass. Lead is dangerous. Lead is water soluble. It was also a very popular building material for a long time. There is lead in your tap water. How much lead is the question?
How likely is it that there’s lead in my home’s plumbing?
There is. But, there’s not TONS. In some countries, the levels are far higher than here. Australian law allows for lead to be used in water infrastructure in modern homes. Our water supply is some of the safest in the world but suffers from “first world problems” – including fancy pipes and tapware. Yes. Lead is in your taps, pipes and fittings. The law will change in 2026 to mean plumbing fixtures will be limited to lead levels to below 0.25%. Not zero. Just less. And not all plumbing products. New lead regulations will only impact plumbing fixtures that deliver drinking water, not your shower, bath or irrigation. There are currently products on the market that are certified lead free, if you’re planning a new build, it’s worth investing in these.
How much lead is too much in our drinking water
According to Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, 0.01mg per litre of lead in our drinking water is “safe” (previously the number was 0.05mg per litre). Despite the acknowledgement of lead being unsafe in our water, there is no enforced monitoring of lead contamination in public water supplies on both a local and national level. This makes it all the more important that we are personally diligent in having our water tested for the safety of our families and our communities.
How do I know if a pipe is lead?
If your home was built prior to 1940, you may have pure lead pipes. Lead is soft and silvery in colour. It’s not magnetic. So, if you find a silver coloured pipe, that a magnet won’t stick to, and you can “make a mark” by running a coin across the surface, you may be looking at a piece of lead. Unfortunately, the issue with most homes isn’t that the pipes are pure lead, it’s part of a copper alloy, or used to adjoin pipes. So, to the naked eye, you may not be able to tell. To know for sure you’ll need professional testing.
Brass tapware fittings, so chic, so hip, so retro…. so leaded. Original brass fittings – how very special! While your dream reno may involve fancy antique tapware, it is probably best you use replicas. By current Australian standards, the levels of lead in tapware is monitored. The issue is the influx of cheap plumbing fixtures that “look designer” without the designer price tag. In 2017, 12000 Australians bought tapware from Aldi that contained dangerously high lead levels.
Why lead needs to be removed from water and tapware
Long term exposure to lead can cause a number of significant health issues, especially if you have infants, young children, or pregnant women in the home.
Lead exposure has been known to cause damage to the brain
The kidneys
Red blood cells
The stakes are even higher for young children. Babies and children exposed to lead can suffer from hearing problems as well as mental and physical impairments.
Tips for treating lead in water and tapware
The first and most important step is monitoring your local water quality via the SEQ water website. Anything above 0.01mg per litre is unsafe and unacceptable. You can also contact a Brisbane plumber to get advice on testing and your specific circumstances. You can also reduce your exposure to lead on a daily basis by:
1. Running your cold water tap for up to 30 seconds
If the cold water tap hasn’t been used for over six hours, allow it to run for up to 30 seconds before using that water for cooking or drinking.
2. Avoid using water from the hot water tap
Lead is more apparent in hot water, so try to avoid drinking or cooking using water from your hot water tap.
3. Don’t “over boil” your water
The longer you allow a pot of water to boil, the more lead you’ll find in your water due to evaporation.
4. Stop using lead-based cookware
Australian-made cookware likely doesn’t contain lead. But cookware from other countries could very easily contain this dangerous neurotoxin.
5. Replace your old pipes and taps
We recommend buying taps that have the Watermark logo on it as these have the highest quality standards. If you have old taps or corroding pipes, contact one of the friendly plumbing experts here at Salmon Plumbing. We’ll take a look at your plumbing system and provide you with helpful recommendations on how we can increase the safety of your drinking water in an easy and affordable way.
6. Install activated charcoal water filtration at home
Not all water filters remove lead. You’ll need a minimum water filtration system rated at NSF53. These are activated charcoal filters. More expensive and complex filters including reverse osmosis and distillation-based filtration systems will also remove lead. Talk to us about the best option for filters for your circumstances.
Our team at Salmon Plumbing invite you to contact us online or give us a call now to chat about your plumbing concerns at (07) 3862 2600.
