Potable Water Hose Connections

[dcolasurdo]

Trying to get info on what type of connections to use on fresh water system hose. I know to avoid anything with lead. I'm talking about Y-adapters, shut off valves, 90 and 45 degree connections. Found some lead free 90 and 45 degree connections, but can't find any good info on the y-adapter or shut off valves. Is plastic ok? How about metal?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks

[gmacklem]

Wow, you are putting a lot more thought into this than I did. I bought a brass Y splitter. Not sure I paid attention to the lead content. Will follow this thread and see where it goes. I may need to replace mine.

[dcolasurdo]

Yea, not trying to cause a panic or anything. I bought a 45 degree connector from Camco and it had a lead warning in the back of the package. It got me wondering about it. I also cut various lengths of the drinking water hose and it got me thinking about the male and female ends I used on them. Metal, plastic or whatever. Just thought someone may know the answers here.

[donanddona]

My family was raised drinking out of a garden hose that mom and dad used in the garden. Plastic Ys, sprayers, angles too all plastic. However during spring de-winterizing I soak all fittings in weak bleach water, "rinse well"!!!

[kz08h5]

Unless you managed to find some really old plumbing parts, I wouldn't worry about lead in plumbing fittings. Lead can leach out of fittings into the water. The amount varies by lead content of fitting, water type (soft or hard, acidic or basic, constant flow or static, etc.). These are only some of the obvious variables to be considered. Leaching is always occurring, but it has a time factor involved. Slow to no moving water will have the most available leached into it while fast moving water will much less, maybe 0 leached lead. Another consideration, is how much oxide has built up on the inside of the fitting. When the inside is covered with oxide the water can't get to the base metals to leach. If you are still worried just run the water to purge the line. The water would then be coming from the"source" and would contain almost no lead from your brass fittings. What's in the source water is another story.

[Narboza]

Every business that sells in the state or could sell in the state puts a CA Prop 65 warning on everything. The warning is getting to be like all those tags that go on pillows and furniture that no one every reads. Just because lead is detectable, it need not be a hazard. Concern is OK, but paranoia can kill you.