Service in Lebanon & Lebanon County, PA
Lead Service Line Replacement in Lebanon, PA
The City of Lebanon Authority has been mailing letters to homeowners whose service line is lead or unconfirmed. We confirm what you actually have, replace a lead line from the curb to your meter, and leave you with a clean record of the work.
The basics
What a lead service line is, and why Lebanon has them
A service line is the pipe that carries drinking water from the street main into your home. In houses built before the 1950s, that line was often made of lead. Lebanon City has a lot of housing from that era, with a median build year in the late 1940s, so legacy lead lines still run into a share of homes here.
The City of Lebanon Authority put real numbers on it. Out of roughly 22,000 service lines in its inventory, a set are confirmed lead and a larger group remain unconfirmed, which is why letters went out to about 2,300 customers. The authority controls corrosion by adding lime and holding a steady pH, which keeps lead from leaching into the water even where lead pipe exists. Replacing the line removes the source entirely — the long-term fix.
Diagnosis
How we identify your service line material
Before anyone talks about replacement, you need to know what you have. There is a simple way to check, and a thorough one.
The scratch and magnet test
Where the line enters your basement we gently scratch the surface. Lead is dull gray and turns shiny silver when scratched, and a magnet will not stick to it. Galvanized steel holds a magnet and scratches to a duller gray. That quick test at the meter answers the question for most homes in minutes.
Water testing
A lab water test tells you whether lead is actually showing up at the tap, which matters most for households with young children. We can arrange a test and explain the result in plain terms rather than leaving you with a sheet of numbers.
Checking the full run and the records
The line has two halves: the authority owns the main to the curb stop, and you own the curb stop to the house. We trace your side, and cross-check against the authority's inventory so we know whether the public portion is also being addressed.
The fix
How we replace a lead service line
Replacement removes the lead pipe and puts in copper or approved plastic from the curb to your meter. How we get there depends on your yard and the line's path.
Open-trench replacement
The traditional method digs a trench along the line's path, removes the old lead pipe, and lays new copper or HDPE. It is straightforward and lets us inspect the whole run, which is often the right call on a short suburban lot.
Trenchless pull-through
Where the yard or hardscape makes digging costly, we can often pull a new line through the old path from two small access points instead of a full trench. It saves the lawn, the driveway, and a lot of restoration work.
Restoration and documentation
We restore the surface we opened and give you documentation of the replacement, including what material went in. That record matters when you sell, since Pennsylvania asks sellers to disclose known plumbing materials to buyers.
Pricing
Cost of lead service line replacement in Lebanon, PA
Replacement commonly runs from roughly fifteen hundred dollars up to several thousand, driven mostly by how long and deep the line is and how much surface has to be restored afterward. A short run to a city row home costs less than a long line across a larger lot — especially with a driveway in the way.
It is worth asking about funding. Pennsylvania is part of federal lead line replacement efforts, and the City of Lebanon Authority has its own program for the public side of the line, so some or all of the public portion may be handled separately. We give you a clear price for your side and point you toward any program that applies.
Related work and service areas
What we also handle, and where
A lead line is often not the only aging pipe in an older Lebanon home. While the trench is open or we are already at your meter, it can make sense to address a corroded galvanized water line, plan a whole-home repipe, or look at a cast iron drain stack nearing the end of its life.
Related services
Questions, answered
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if I have a lead service line?
Find where the water line enters your basement and look at the pipe at the meter. A quick scratch tells you a lot: lead is soft, dull gray, scratches to bright silver, and will not hold a magnet. If you got a letter from the City of Lebanon Authority, your line is already flagged as lead or unconfirmed and worth checking in person.
Is Lebanon's water safe to drink if I have a lead line?
The City of Lebanon Authority adds lime and holds a steady pH to control corrosion, which keeps lead from leaching into the water even in homes with lead lines. That said, no level of lead is ideal, especially for young children, so replacing the line removes the risk at its source. A water test tells you where you stand today.
Who pays, the city or the homeowner?
The line has two parts. The authority owns the pipe from the main to the curb stop, and you own the part from the curb stop into your house. The public side may be replaced through the authority's program, while the homeowner side is yours. We quote your portion clearly and point you to any funding that applies.
Do I have to disclose a lead pipe when I sell my home?
Pennsylvania asks home sellers to disclose known plumbing materials, including lead or unknown service lines, on the property disclosure. Replacing the line before you list removes the issue and gives buyers a clean answer. We provide documentation of the new line that you can hand to a buyer.
How long does a replacement take?
Where the site cooperates, a homeowner-side replacement is often a one-day job. A short trenchless pull-through can go quickly, while a long open trench with driveway restoration takes longer. We give you a realistic timeline when we see the line's path, not a guess over the phone.
What replaces the lead line?
We replace lead with copper or an approved plastic such as HDPE, both standard for modern water service. The new line carries no lead, restores full flow if the old pipe was also corroded, and comes with a record of the material for your files. It is a permanent fix, not a patch.
Call now
Got a lead line letter from the authority?
Call and we will confirm what you have and what it takes to replace it. Free estimates in Lebanon County.