Copper has been the go to material for water lines for many years until the introduction of Polybutylene supply lines which was later replaced by PEX supply lines. Copper is not used as often today due to the high cost of materials and the additional labor that is required to install when compared to PEX.

Generally speaking if you have copper supply lines in your home you should’t have to worry about your plumbing for quite a few years. However, if the copper water lines in your home were not installed correctly it’s a different story. If you notice a build up of calcium and lime around all of the copper fittings it’s a good indication that the joints were not wiped after being soldered. The flux used to solder the pipe is abrasive and will eat away the outside of the pipe causing leaks.