lead or no lead?

[rossibuilders@gmail.com]

I'm in the market for an evaporator and have found a leader 4x14 with pans. The person selling knows very little about it. I've seen pics and the pans aren't shiny but are not new. back pan is drop flue. how can i tell if these are english tin, lead or lead free soldered? Its an old lady selling it who's husband died.

thanks for any help

[S Culver]

Try going to a paint store and buy a test kit called lead check. Home depot or Lowes sometimes has them. You break the center glass and squeeze the liquid out onto the swab and rub on the soddered areas. If it comes up red or pink you have lead. Good luck

[tuckermtn]

I have had good luck with the lead test kit that is used for testing plumbing solder. Comes with a small patch of sand paper and test strips. you scuff the solder and then ad water and then dip the test strip.

if its a leader then there should be a label on it, often with the year it was made. My 1991 grimm was custom ordered with lead free solder, but many of the companies still had lead solder for a few years after that.

[Flat47]

Posting pics here will get you quick, reliable replies, and is probably your best bet.
Good condition english tin will have a brownish white patina on the inside of the pans, and rusty looking outer.
Stainless will have a similar patina on the inside, but shiny outer. If it's soldered and looks brownish on the outside, figure it's tin and has lead. If it's 20 years old or so, figure it's lead. Most companies switched to lead-free by the mid 1990s.