The Fund has spent $400,000 since 1981 to maintain and repair the House, including foundation underpinnings and new copper plumbing.

Soldering, described further on, is required for installing shut-off valves in rigid copper plumbing, the most common kind.

Government officials and real estate specialists say homes are often stripped of their appliances, and even their copper plumbing before a buyer is found.

Either or both of these will encourage corrosion of copper plumbing.

In drinking water, green can indicate copper leaching from copper plumbing and can also represent algae growth.

Cast-iron pipes came out and copper plumbing went back in; fuses were replaced with circuit breakers, and a fresh coat of exterior paint was needed.

Then they rebuilt the front porch, reshingled the house, rewired it, added copper plumbing, a bedroom and two bathrooms.

Supplements (and copper plumbing) are thought by some to be a possible cause of the current epidemic of Alzheimer's disease.

Torches are used for larger jobs and for bulkier metal joints when more heat is required, as when soldering copper plumbing.

Windows were broken, copper plumbing was stripped out and buildings were torched.