What is a lead gooseneck or pigtail connector?
Updated November 2, 2026
What is a lead gooseneck?
A short, flexible connector, usually one to two feet long, that joins the water main to a home's service line. Many older ones are lead.
A gooseneck, also called a pigtail, is a short, flexible piece of pipe, usually one to two feet long, that joins the water main to the service line. Many were made of lead, even where the rest of the line was copper or galvanized.
Why utilities used them
Soft lead could bend, which let the connection flex as the ground settled or froze without snapping. That made lead goosenecks standard in many cities well into the 20th century.
Why a short piece of lead matters
- Water passes through it on its way to your tap, so it can add lead even if the rest of the line is copper.
- Lead from a gooseneck can collect inside a galvanized line downstream. That is why a galvanized line that ever sat downstream of a lead connector counts as "galvanized requiring replacement."
What the federal rule says
Under EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, utilities must list lead connectors in their service line inventories and replace them when they find them, for example during main work or a service line replacement. Your inventory record may show a connector material separately.
How to know if you have one
You can't see it from inside the house, because it sits at the main under the street. Check your utility's inventory, ask whether its tap records show a lead gooseneck at your address, and test your water. If you are replacing your own side, ask the utility to check and replace the connector at the same time.
Who pays
The gooseneck is almost always on the utility side, so the utility normally pays to replace it.
Sources: EPA: Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, EPA inventory guidance
Common questions
What is a lead gooseneck?
A short, flexible connector, usually one to two feet long, that joins the water main to a home's service line. Many older ones are lead.
Who replaces a lead gooseneck?
Usually the utility, because the connector sits at the main on the public side. Federal rules require utilities to replace lead connectors when they encounter them.
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