Connecting to lead water pipe

My mains water feed is lead pipe and currently runs under the floor of the garage and then by a circuitous and unbeautiful route to the water meter at the back of the house. I want to change to a simpler layout so the water meter is in the garage and the house supply is fed from there

What is the best way to connect from a lead pipe which is deep in the ground to a water meter which is directly above it? Wiped leadwork is beyond my DIY skills so I will be getting someone else to do that part but I'd like to have some idea of just what the whole job involves like how big a hole needs to be dug? inspection hatch needed? specialist fittings? cost of moving the meter?

Anyone have experience of this one? Anna

Reply to
Anna Kettle
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I wish a) we had time and b) you lived closer to us, Spouse would love to do a job like that and I'd love to meet you!

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

I thought that was illegal?

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Get your water company to replace it then.

Reply to
Nigel Molesworth

Our rising main is lead. It changes where the internal stop tap meets it - and then only because Spouse changed all the internal piping to copper in the 1960s.

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

Thats why you are just a handyman

Crap tools and advice

Reply to
Alex

Blah blah blah.

Reply to
Chris Bacon

Blah blah blah.

Reply to
Chris Bacon

Blah blah blah.

Reply to
Chris Bacon

You don't need to do wiped work, all you need is something to expand the lead pipe to accept the copper pipe you want to use.

This is usually done by danging in a hardwood cone like a victorian childs whipping top, but any substitute will do, the aim is simply to open up the last inch of the lead pipe.

Put the copper into the lead pipe and carefully run solder along the join to a decent depth.

Job done. Time taken about half an hour at most.

Reply to
EricP

There is nothing stopping existing pipes from being lead. However, you cannot now use it for construction, installation, renewal, repair or replacement.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
nightjar

Provided you're willing to pay.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Are you the new dribble?

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

nightjar

Surely it's very bad for your health to run drinking water through lead pipes? Here in NZ I'd just buy a coil of that blue plastic water pipe and a couple of plastic connectors and do it myself. It's very cheap and simple.

Maybe the recent PVC pipes would be a good idea though :)

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Reply to
Nick

Not at all, I'm just commenting on the current bout of verbal diarrhoea that's infecting some people in uk.d-i-y. If you can't beat 'em, join them. Bring on some nice adverts, or something vaguely useful, instead of a load of useless wink (sp).

Reply to
Chris Bacon

Depends on the water.

I wouldn't want to do it here in mid Kent as the water is as soft as a baby's botty and might just dissolve some lead on the way through.

Back in north Surrey, near London, it made no difference at all as the lead pipes (and everything else) furred up in no time with limescale. Up there, if it was a long hot summer, water came out the tap like milk - had to let it settle, pour it off the inch of chalk, then lob in a spoon of citric acid just to make it palatable!

As for leaded solder - big fuss over nothing IMO, given the tiny amount that is exposed to the water flow.

Have the kiwis banned leaded solder BTW?

Cheers

Tim

Reply to
Tim S

Just? And what superior position in life would you occupy? Brain surgeon? Nuclear Physicist?

I am and have been many things.

Your powers of clairvoyance astound me. How do you know what tools I have? Some are cheap & cheerful, some are expensive & good quality - it depends on the use they are intended for.

Crap advice? I haven't given any advice, I simply asked a question.

Why don't you try making constructive suggestions or asking relevant questions?

However, thank you for the unprovoked ad homium attack.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Go to a decent plumber's merchant and get a Leadlok connector. The rest is obvious (and involves doing the new work in copper or plastic).

If your water is even moderately hard, lead pipe is no hazard. If your water is soft, then talk to the waterboard about gettign the whole lot swapped.

Wiping soldered lead is great fun, but down a hole is no place to learn it.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

nightjar There is nothing stopping existing pipes from being lead. However, you

Nor should anyone be making wiped or any other sort of soft-soldered joints to old lead pipes. A 'lead-lok' compression coupling is the way to do it:

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Reply to
Andy Wade

My city is supplied almost entirely by rainwater, which is presumably very soft. I'm not aware of any lead water pipes at all. These days they are all polyethylene. The connections and pipe are very cheap and the connections just screw together with bare hands.

I see signs of some companies converting to lead-free solder but I don't think it's a worry unless used for drinking water. For years people have had lead flashings on their roof, and collected roof water for drinking. But a roof is usually painted, and the water runs off it quickly. I assume the inside of a lead pipe would be bare lead, and the water just sits there.

Reply to
Nick

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