Mains water incomer - ideas sought...

[Tim S]

Hi,

A job in the next couple of weeks is to re-reroute the incoming mains water.

Currently, it comes out of the ground *outside* the house in 15mm plastic coated copper (soft), then into a c*ck then up the outside wall into the eaves.

It has previously been prevented from freezing by bundling two radiator circuit pipes with it, covering the lot in pipe insulation and fixing some gutter round it. There was a heating tape too, but I'm not sure if that ever worked.

You can see why I want to reroute it...

I'd considered drilling down through the floor on an inside wall, and trying to pick it up via a hole dug below the extrememly shallow foundations (couple of foot), then feeding some 25mm MDPE through, to joint onto the copper underground (for later extension to the road in 25mm when digger permits).

However, having seen some of the foundations, it occurs to me this may get painful, banging a 40+mm hole (for sleeve) though concrete, then more concrete, then trying to work MDPE round a 90 degree 40mm waste pipe type bend.

Are there any other reasonable ways folk have seen done? Not after a "by the book" solution, just something that's reasonably practical and better than now, where reasonably resistant to freezing and if it did, then no split pipes would result.

Is MDPE reasonably freeze-resistant (if it did, would it crack)?

I was also considering going through the wall at about 45 degrees coming out above the strip foundations (probably manage that with a core drill and long arbour), sleeving the lot in 40mm pipe right down to a joint 700mm down or wherever the current pipe is, with the option of insulating the sleeve and shoving a heating tape down inside the sleeve for good measure.

Reasonable or crap idea?

All thoughts appreciated...

Cheers

Tim

[sm_jamieson]

I think you cannot really avaoid digging a hole each side of the wall, and, seeing as the foundations are only 2 feet down, go under them (required depth for water is below this anyway). You'll never get MDPE through a 40mm pipe without it kinking, use 110mm drainage rest bend, and wam up the pipe a little (pass hot water through). Also, if you get a coil of MDPE, use the curve in it to help you. Don't try to dig a "little hole", just go for it, and relay part of the floor afterwards. You need space to work. I was doing this type of thing for an extension, but same rules apply. Cheers, Simon.

[Tim S]

sm [e-mail] coughed up some electrons that declared:

Thanks Simon,

We'll have a dig and see how it goes.

Like the idea of using a 110 bend to feed the pipe round.that way, in future, it will always be possible to re-feed a new pipe without undermining the house or knackering the floor.

Cheers

Tim