I have to replace pipe from the company stop tap in pavement, to the house, a distance of approx 8M. I have an old "WATER SUPPLY BYELAWS GUIDE (1989)" which indicates a minimum cover of 750mm. A local contractor said it had recently been reduced to 600mm, a statement I viewed with suspicion. What do the latest regulations state ? and where can I download a reference to print out?. Don
it's your water main, so it would be wise to go deeper rather than shallower.
750mm is the agreed depth, any less and you risk frost damage.
and go deeper oop nawth
Our new water main is insulated with Climaflex and is also run through a
6" plastic pipe to protect it.
Thames Water have a document which sets out their requirements here:
"Where compliance with the minimum depth of 750 mm is not practical, please contact Developer Services desk on 0845 850 2777."
Your own supplier should have something similar.
During a long cold spell many years back, several peoples' supply pipes froze. The water company came out and thawed them if they were metal by passing a large current between the inside and outside stopcocks to heat the pipe. Those with plastic pipes were stuffed and had to use standpipes (which also froze, unless left on, in which case the road became an ice ring).
If I was laying one today, I think I would lay it with a cable taped all along it, shorted at the street end, and brought up with the pipe in the house. If it froze, I'd work out some way to pass enough current to warm the wire. 1mm T&E would probably do, and a low voltage high current transformer or car battery to drive it. (Could use heat tracing cable, but that's stupid prices.)
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