My wierd running water sound.....

[Mike Hibbert]

Hello all,

Some of you will remember that I have a strange gushing water sound coming from the pipes in the garage. They resonate upstairs too. Well, after turning off the tap in the road the noise stopped. This meant that there was a problem between the service pipe and the stopcock. I found an inspection chanber in the garage and lifted that, it contained another stopcock (presumable the old one for the house before the renovations). this was 18 inches deep in standing water! Bearing in mind that the water table is much lower that that, I think I can safely say that this is not right!

We dug up a portion of the garage floor (5 inches of concrete with 1/4 inch steel reinforcing mesh!) and have now found that the water pipe splits just past the edge of the inspection chanber. It travels north (just pretend bearings so you get the picture - not even I am sad enough to measure that!!) and then veers off north west away from the house. The other one goes east adn enters the house. This will be my rising main.

My sort of question is that why on earth would I have a split like this? I can only assume that the house may have had an outside toilet at some time, but would it get fed like this? I'm also guessing that the leak is most likely at the end of the north west branch whjere they have capped it off badly.

Does it sound like I am on the right track?

Cheers Mike

[Gavin Gillespie]

splits just

pretend

measure

If it was me, (and I was sure the 'branch' was not feeding anywhere else), I would cut out the garage stop c*ck and branch section, and replace with a straight pipe, joining the incoming and house feed. Leave the existing cut out section in place though, just in case, so it would be possible to replace it if necessary.

[Mike Hibbert]

I was hoping someone else would say that, because I was thinking that myself. What is the point of having 3 stopcocks?

[Andy Hall]

Is the house of an age where the pipe is lead, or steel or ???

Could there have been another property or possibly a business of some sort at some time? For example, many years ago my parents lived in an Edwardian house with a similar house next door. However, at some time in the past, the space behind the house had been a dairy and although most of the buildings to do with it and long since gone there was a remaining one which had probably been the stable. This had services such as a separate water and electricity supply.

Alternatively, is it possible that the pipe you mention feeds another property? One clue might be if surrounding properties are of a different age.....

Certainly if the house had an outside toilet at some time, it's quite possible that it would have been fed separately. When you are digging, look out for old salt glazed drain pipes which may not be too far away from the water services.......

.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

[Dave Liquorice]

Erm the T and branch are under the floor not in the chamber. The OP doesn't say that the noise stops if the garage stopcock is closed, though I guess this would this have been the reason for starting to dig up the floor heading in the direction of the house...

Certainly cutting the branch and capping the stub is a first step then making sure the noise has stopped, at this stage the leak could be in either length. If not already done it's proably worth checking that the street and garage stopcocks don't shut of your neighbours water as well before finally disconnecting the branch...

[Mike Hibbert]

Yes, when I turn off the garage stopcock the noise stops.

We have capped off the stub pipe and unfortunately the noise still goes on! Bugger! The next plan is to dig back to the inspection chamber and to replace the whole tapand then route this as a new feed into the house. We can then join replace the join onto the rising main with a new one that we know doesn't leak. If it still leaks and the noise is still there, then we may have to go back to the street :o( !!

Ooops! Yep, would have been a good idea, but we have had the water off for

36 hours no and no sign of a complaint! The houses are a fair distance from me and all appear to have a street service pipe stopcock, so I am fairly sure this is just a remnant from before.

[Mike Hibbert]

the external pipe is lead, but it join inside the house somewhere to copper, I will probably go from the garage stopcock into the copper now and bypass the lead. Would plastic be OK for this?

there was not much around the house before, I can only assume (hope!) that it was an outside loo.

Ahh, we did find an old 4" clay pipe down there aswell! could this be it?

[RatBox]

Hi Mike,

have you turned on the stopcock back on up at the road and then turned the stopcock in the garage on and off to see if the gushing sound repeats?, me I would leave the stopcock in place and just cap off the split end you don't require. How long was it turned off for, did any neighbours complain later about intermittent water?

I just completed a repair job for some clients, they had gallons of water leaking under their extension, it took five years for them to notice that there was a problem. I added stopcocks to all the houses that were affected, so they could all isolate their properties as the water main was a shared water main that ran accross all the properties.

HTH

Glenn

[Gavin Gillespie]

house. We

There should be no need to go back to the street, as the noise should be further down the line than the last stop c*ck isolated, i.e. the garage stop c*ck. Would it be possible to put a temporary length of strong hosepipe, from the garage stop c*ck to the house stop c*ck, this would prove that the leak is in that section, (which it seems that it must be), and it would also give you a temporary water supply whilst the excavation work is carried out.

[Dave Liquorice]

Indeed.

If you replace the length from the house interior to to garage stopcock and the garage stop still controls the noise then something weird is going on. Assuming no demand for water in the house. You did test the garage to house length with the house c*ck off?

You mentioned elsewhere a change from lead to copper at an unknown location, my bet would be that joint.

And plastic yes, the blue stuff I'd use 28mm. As you have a lead service pipe it might be worth getting touch with the local water board. Some have/had schemes where they would replace lead service pipes for free if there was no lead in the property anymore...

[Mike Hibbert]

Was there any damage to foundations with the water being under the house for so long?

[Mike Hibbert]

Thanks Gavin,

This is a good idea, I will try this before I replace the pipe.

[Rick Dipper]

Three stopcocks are good, it helps you locate leaks so you don't have to did up the whole pipe .........

Rick