As we are having a water meter installed I am hoping the affinity water contractor will sort out a connection to our over 50 year old galvanised pipe. The first one that arrived gave up but we did discuss replacing my side with a 25mm plastic pipe, it has to be 750mm depp and bedded in sharp sand all round with the entry into the kitchen ducted.
As I am thinking of having it impact moled in does anyone know if it can simply bee ducted full length?
Phone Affinity? Thames Water use moling when they can for supply pipes so it can't be a total no-no. But I've no idea if they accept it when done by people who can't certify it meets the regs - including things like separation from other utilities.
I'm with Affinity, and when the old galvanised pipe from the meter into the house finally sprang a leak (which they picked up and warned me about) they had no problem with a plastic pipe being moled about 8 metres from the water meter and into the underfloor space in the house, where the old pipe connected to copper. I employed a contractor recommended by the Affinity engineer who came to locate the leak.
So the mole pulled the naked blue pipe through the soil?
I have tried speaking with affinity but the girl just did not understand the problem.
Not actually watched this but the compressed air supply must follow the mole. At the target hole, the blue poly can be attached and pulled back through the moled hole?
That makes sense. £950 quote so far, cash!
their wanting cash wd make me want to double check that Affinity will accept the firm's certificate that the work complies with the Regulations.
Yes but also a firm that responds like that is likely going to leave a mess I have no comeback from.
Moling is very appealing but I need to understand more about it.
Ideally the iron pipe could be excavated in the kitchen, cut and pulled out (it runs under an extension for 7 metres) and the mole follow the same line).
Else I have to excavate a trench 850mm deep, bed pipe in sand etc.
Moling..
Dig a hole to the depth you want the pipe or wherever you need it to be.
Dig another hole where you need that pipe or whatever to end to the same depth.
Place the Mole, a tube around three feet long which is driven by compressed air and has a pipe attached to it to carry said air.
Point the mole in the direction of the other trench has to be aimed very carefully.
Set Mr Mole going, he sort of hammers his way thru the ground and as long as he doesn't hit a large obstruction will make his way to the other trench.
Then undo pipe to the mole and pull draw rope thru hole and then pull water or gas, power cable whatever through this hole made by Mr Mole and connect the pipe to whatever in the holes at either end and thats it.
In theory..
Sometimes Mr Mole may get deflected and he will invoke a lot of digging to find him but on the whole Mr Mole does work well..
Used it to take some cables under a main railway line some years ago could not stop the trains or lift the track but Mr Mole hammered his hole and was only six inches off target!
A lot depends on how experienced the operators are.
HTH...
Animated one here as described above..
and same idea another way of doing it!.
Why not pull in the poly as you pull out the old pipe?
Not confident the old pipe will pull out after all these years so would have to find an alternative route if only as a temporary measure.
Waiting for a quote from a more local and reputable moling company
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