Replacing my incoming water main

[Lobster]

Provided it's not going to bankrupt me in doing so, I think I'm going to bite the bullet and replace my 'microbore' water main with a nice shiny length of blue plastic pipe.

There's a water co stopcock in the pavement at the end of the drive; it's approx 15m-worth pipe up the drive that needs replacing.

Presumably I have to get someone in at least to do the connection to the water co stopcock, as I'm not allowed to dig up the pavement. Anyone know if I can get a licensed third-party in to do it, rather than involving United Utilities? (I really don't want them inspecting the point where the blue pipe enters the house, because that bit is already in place and buried (with two open ends; put there a few years ago by the builder who did our extension in case we wanted to do this upgrade later - couldn't afford to at the time - and I *know* it won't pass UU's stringent criteria!).

The other thing is, am I going to end up with a compulsory water meter?

One option might be for me (or maybe find a local labourer!) to dig up the 14.5m which is on my property, and just get someone expensively-licensed in to do the connecting-up bit. Any gotchas there, or anywhere else?

Would I have to use one of those wacker things when backfilling to make sure the drive didn't sag later...?

Thanks David

[Doctor Evil]

The procedure is: Dig the trench to the property boundary. Run the pipe and leave a coil long enough to get to the stop c*ck. The water people look in the trench and say fine. Back fill leaving a coil of blue pipe above ground. They connect across the public pathway and you connect at your stopcock at the same time. Or you can connect the blue pipe at the stopcock before they come in and leave a change-over valve to switch from the old pipe to the new pipe.

Ring the local water people and they will explain their procedure and depth of trench.

Fit a full-bore stop-c*ck.

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[Lobster]

So there's definitely no alternative to getting them involved? :-(

My worry is, as alluded to in my last post, that when we had an extension built some years ago, the builder fitted a blue pipe through the foundations and up into the kitchen, terminating alongside the existing stopcock. The pipe then went along the house for about 5m, under what is now a new path, and terminates in front of the new garage, about three feet down - I'll have to dig for it to find the exact location. None of this will be acceptable to the water co, I'm sure - I've since been involved in having a new supply laid on to a new property before, and the water co were a total nightmare. I really don't want to have to fit a new pipe all the way to the kitchen - would be a huge amount of extra work.

Is that one of these, or do you mean something different?

[Set Square]

- just on the copper side of the MDPE to copper junction.

[<me9]

Would one of those be approved by TPTB for a cold water stop tap? I think I've seen a plastic one used by the water people for that purpose, but not one like the one above.

[Kaiser]

To be approved under the Water Act it must comply with BS1010, so not it is not approved.

[Doctor Evil]

no. Digging up a public path involves insurance, etc.

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[Doctor Evil]

no. Digging up a public path involves insurance, etc.

You could get them to replace the stop-c*ck in the pavement and just have the blue pipe connected to the old pipe a meter or so into your property. Tell them you want to be prepared for an extension a few years down the line. After locate the blue pipe the contractor fitted and connect up to that.

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[Ed Sirett]

There will also be a bylaw inspection so the rest of the plumbing must be compliant.

You may find that it is simpler and cheaper with little or no loss of benefit to replace the main within you property only. If the section from the meter box to you property is only a couple of metres then simply joining your blue pipe to their lead pipe at the boundary should be OK.

Typically the cost of the connection would be several hundred quid.

[Mike Hibbert]

Wotcha,

well, my story of replacing my water main is a lot simpler than a lot of the replies so far. We had lead from the pavement to the house and it was leaking (well, pissing out is more accurate!).

the water came into the house underneath the garage and then into the kitchen. I replace the feed with blue plastic out through the wall and down the side of the garage wall (nicely boxed in) and dug a 1' square hole just inside the door.

Severn trent used a "mole" thing to bore a hole and drag the pipe underground from the pavement to the house, there was a pilot hole half way to check on progress, and a hole in the pavement. They simply hooked up to the feed, tidied up , and went a way. the whole thing took 4 hours and cost me £475, for 2 blokes working.

It was a doddle! I called severn trent to report the leak and they gave me a discount cos they have to meed water waste targets. I think the real price would have been £600, whcih is still reasonable for the amount of work I didn't have to do.

mike

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Is it possible to replace about 4 metres of lead which go from my stopcock to the company one in the pavement - without digging up my rather fine Victorian tiled path?

[Rob Morley]

Tie the new pipe to the old one and pull it through? ;-)

[Ian]

| | Is it possible to replace about 4 metres of lead which go from my stopcock | to the company one in the pavement - without digging up my rather fine | Victorian tiled path? | | -- | *Dance like nobody's watching. | | Dave Plowman ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~#

Hi, Have a look at

or similar.

"Our unique system of laying a new pipe without trenching across your property (i.e. driveways, patios and grass) will keep your money where it belongs .... in your pocket.

MOLE MACHINE specializes in replacing old, clogged up lead, small bore water pipes. The lead pipes that were installed before 1970 can now be 85% clogged with varying degrees of deposits and Lime scale, this only leaves around 15% to 20% of the original water flow"

Ian

[Lobster]

Use one of those hydraulic 'moles' somehow (as mentioned by Mike Hibbert elsewhere in this thread)? Awesome devices... :-)

More plausibly maybe - change the location of the rising main in the house to somewhere other than adjacent to the path and connect to that instead?

David

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Since I've got a cellar, that would be simple. But the company stopcock is only a few inches away from the start of the path and bang in the middle. Of course that could be moved.

However, there's also a rather nice genuine York stone area from the path to the house border...