We need a new water pipe for our house as the lead pipe got a leak. The plumber who came out said it would cost £800 to do (because the yard needed digging up as well) so my dad has dug the hole and its now only meant to cost £250. My dad seems to think he can put the new pipe in himself. But im a bit worried cause its has to go through the wall in the house. My dad is very good at fixing things but is this really a job for a plumber?
2007-03-23 02:13:31 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Well He can try it. The cold water main pipe should be 2ft 6 ins. below ground. Now if you are doing this pipe in copper, you have to wrap the pipe in DENZO TAPE to stop any acids in the soil attacking the copper otherwise you will have a leaky pipe later on. Buy 2ins. wide tape. Where the pipe passes through the wall. you must put a sleeve on the pipe because it is a load bearing wall. The sleeve can be a piece of copper pipe that will slide over the main pipe or any thing that won't rust. If you don't want to solder the pipe, you can use compression fittings. If it is a 15mm pipe you will want 15mm straight connectors or elbows. When you assemble these fittings, buy a tin of Boss White jointing paste and smear some around the copper olives. Mix the paste well before use. When you bring the pipe inside, Decide where you will have you inside stop tap. Again buy a compression one and fit it using the jointing paste on the olives.. Make sure the tap is fitted correctly, there is an arrow on the body of the tap to shoe the direction of flow. When the job is finished turn the water on and check for any leaks. Backfill with a 4inch layer of sand over the pipe and on top of that 4inches of very small Chippings, then fill in with earth> Job done.
2007-03-23 05:01:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your dad is as capable as you say then he'll have no difficulty with this job. We replaced our water pipe, which was originally copper, with a new plastic pipe and it all went in easily. The only hard, physically, bit was the digging of the trench and the hole in the wall.
For £250 I would certainly do it myself.
If you do get someone to do it for you then hold onto the old pipe. There is reasonable scrap value in lead pipes.
2007-03-23 02:19:13 · answer #2 · answered by MattK 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You should use MDPE pipe ( Medium Density Polypropolene ) - its the blue one. Most houses use 20 or 25mm diameter You can lay the pipe from your house to the splash ( road boundary ) . You cannot dig up the road without a highways licence ( which you will not get ) Contact "new connections" at your water utilty and they will quote to do the road work. They normally have fixed prices for made ( tarmac ) or unmade ( grass ) work - If the pipe is in the middle of the road it'll be about £750-£1500 to connect from the middle of the road to your boundary. If its grass then it can be as low as £400 Pipes need to be 450mm down ( frost and vehicle protection ) and if you are coming up the outside of your house you'll need to install a "rat box" - this is really for frost protection as well.
2016-03-29 00:52:32 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Contact your local water authority and ask them to do a lead test on your mains supply. If your mains are still lead, theres a good chance the your levels are above recommended limits.
If your lead levels are high, then the water authority will connect a new main free of charge. The only thing you are responsible for are any internal works. Contact them, they will explain further.
2007-03-23 09:25:16 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
From memory the water pipe into your home is your responsibility. Eg if its damaged.. the water board won't come around and fix it for free. (No joke but a woman a few streets from me had a complicated long water pipe in to her home... it broke causing damage... waterboard fixed it then presented her with a bill for £75,000 !!!!! Was a big story in local paper)
However the main water supply pipe is property of the water board (or one of the privatised waterboard offshoots). Any damage to that and I think you'd be liable for repair costs to it. (I've no idea if its simple or not to connect pipe to main line). Good luck with it... I can understand your Dad wanting to keep costs down.. and by sounds of it he has saved a lot already doing the tunnelling for the pipe.
2007-03-23 02:21:03 · answer #5 · answered by Narky 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
In the states, you could run the line, but would have to have a plumber inspect and approve, as wwell as make the new tie-in to the main. It is not really very difficult to run the new line, particularly if he is using PVC pipe.
2007-03-23 02:44:52 · answer #6 · answered by Jeffrey S 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Installing the new water line to the house from a water utility line should be done by a licensed plumber only & it should be inspected by some one from the water utility.
If you are doing it from your own well, I say fine, have at it.
2007-03-23 02:24:14 · answer #7 · answered by Floyd B 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It really isn't that bad. If your dad is good at fixing things he will be fine, but why did he dig up yard, a new line can be "pulled" by a contractor, and then there is no digging.
My husband just did ours 2 years ago.
2007-03-23 02:19:02 · answer #8 · answered by charlie_corral 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
get a proper plumber to install it as he has to make a connection at both ends ..and trust me here .his price is very good ..you only get what you pay for in this life ..then you wont have to worry about it leaking
2007-03-24 05:37:44 · answer #9 · answered by boy boy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think if you are running from the main it's only the water board that are allowed to do that
2007-03-23 06:39:14 · answer #10 · answered by ALAN W 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋