Mysterious water
Discussion
Moss isn't as bad as it looks, it dries pretty quickly. It is getting paved next year.
Spoke to the water board who said they can check, but it's the neighbour who should arrange it as the water is in his garden. Told him that and he's arranged for them to come out tomorrow.
I can't see it being a mains water leak in our yard, as I imagine you'd see the water pooling through the cracks/holes in our concrete. Hopefully it's just surface water, in which case we get to tell him to sort it out himself!
Spoke to the water board who said they can check, but it's the neighbour who should arrange it as the water is in his garden. Told him that and he's arranged for them to come out tomorrow.
I can't see it being a mains water leak in our yard, as I imagine you'd see the water pooling through the cracks/holes in our concrete. Hopefully it's just surface water, in which case we get to tell him to sort it out himself!
It's definitely something to do with the work he's recently had done.
If it's not caused the issue it's made it worse if he had the problem only in winter before the work.
This is the problem when you reduce the area of permeable surfacing on your property, same with concreting over front gardens to provide parking.
I will be very surprised if it's a water mains leak.
If it's not caused the issue it's made it worse if he had the problem only in winter before the work.
This is the problem when you reduce the area of permeable surfacing on your property, same with concreting over front gardens to provide parking.
I will be very surprised if it's a water mains leak.
GreatGranny said:
It's definitely something to do with the work he's recently had done.
If it's not caused the issue it's made it worse if he had the problem only in winter before the work.
This is the problem when you reduce the area of permeable surfacing on your property, same with concreting over front gardens to provide parking.
I will be very surprised if it's a water mains leak.
Which is why there are now planning requirements (or maybe building regs?) when it comes to drives/patios.If it's not caused the issue it's made it worse if he had the problem only in winter before the work.
This is the problem when you reduce the area of permeable surfacing on your property, same with concreting over front gardens to provide parking.
I will be very surprised if it's a water mains leak.
Probably no need if the WB are going to inspect but putting a load of dye down into the soakaways/drains may help?
So....an update! Not great news, unfortunately.
Water board have been out and done their thing, and they've pinpointed it to a leak on our property. They've helped as much as they can but the rest is out of their remit they say. The chap said from listening to it, it sounds like it is in the rear yard, close to an old chamber that houses an ancient, original stop cock for "something" that probably isn't used anymore. He can't turn it as it's totally knackered. He said if it was him he'd start the search there.
Had a local contractor out to do some initial exploratory work:
After digging out around the chamber, there was nothing, so they chased along the pipe toward the house, and have dug down the wall where they can see the original lead pipe disappearing under the wall, and water flowing around finding a gap in the wall to come out into the yard. They say this pipe has a few Ts, one of which disappears off down the yard toward some more houses, and is live, so may feed them. Another T goes off into my kitchen to the stop cock.
Completely by coincidence, a tap broke in the bathroom last night, and when I had the water off to fix it, I released the stop cock in the kitchen only turns off some of the water in the house. Hot water (combi) still flows, as does one of the toilets and one of the cold taps. Turning the water off in the street shuts off everything. So there must be another T under the house somewhere which goes off to another location in the house and feeds some of the taps/boiler.
This is a house from the late 1800s with original lead pipes it seems, so its a total mess.
Anyway, long and short of it is the leak is under the house somewhere. Anybody want to start some crowd funding?
Water board have been out and done their thing, and they've pinpointed it to a leak on our property. They've helped as much as they can but the rest is out of their remit they say. The chap said from listening to it, it sounds like it is in the rear yard, close to an old chamber that houses an ancient, original stop cock for "something" that probably isn't used anymore. He can't turn it as it's totally knackered. He said if it was him he'd start the search there.
Had a local contractor out to do some initial exploratory work:
After digging out around the chamber, there was nothing, so they chased along the pipe toward the house, and have dug down the wall where they can see the original lead pipe disappearing under the wall, and water flowing around finding a gap in the wall to come out into the yard. They say this pipe has a few Ts, one of which disappears off down the yard toward some more houses, and is live, so may feed them. Another T goes off into my kitchen to the stop cock.
Completely by coincidence, a tap broke in the bathroom last night, and when I had the water off to fix it, I released the stop cock in the kitchen only turns off some of the water in the house. Hot water (combi) still flows, as does one of the toilets and one of the cold taps. Turning the water off in the street shuts off everything. So there must be another T under the house somewhere which goes off to another location in the house and feeds some of the taps/boiler.
This is a house from the late 1800s with original lead pipes it seems, so its a total mess.
Anyway, long and short of it is the leak is under the house somewhere. Anybody want to start some crowd funding?
Nice.
Yes surely best to just terminate the run from the main to your house, run new pipe into kitchen, then connect across inside house (perhaps two properties originally/at some point?), obviously aiming to remove any dead legs/spurs if they may occur.
Then at least you know your bit is all ok.
Just out of curiosity, if the main runs through your property but also serves others, is it still all your responsibility? I'm surprised by that. I'd have imagined serving spur only?
Yes surely best to just terminate the run from the main to your house, run new pipe into kitchen, then connect across inside house (perhaps two properties originally/at some point?), obviously aiming to remove any dead legs/spurs if they may occur.
Then at least you know your bit is all ok.
Just out of curiosity, if the main runs through your property but also serves others, is it still all your responsibility? I'm surprised by that. I'd have imagined serving spur only?
So, leak is definitely under the house somewhere.
Options are:
1) Remove the floor in the living room and dining room and chase the leak around, no chance
2) Just replace the lead pipe to the kitchen and then get a plumber to join the two forks of my internal plumbing together
Option #2 is around about £1k ballpark, sounds reasonable to me, no crowdfunding required. Tell you what, if anyone needs any external water work doing in the North East, contact Hydrosure, they have been absolutely spot on so far.
Interesting point around that live spur going off down the yard. It could be going to where an old outdoor toilet used to be, or it could be going off out the yard serving a house directly behind. That house is also the only house in that street that has no "new" plastic water utility cover in the pavement. Think I may turn my water off in the street and see if he has no water. Watch this space.
Options are:
1) Remove the floor in the living room and dining room and chase the leak around, no chance
2) Just replace the lead pipe to the kitchen and then get a plumber to join the two forks of my internal plumbing together
Option #2 is around about £1k ballpark, sounds reasonable to me, no crowdfunding required. Tell you what, if anyone needs any external water work doing in the North East, contact Hydrosure, they have been absolutely spot on so far.
Interesting point around that live spur going off down the yard. It could be going to where an old outdoor toilet used to be, or it could be going off out the yard serving a house directly behind. That house is also the only house in that street that has no "new" plastic water utility cover in the pavement. Think I may turn my water off in the street and see if he has no water. Watch this space.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Yep, they said they would cover "exploratory work" to find the leak, but not to fix it. Given its a 120 year old lead pipe, I'm not going to have my floor ripped up unnecessarily even if they are paying the bill.For ~£1k for a new supply I doubt it's worth the agro or increased premiums.
knk said:
"They say this pipe has a few Ts, one of which disappears off down the yard toward some more houses, and is live, so may feed them. "
As I understand it if it is a communal pipe supplying more than one property it is the Utilities responsibility to maintain/fix.
Usually the utility company's responsibility terminates at the first property's boundary, and then the properties are jointly responsible for faults on the upstream portion which services them. In some cases, like my house, the entire street's water main serving 20+ houses is private!As I understand it if it is a communal pipe supplying more than one property it is the Utilities responsibility to maintain/fix.
edit: Sewer pipes are now dealt with that way though - you are only responsible for the sewage pipe from your property to either the property boundary or where it joints a shared/public sewer.
Edited by Gareth79 on Friday 3rd December 15:16
Can't remember the name of them but if you find the culprit pipe and can turn of the water feeding it - you can do what the waterboard do to their pipes if they've been broken by roots etc. They put a "sleeve" down the inside of the pipe which "repairs" it to a high enough standard for them apparently.
TriumphStag3.0V8 said:
If the outgoing pipe is feeding another property, and you do go down the route of having a new main incoming pipe installed, then you could connect the outgoing pipe from a known good point to the main. As a bonus, a new pipe will probably give you better water pressure.
From what everyone has said, including the water board man, I’m only responsible for repairing my supply. If I repair it and my supply happened to be shared with someone else, then when their water goes off it’s on the water board to resupply them, and not through my property!Rtype said:
Can't remember the name of them but if you find the culprit pipe and can turn of the water feeding it - you can do what the waterboard do to their pipes if they've been broken by roots etc. They put a "sleeve" down the inside of the pipe which "repairs" it to a high enough standard for them apparently.
I doubt you can sleeve a domestic feed pipeeliot said:
i thought the water co will do it foc
No, they'll normally offer to replace the connection from the boundary box / external stop tap out to the main outside your property FOC. From the boundary into your property is your responsibility.As mentioned above, the law around sewer ownership has changed in recent years. It's yet to happen for supply pipes.
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