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Original poster

mystery pipe started spewing water

12 replies

AdventureMathematical · 12/09/2018 18:02

Please help me figure out what is going on!
I live in a semi detached house and on the boundary with the attached neighbour is a pipe coming from the ground, it has a spongy plug in the top (presumably to stop dirt and water getting in) and a phone line that goes into it so i always assumed it was an underground container for the phone line.
But it has just started spewing water, quite consistent amount of pressure as well and the water is slowly turning next door's garden into a bit of a swamp so i would like to figure it out and get it stopped but i don't even know who to contact, plumber, water company or phone company?
Perhaps we have discovered a natural spring and should contact Evian?

Anyone know what on earth this could be?

Picture attached

OP posts:
Jonathan1972 · 12/09/2018 18:16

I wonder if they have a pump in the basement

Lucisky · 12/09/2018 18:35

I have absolutely no idea what this is, but in the meantime, could you somehow funnel /channel the water to a nearby drain, so at least it's not soaking into the ground by your foundations?

JennyHolzersGhost · 13/09/2018 06:00

I suspect you need @PigletJohn on the case .... (does this work? I’ve never @-d anyone before)

rwalker · 13/09/2018 06:04

thats is the underground duct that your telephone wire is feed through

Lucisky · 13/09/2018 07:44

Probably a bit late now op, but have you tried turning your water off, firstly in the house, and if that doesn't work, at the external stopcock. Could you call your water company? They will come out to emergencies if it is one of their pipes possibly leaking - if turning off the water doesn't work.
Anyway, I hope you have got it sorted by now.

Original poster
AdventureMathematical · 13/09/2018 09:50

Hi Everyone, thank you for all your help.

I still have no idea what it is, i have tried turning off the water inside but not outside as i don't know how to do that. I called the water company who offered to send someone out in 2 or 3 working days and all they would do is shut off the water, they couldn't tell me what it might be.
I have sent a message to a plumber with a picture in the hopes he can help me more quickly.
There is a house a few doors down doing an extension so i wonder if the builders have connected the water to the phone line somehow, i will ask them when they show up..

OP posts:
wowfudge · 13/09/2018 10:07

That sounds as though it could be a possibility - at least the water is clean.

PigletJohn · 13/09/2018 12:05

The black cable looks to me like modern SWA which is used for electricity. Is it about as thick as a slim finger? Show us the grey box it goes into. Sometimes there are words or numbers embossed on the side. The duct is not black, which an electricity company would use, so it might be for an outbuilding or garden supply.

Grey duct is used for BT phone cables, but as it is also used for sink waste pipes, DIYers also use it for anything. A BT cable that thick might be used for offices with numerous phone lines. If it is BT, they would be interested in getting it fixed.

I think that there is a broken water pipe in the ground which is leaking into the conduit.

PigletJohn · 13/09/2018 12:10

On second thoughts, phone BT and say there is a grey duct with a phone cable coming out of it, and water is gushing out of the duct.

It would be very helpful, though, to see the grey box that the cable goes into. Especially if there is a logo or name on it.

rwalker · 15/09/2018 22:29

work for bt that is a bt duct with a 4pr ug cable going to a bt66 conection on the side of the house the underground network is not seal and if the water table rises it comes out out the nearest point what can sometimes happen a mains water pipe will burst and that will flood the under ground boxes an run out at nearest point have you had a lot of rain recently that can also cause this problem.

Original poster
AdventureMathematical · 18/09/2018 10:29

Update! thanks everyone it all got quite exciting!

It was indeed the BT cable pipe so we called out BT who found a mains leak in the street outside, they were very concerned as all their phone equipment was flooded.
They then called the water company who came out straight away (rather than the 48 hours they were telling me) and started digging and trying to repair the leak but there was also a power box sitting right on where the leak was (the leak engineer claimed this was the cause of the leak) and the power company were trying to avoid coming out.
They eventually persuaded them and the leak now appears to be fixed but they have left a giant hole in the pavement i don't know if they are planning on coming back or if it is for the other utilities to make sure their equipment is ok before it all gets filled back in. Its probably just less urgent.

All in all it all seems to be fixed and none of it was on my property which is great news since that amount of work would have cost a fortune!

OP posts:
serbska · 18/09/2018 11:36

Thanks for the update!

Quite a palava but glad it wasn't on your land.

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