Water supply pipe replacement?

[CatsLikeCoffeeToo]

Has anyone here had to replace their water supply pipe? If so, how much did it cost (and did you have to pay or was it covered under any insurance)? And what was the process you followed to get it fixed?

Following our second plumbing incident in five months caused by some kind of debris, the plumber has informed us that he thinks our water supply pipe is disintegrating (we think it's iron) and needs replacing in the not too distant future. He suggested we speak to our home insurance, which we will do, but I have a feeling this will be classed as wear and tear/disintegration and therefore not covered.

The water company are cagey online about whether a subsidy might be available, but are clear it's the property owner's responsibility.

I'm wondering whether we should take out one of those specific insurances for pipe repairs or whether it wouldn't be covered by that due to disintegration.

Any thoughts? We'll start with the insurance company first but a steer on process/whether to use a specialist company/how much this is going to cost us (I'm assuming north of £1000) would be really helpful.

Is it a lead or iron pipe?

Some water companies will do a free lead or iron replacement in the road and connect you back up free of charge, but you have to replace your pipe to with plastic.

We paid £350 to have our plastic pipe moled under our driveway by someone, so we didnt have to dig up the driveway, and then my husband is a plumber and connected and changed the inside pipe.

it's not at all difficult, unless you have a concrete drive or a concrete ground floor. Wooden floors can easily be lifted to lay the new pipe beneath. Blue pipe is flexible. Pipe above ground must be insulated with "Regulations" grade foam lagging.

The new pipe does not have to follow the same route as the old one.

If it is lead you might get a replacement subsidy, or they might at least connect the new one free. Local policies differ.

Start by asking the water co to test your drinking water for lead content (this is free). It must be done before you start work.

Since digging the trench costs the same whatever size of pipe you use, I would always upgrade the pipe to 32mm blue plastic (25mm would often be enough but the cost difference is trivial). Larger pipe will give you better flow for stronger showers, and will enable you to get the best out of your combi boiler or unvented cylinder, now or when you get a new one.

Large bore stopcocks and service valves are more expensive than 15mm ones, so insist that full-bore ones are used to get the best flow, and watch that the plumber doesn't forget to fit the large ones you have paid for. It is a hundred times more work to dig up the pipe and fit a bigger valve after the job is finished.

The water co will have a list of accredited plumbers, but anybody can do it, but the new pipe will be inspected before you fill in the trench. You will have to get them to do the final connection if the public pavement has to be dug up, but anyone can dig the trench in your garden.

If you possibly can, replace the pipe all the way from the stopcock or watermeter under the pavement, to the indoor stopcock under the kitchen sink, and also enlarge the indoor pipework to 22mm or bigger up to the point where it tees off for the boiler or cylinder, or loft tank, and the cold supply. This will usually cure those annoying cold or hot moments when you are in the shower and someone turns a tap on or flushes a WC.

Plumbers are weedy little fellows with petal soft hands so the trench will often be dug by the householder or a builders labourer. This is also cheaper.

Thank you both for the replies! It's an iron pipe (the plumber thinks), which would explain the iron filings that almost caused the shower to stop working completely.😡

Our plumber suggested we get a specialist company who do moling. It shouldn't be difficult as it's a straight line from the water meter to the internal stopcock. It's more what to do and in what order - the point about getting the water company to test for lead is a good one.

What I don't want to do is to start a process that will end up costing us £1500 if I could have got it done for less/covered by taking out some kind of insurance policy. But obviously don't want to leave it until the thing disintegrates and it becomes an emergency!

Pigletjohn you must be such a comforting lovely person to know in real life and I always admire the kindness and knowledge you share and rather wish we had you as a friend!! I am much less practical and always read in wonder.

I have now downloaded a lead test application form though not sure why I was even reading this thread as our big problem is related to electrics !

Just replaced an underground lead water supply for £750 due to leak coming up through into garage

Depending where you live, an iron pipe might last about 50 years before it may suffer perforation.

I had one with a tiny but old leak resulting from Cavitation Corrosion on the elbow where the pipe ran along horizontally under the floor, and turned vertical to come up by the sink. I had to look it up. I'm trying to think how long other iron pipes have lasted and I think its a similar period. When the leak is underground or in the floor people often think they have a "rising damp" problem. But chemical injections do not repair leaks. Searching for a leak can take longer than just digging in a new pipe and disconnecting the old one.

Whiskers of black iron or brown rust in the water suggest it is corroded and the surface is coming away. This may also block the valves in your washing machine and cause them to leak into the drum, or put rust stains on your washing. Leaking valves might not be noticed if you use the machine every day, as they may take more than one day to fill up the drum enough for it to overflow.

Just be very careful to get several estimates, we tried companies recommended by our local water company initially and they wanted five times as much as we ended up paying. We didn't use a mole in the end, our plumber ran the pipe under floorboards and up the wall - which was later boxed in. Outside a trench was dug in the front garden and later filled in once the connection had been made, we had to wait for the water company to come and do the switch over and our plumber came back and checked everything on the same day. It was a bit of a faff, but the worst bit was finding someone suitable to do the work and organising the water company guys.

We replaced ours too. We hired a digger and driver to dig an open trench.
It needs to be at least 2ft 6in deep to prevent frost damage and the bottom of the trench needs a layer of sand in it to prevent damage from stones. You also need to leave surplus pipe to ensure the water company has enough pipe to make the connection to the public main. Bear in mind that the external stop tap may be in the pavement or road and they/their subcontractors are the only ones who can make the external connection.
They're likely to install a meter if you don't already have one. They'll probably replace any lead they find on the company service pipe (that's the section from the public main to the external stop tap). You will also need to check that your electricity supply is earthed (they used to earth the electric using the metal pipes but you can't do that with plastic).

Thank you again, and a special thank you to @PigletJohn! We had an issue with the shower which turned out to be iron filings in a key valve (I think), and have just had a major issue with a toilet which also seems to have been caused by debris. So first step is getting an inline filter fitted to stop any more crap getting into the system.

No evidence of leaks at the moment (touch wood) but would prefer it not to get to that stage....