Latest from the house of horror: here comes the lead pipes conundrum...

[Bluewitch]

I have posted a couple of threads already about my newly purchased 1930s terrace that just keeps on throwing new horrors on a daily basis. The latest issue is whether I should remove/replace the old main water pipe/lead pipes inside the house.

I am in Kent served by Southern Water and a lot of the older properties in our small town still have lead pipes inside and as the main so it is not an unusual situation.

Has anyone replaced their main recently for a plastic one as well in the pipes inside?

Basically:

• my central heating needs replacing: dead, 20 year old boiler & some dodgy pipes that look like they have/had some leaks

• There is also bits of cowboy plumbing in the way the internal water system was set up in general that need looking into and improved

• There is no visible inside stopcock (likely hidden behind fitted kitchen somewhere) so a new one would need fitted

• Old stopcock outside is ancient and hard to manoeuvre so the water coming is coming to fix/replace so it is easier for me to turn the water on and off from the main.

What do I do? keep the lead pipes although it is likely they will just start leaking all over the place sooner rather than later and I am building up problems for myself.

Bite the bullet and replace everything as suggested by the second plumber I had in the house today and also by the initial crew sent by the water company to scope the problem of the outside stopcock.

I am also a bit confused as to whether I can ask the water company to dig from the street AND across my front garden up to the house or if I need to also pay my plumber to do that. He has quoted me quite a bit just to dig...so I want to make sure I am not paying for something that Southern Water itself could do with a bit of a push.

If @pigletjohn comes across this thread I would love some advice!

I had a little cry in front of the water company crew earlier this week which is why I think they put my upgrade as a priority on their system apparently and I am trying hard to stay positive from now on and try to tame my house of horror but it is a constant struggle at the moment....

The only silver lining is that I just fully rewired the house so all the floorboards are loose/up and the house is empty so the plumbers can do some further trashing of the place at their leisure.

I assume my insurance will just tell me that lead pipe replacement is not something that they cover...

Frankly I wonder why I bothered having a full survey of the place done during conveyancing as the man seems to have missed so many botched jobs and potential issues.

Today the plumber came across some gas pipes happily covered in rubbish/building waste when he pulled a shelf up today and last week we condemned a gas fire that had no ventilation and would have sent fumes back into the room and killed us...

I am thinking of having the place exorcised at this stage, it might just be cheaper in the long run.

The water company won’t dig from where your boundary starts I’m afraid. If you’re having it done it does make sense to bite the bullet and go the whole hog.
https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/nonhouseholds/supply-and-standards/responsibility-supply-pipes/#:~:text=You%20are%20responsible%20for%20the,pipes%20that%20are%20your%20responsibility.

Bite the bullet and go in. But you might need to look at a complaint against your surveyor. My neighbours did this - they went to some kind of ombudsman and got quite a high % of the work cost back.

Well, I have sent an initial complain to the surveyor directly and to the regulatory body.

I also contacted the solicitor to complain as the firm recommended the surveyor in the first place (as I have a written record of that)

Frankly I really don't need any of this...

I am assuming they have insurance policies for this type of fuck-ups...

I would change it all for 25mm or 32mm plastic, all the way to the pavement, with a 22mm copper to the hot water supply and the cold water supply inside the house, and full-bore stopcocks.

1. contact your water co and ask them to test the drinking water for lead content. Do this now. It must be done before you start renovations or replacement.

2. search for Lead Pipe Replacement Policy in your region. You might get a subsidy or free connection.

3. ask around for a wrinkly old local plumber who knows how to test for leaks on the supply pipe. Four minutes should be enough.

The number of bedrooms, bathrooms and probable occupants is relevant to the best pipe size. Larger pipes give better flow, which is important if you have a combi boiler or when you get an unvented cylinder.

OOI, fill a bucket at the cold tap in the kitchen sink, time it, calculate how many litres per minute it delivers.

Plumbers are weedy little fellows with petal soft hands so the trench is usually dug by a builder's labourer, or a lady gardener capable of growing potatoes.

@PigletJohn what's your trade? You know plumbers. Did you train as an electrician? 😂

You could see if you can get someone local who can ‘mole’ the outside replacement pipe, might be cheaper / quicker / less destructive to the drive if you can get a quote on this if there is anyone who does it near you

https://www.dwi.gov.uk/lead-in-drinking-water/#:~:text=Those%20at%20particular%20risk%20are,kidney%2C%20heart%20and%20circulatory%20health.

Change them right away. We have just discovered them in our house. Our children have grown up here their whole lives.