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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Plumbing Questions >> Leak in water supply under house https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1130921647 Message started by trickydicky on Nov 2^nd, 2005, 8:54am

Title: Leak in water supply under house
Post by trickydicky on Nov 2^nd, 2005, 8:54am

???Hi,

The local water authority just told me I have a leak in the water supply pipe running under my terrace house and need to get it fixed. They suggested an "up and over" solution but not entirely sure what that is.

My main question is that I believe the pipe branchs out at least twice under the house - once to kitchen taps and once to a ground floor bathroom so how do I know where the leak is and make sure that any new by-pass doesn't just connect to the part of the pipe that is leaking?

Anyone seen anything like this?

Cheers

Title: Re: Leak in water supply under house
Post by CWatters on Nov 2^nd, 2005, 12:30pm

I assume "up and over" means that instead of knocking down your house to get to the leak ... you just install a new pipe to bypass the leak.

Before you spend a lot of money ... Ask them how they know you have a leak?

Title: Re: Leak in water supply under house
Post by trickydicky on Nov 2^nd, 2005, 1:00pm

Hi,

Thanks for the response, yes they want to put a by-pass in, I guess up the outside of the house and through the roof.

i think it is safe to say there is a leak, my main point is that as the pipe branches off, how do I make sure they don't just re-connect up to the broken pipe?

Cheers

Title: Re: Leak in water supply under house
Post by thescruff on Nov 2^nd, 2005, 5:43pm

They mean bring a new pipe into the building from outside, possible a kitchen or wc whichever is best.

pipe has to be 750mm from the outside to where it comes out the floor.

Ask the water company about a mole which bores under the building and can be connected anywhere on the ground floor by digging a single hole.

I would also consider renewing all the pipe back to the stopcock in the pavement.

Title: Re: Leak in water supply under house
Post by sparxxxx on Nov 5^th, 2005, 6:39pm

They mean the main will be replaced and run up the out side of you house to your attic storage tank, from the new main a new pipe will be run to your kitchen.
Thereforethe existing pipework will be abandoned.
Your bathroom being fed from the water main probably does not comply with regs. Bathrooms are normally fed from the storage tank to avoid contaminating the mains water. So you will probably have to re-feed the bathroom from the attic storage tank.

Title: Re: Leak in water supply under house
Post by thescruff on Nov 5^th, 2005, 6:58pm

wrote on Nov 5^th, 2005, 6:39pm:

Talking of amusing bollocks ;D ;D

Title: Re: Leak in water supply under house
Post by CWatters on Nov 5^th, 2005, 10:26pm

Quote:

Your bathroom being fed from the water main probably does not comply with regs.

I assume that's not quite what you meant? It's quite acceptable to run the whole house at mains pressure.

Title: Re: Leak in water supply under house
Post by JerryD on Nov 6^th, 2005, 10:40am

wrote on Nov 5^th, 2005, 6:39pm:

Is this a joke? ???

Title: Re: Leak in water supply under house
Post by sparkyjonny on Nov 6^th, 2005, 1:32pm

Sparxxxx has come up with similiarly amusing comments on the electrical forum!

Title: Re: Leak in water supply under house
Post by JerryD on Nov 6^th, 2005, 3:30pm

Well he obviously knows f*ck all about plumbing ;D

Title: Re: Leak in water supply under house
Post by trickydicky on Nov 7^th, 2005, 8:24am

Now now lads, lets not get offensive! The whole house is run of the main as all water is downstairs - old terrace which would originally had outdoor loo now with extension behind the kitchen.

Cleverly, all the pipe-work is burried below the house which has the "benefit" of concrete floors!

No problem now as the lovely insurance company "quoted me happy" so to speak.

Thanks for all the help and info tho.

Title: Re: Leak in water supply under house
Post by sparkyjonny on Nov 7^th, 2005, 8:50am

Thank god for Norwich Union then!

Title: Re: Leak in water supply under house
Post by HandyJon on Nov 7^th, 2005, 10:28am

wrote on Nov 5^th, 2005, 6:39pm:

Bathrooms are normally fed from the storage tank to avoid contaminating the mains water.

That might have been the case before check valves were invented. - http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?id=16281&ts=59407

Title: Re: Leak in water supply under house
Post by sparxxxx on Nov 7^th, 2005, 12:05pm

My advice was absolutely correct for an existing installation, check valves have only recently been introduced.
Also the storage system method is still preferred by the water authorities.
Mains fed Bathrooms are a cheap poor quality installation that can comply with the water regs, but do not give any storage capacity in the event of mains water failure.

Title: Re: Leak in water supply under house
Post by greg on Nov 7^th, 2005, 4:47pm

"Mains fed Bathrooms are a cheap poor quality installation that can comply with the water regs"

Do what - mains fed installations are just as common place as cistern fed - nothing cheap / poor quality about them at all

Title: Re: Leak in water supply under house
Post by Lay-z on Nov 7^th, 2005, 9:14pm

sparxxxx(correct me if im wrong PLUMBERS) but storage tanks are there to releve the strain on the water supply surely, i.e. in a bathroom you might run a bath, flush the loo and run hot water all at the same time, = poor flow rate

and if every house was fed with say 28mm pipe to compensate imagine the strain on the supply structure when the whole street goes off to do the same thing after corry!

Title: Re: Leak in water supply under house
Post by Twobarrows on Dec 14^th, 2005, 10:17pm

wrote on Nov 7^th, 2005, 12:05pm:

Mains fed Bathrooms are a cheap poor quality installation that can comply with the water regs, but do not give any storage capacity in the event of mains water failure.

Sounds crap to me. I've just done my house with cold mains to BAISINS in all bathrooms, tanked to everthing else in bathrooms.

Title: Re: Leak in water supply under house
Post by billythekid on Dec 14^th, 2005, 11:29pm

I missed this somehow, I wouldn't say there was anything wrong with mains fed bathrooms, other than balancing for mixers(showers/some taps etc). In fact brushing your teeth of a morning from a mains fed tap is so much more pleasant than out the tank.

I like my taps to be mains fed wherever possible.

Of course with the growing popularity of combi boilers and other mains h/w systems it is becoming less common to have any taps off a cistern.

btk