Cocked up new water feed

[trevorbayliss]

I am laying my new 25mm water pipe as moving off lead.

All gone fine and i have dug and laid 8m and back filled yesterday. Today i have come to the section where i have to thread the pipe under a few drains. In the process of uncoiling the pipe and pulling it through i crushed it pretty badly. I used a pipe wrench to open up the pipe, but it is still badly damaged.

I am waiting for the water company to get back in touch with me so i imagine they will call tomorrow.

Do you know if this pipe is ok to use still, or needs fully replacing again, or can it be cut and joined. I have another 8m to lay. All dug out now, but not laid pipe in the trench because of this.

So annoyed.

 

[Newboy]

Cut out the damaged section and use a coupler - personally I'd just lay another piece rather than have a buried join but a coupler will be ok

 

[trevorbayliss]

I have been digging for 7h's yesterday and 8h's today. I would need to move that pile of soil, then dig out my trench again. Filled with rubble and gravel at the bottom. I just can't face it. The water company may tell me i need to do what you say is best and i do know a continuous piece is best practise. I would go for a join if allowed.

Is it better to do a join rather than risk using the pipe as it is ? Would there be any point putting in a joint chamber (forgotten the name). I think these have a stop cock. It would be in the middle of the drive.

 

[Madrab]

AS @newboy mentions, don't take the chance, replace the damaged piece of pipe. Cut it out and use a plasson push fit coupler and it will be fine to bury, just make sure the pieces to be joined are clean, scratch free and don't forget the inserts.

Only other thing I'd add is .... is that backfill, that's full of tile and sharp stones, all the way down to the mains pipe? Hopefully not, as that could be asking for trouble and your utility company may not be happy with that nor that you have backfilled prior to them seeing the whole run unless it was done by an approved contractor.

 

[trevorbayliss]

Thanks guys, good to know a join is ok to do. I will still wait to see what the water company say tomorrow.

Ive got a mini digger coming friday, but i had to get this water feed in by hand first as going to be so much easier done this way. Seems crazy i know but there you go.

 

[trevorbayliss]

Do you think this will be ok, or is plasson a better bet ?

http://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-492012-mdpe-coupler-25mm-x-25mm/17684

 

[Madrab]

I'd recommend plasson much better in my opinion, either that or philmac, both readily available at your local merchant and not much more expensive.

 

[Ian H]

I'd get a Plasson too. Cut a few inches either side of the kink.

 

[Doggit]

The water board will suggest an inspection chamber if you have a join, but they prefere it in one piece. They also recommend using insulation to protect against rubbing stones over an extended period.

 

[Agile]

Normally they expect to see the pipe BEFORE you back fill ! Who gave you the idea that you could back fill it before they see it?

It used to be laid on a bed of sand and then backfilled with a layer of sand on top!

 

[Doggit]

Now that's interesting Agile (and I can see the sense of it) but I wasn't told any of that, and they certainly didn't bother inspecting it when I replaced it recently. Is it because they use moling to put the pipe through, and that wouldn't let you lay a bed of sand.

 

[trevorbayliss]

Pipe laid in sand and then switched to gravel when sand ran out. So it has a covering of gravel or sand as protection. The rest of the trench is filled in with rubble.

I asked about them viewing the pipe, but they don't want to view. It is the contractor who i spoke to about this, so maybe it is a vase of buck passing.

I asked about insulation but the inspector said don't bother when he first came out to see my set up months ago.

I will speak again tomorrow about all this because 50% of the trench has not been filled in at all due to this issue today. I would much prefer they inspected!

 

[Happyplumber]

You will be fine mate with a coupling as long as you make the joint correctly and use the pipe inserts
All pipes end up with joins under the ground somewhere nothing has an infinite length
I had to do exactly that the other day after using up a 25 metre coil because the merchants didn't have any 50 metre in stock
Make sure to use proper plastic pipe cutters too

 

[trevorbayliss]

Ok, thanks. I hope my smaller cutters will work on 25mm pipe. Just used them on 22/15mm speed fit pipe before.

 

[trevorbayliss]

Spoke to water company. A join is fine.

They DONT inspect a lead renewal.

However, after thinking about what i have done i am going to lay the section which i haven't filled with a new pipe and leave this sticking out. Then i can crack on with new drains in that area. Once all the muck has been taken away i will remove the section i have done and finish with the new pipe. Sleeping on it helps.