Is a lead water pipe a problem?

[electronicsuk]

For long while it has been normal practice for the house earth to be based on the cable sheath rather than water pipes.

Eh? Yes, it has been a long time since water pipes were allowed to be used as an earth electrode as part of a TT supply, but a TN-S supply (using cable sheath as earth) is not the only arrangement currently in common use around the country. The majority of new installations will be TN-C-S, which uses a combined protective Earth/Neutral connection at the cutout.

The existing cable and clamp may just be protective bonding, rather than providing the main earth for the house. Obviously, this needs to be checked by an electrician to make sure you're not left without an earth after removal of the old pipe!

Assuming you have a cable sheath connection then thats not a problem although it would be considered better by many to earth metal water pipes inside the property. Only the gas pipe HAS to be earthed.

Incoming water and gas mains must both be bonded. This can only be avoided if all, or the vast majority of, the pipework is plastic. Even if the incoming supply is MDPE, the water supply must still be bonded at the stopcock if it converts to copper.

 

[MarkSmith]

Hi folks,

I've had a quote for someone to replace the whole lead pipe - he's going to mole a new plastic one right under the driveway (5m or so), through the wall into the cellar, put a tap in, route it round to the back of the house (not too hard as there are full-height cellars under the whole house, so no floorboards to get up etc. - just going through about 4 exposed overhead joists and one wall really) and connect back into the existing copper pipe.

He's quoted £580+VAT (=£680). How does that sound to people? I know it's impossible to say without seeing it, but just roughly, does it seem reasonable?

Seems like a lot of money to me but I don't really have any points of reference. Essentially the mole-ing is the bit I don't know about and that's a large part of the job.

Lastly, I'm considering doing most of the internal pipe routing stuff myself - can anyone point me to the correct pipe on Screwfix or similar please?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[bengasman]

Price doesn't seem too bad. Pay a few quid more, and get a 35 mm fitted.

 

[MarkSmith]

Thanks very much.

Do you mean 32mm pipe? 35mm doesn't seem to be a standard size.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Nige F]

That`s £500 for labour and £80 for the placcy pipe . . Can moles be hired 2 holes a bit of plumbing and half an hour listening to the mole go duf-duf- under the drive . More lucrative than clearing drains

 

[MarkSmith]

Apparently he works in a team of three so £500 for three people for a day doesn't sound too bad - that was my question really - how much work is involved in moling under 5m of drive and into a wall. If as you say it's one man for one hour rather than three men for eight hours, that starts to sound like less of a good deal. I presume he has to dig 2ft deep holes at either end, though..? So a bit more to it than just unloading the mole from the van, deploying it and waiting..?

I think I might do the internal stuff myself - I don't mind getting my hands dirty and although I've never done anything with plastic pipe before I expect I can work it out. If he can bring it through the wall in an hour or two I can do the rest, I think.

 

[Gees]

I had all my lead pipes replaced FOC when my supply stopcock developed a gland leak. If you do a search for my posts you will find the deatails on here.

 

[neds]

Talking of lead pipe, just ripped out quite a few lengths from my bathroom while I've been renovating it. Whoever did it before just left the old lead pipes in place. Going to be weighing in them badboys

 

[MarkSmith]

Just looked, Gees, but didn't manage to find anything. Was having a leak critical to getting it done for free? I don't have a leak...

Ta,
Mark

 

[Gees]

Just looked, Gees, but didn't manage to find anything. Was having a leak critical to getting it done for free? I don't have a leak...

Ta,
Mark

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=9274#9274

The leaking stopcock meant that the water company had to replace it. At the same time I had dug all my lead pipes out. The guy then just replaced the lot including back to the water main FOC.

 

[MarkSmith]

Hi again folks,

New 25mm blue MDPE pipe has been moled into the cellar and it sitting in a coil waiting for me to route and connect the inside end, and the water board to check and connect the outside end.

Original plan was to run the MDPE pipe right through two cellar rooms and up through the kitchen floor, to the point where it will connect with the copper.

However someone's just told me that MDPE pipe is photosensitive. In the "master plan" the whole pipe will either be in cellars with no natural light, or enclosed in cupboards and ceilings. However it might take me a few years to get to that point (some of it depends on getting the kitchen "done"). In the mean time, parts of it will be exposed, although not in direct sunlight.

Is blue MDPE pipe really photo sensitive? What lengths do I have to go to to ensure it's OK?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[TicklyT]

Not exactly photosensitive, but many plastics are degraded by the ultraviolet components of direct sunlight.

The pipe manufacturers won't see UV stability as a problem for a product designed to be buried in the ground.

There is little UV in indirect light or artificial light.

 

[MarkSmith]

The pipe manufacturers won't see UV stability as a problem for a product designed to be buried in the ground,

Ah... my plumber phrased this differently. He said "not designed to be seen" which is of course not quite the same thing. I thought he meant because it was ugly...

From what you say, though, it seems like it's not going to be a problem to have it exposed but not in the sunshine for a year or so.

Thanks,
Mark