Water Supplier Replacing Lead Pipes for Free?

[Homesafe]

As far as I'm aware United Utilities do not change the lead pipe free, if its on your property.
Had a situation where existing supply was lead pipe crossing under nearby main road, then came under the yards of adjacent terraced houses.
They replaced the lead under the road but stated the pipe under the yards was not their responsibility.
However a new supply had previously been laid running along the rear service road and most of the houses were connected it.
With the agreement of U.U. I excavated and installed 25mm MDPE as per their requirements including the ducting and insulation.
They provided a outside stop valve and made the connection to the new supply. Leaving me to complete the change over and blank off the old supply.
No water meter fitted. A £950 job reduced to about £50. That would be about 3 years ago.

The do state that they will pay for a qualified plumber to change it for the housholder, don't know if they will tho.

 

[MANDATE]

Just had a good look at the UU site.
Where do they state they will pay a qualified plumber to change it.
I have seen where they may charge if requirements are not met

http://www.unitedutilities.com/replacingleadpipes.aspx

 

[Homesafe]

My bad ,, you are correct they are'nt that generous, I was mistakenly thinking that they meant they will replace all the external lead, but it seems the boundry to my property is where the responsibility changes.

It's still better to do tho.
Question; I have a tee'd lead pipe within my house boundry ,, it splits outside in the garden, one going to the kitchen and one going to upstairs and one going to the outside utility room, that won't be a problem will it? can't see a problem myself.
TIA

 

[JohnD]

It will certainly be very much easier to do the connections if your new blue pipe goes onto their new pipe. I had a terrible job connecting a new blue pipe to a 100-year old non-standard stopcock on the supplier's stub coming under the boundary .

 

[Homesafe]

Final connections is their job anyway so it should be ok, hopefully.

TBH I don't know when to I'm going to start yet.

 

[MANDATE]

Question; I have a tee'd lead pipe within my house boundry ,, it splits outside in the garden, one going to the kitchen and one going to upstairs and one going to the outside utility room, that won't be a problem will it? can't see a problem myself.
TIA

If your pipe going upstairs is outside it will be a problem, all pipes basically have to enter the property at 750mm depth and insulated as they rise inside the property.
Although I have read about cases where they rise above ground level outside the property in special purpose insulated boxes before entering the property.

 

[ChrisR]

PHONE them! Ask the right man and you'll have all your locally relevant answers. Ask if they look at drains - I bet they don't.
They might though want the mdpe laid in pea shingle, say.
Usually they WANT to avoid problems when they come to do the connecting, and are more than willing to advise someone who's bothered to get it right.

 

[glock339]

Yeh think I've got a bit of an idea now thanks to everyones comments, so I can ring em and ask some questions.

Cheers!