Water leaks - new pipe?

[allanb]

I've had a couple of leaks in the main water supply pipe to my house: it's about 30 metres long and believed to be 20+ years old.  Clearly if it's happened twice it can go on happening, and I don't enjoy digging in the local clay.

I imagine that making a trench to lay a new pipe would be very expensive.  But some of the new tubing that I've seen looks so much narrower than the old stuff that I wonder if it would be possible to push it through the existing pipe.  Obviously it would depend on the exact diameters, but does anyone know whether this is feasible in principle?

[oliveau]

What you are proposing is a technique called 'slip lining' and it's not a problem with big pipes. ie 3" and above. The problem is that you will be reducing the diameter of the supply pipe, thus reducing flow rates, but more importantly you will have to faff about with the connections at the meter end and where it comes into the house in order to marry up the reduced pipe diameter to the existing fittings. You would really be better off to relay with the same size.

We had about 50 metres relayed 2 years ago for a plumber's charge of 250 euros. The trenching was done by the maçons because they already had a machine on site, but if you allowed for a minimum charge for a half day hire of a minidigger of say 200 euros I don't think you will be far out- it's actually less than an hours work, but you might have to pay for half a day.

If you can find a plumber who has a digger it will probably be cheaper. You might even find a local contractor with a digger who will do the trenching one evening for a bottle of whisky!

Peter

[Gluestick]

Where are the leaks in relation to the meter?

If the leaks are on the water syndicate or company's side of the meter then it's not your problem!

Most French meters tend to be inside the house on old pipework: in which case the pipe from the road main to the meter is their problem and at their cost.

Had mine all renewed last September. No charge.

 

[oliveau]

Quite right - I had assumed that the leak was between the meter and the house.

Peter

[allanb]

Gluestick: I'm sorry to say that the meter is beside the road at the edge of the plot, so the whole 30-metre leaky pipe is my problem.

Oliveau: the pipe is nowhere near 3" diameter, unfortunately.  But in view of what you say about the cost of relaying, I'd be happy to do it that way.  I think I'll get the trench dug before I give him the whisky, though.

Thank you both. 

[Gluestick]

Ouch! [blink]

Sounds like a machine and a new trench then. Having said that, they dug ours out by hand, whilst it is only circa 20 feet.

 

[derf]

"I've seen looks so much narrower than the old stuff that I wonder if it would be possible to push it through the existing pipe."

I have seen this done in France, hard work to get it through but could be worthwhile. 

[Gluestick]

Depends what the old pipe is. Mine was lead and of course it was badly corroded internally, thus its actual internal diameter was very limited.

Lead was used lots for water pipes until not that long ago, apparently. My French friend - who is waiting for his water main to be updated and it's miles of tiled terrace and tarmac courtyard to be dug up: all of which has to be reconsituted to as before condition and all at the water syndicate's expense! - tells me that there ae still hundreds of thousands of kilometers of old lead water main in use: all awaiting upgrading.

My new pipe is all black synthetic rubber with hydraulically crimped brass connectors.

Hard to feed any thing like that through other than a pretty large diameter pipe.