New Blue Pipe (mains)

[ACOperson]

Just moved into a new house and am wondering how I can go about upgrading the 15mm lead mains to a 22/23mm blue pipe.

I only ever do domestic heating work so I've never had to really touch an incoming mains before, apart from when tapping in for combi's etc, always INSIDE the house.

Do I need to get the water board (Thames Water) to do a certain part of it, then I can dig up the garden & run the blue pipe myself?

Ta

Paul

 

[Biggles..]

Here in Notts we normally run the MDPE from new stop tap position with a cap end fitted to the pavement (including all the digging). when at the pavement Severn Trent do the final connection and disconnection of lead main.
Lee

 

[doitall]

Yes good old Thames Water

Once you have got permission to do the job, but ask if they have any deals with Lead replacement, you dig a trench 750 mm down (no-one does in London) they inspect it, then they want to inspect the house to see if what your up to, (may get away with that bit) then they will book the connections after you paid then the loot.

Average about 6months but could be a few weeks if you catch them right.

Give them a call and arrange for the man in the suit to visit.

 

[ACOperson]

Thanks. Any idea of the potential costs for the final connection?

I know that it'll probably be more from Thames Water than others as they need to clean up the 240m3 of raw sewage they have dumped in their rivers over the last few years, but a ball park figure would be really helpful.

Cheers guys

 

[Biggles..]

Couldn't give a deffinate, last one we did S&T were running a lead replacement scheme and if you did the donkey work they did the last bit for £100.
Lee

 

[doitall]

No way of telling, if for example you need a road closure then in the region of £2000.00.

Ask and see what they can do for you.

 

[Expertboy]

Dick Turpin got hung for highway robbery, Severn trent get away with it !!

They charged me £275 last month for the privalidge of me (not them), replacing an old clay drain into a plastic drain so i could build over the top of it with my house extension.

Good luck !!

 

[croydoncorgi]

Remember that Thames' contractors have 'moles' that can put a new MDPE pipe across a front garden with NO trench - just a hole at the house wall and another in the pavement at the meter pit to 'launch' the mole from. OK - TW IS expensive but it may well be a lot cheaper than trenching. And certainly a lot less messy!

 

[Nige F]

Nowt wrong with trenching........won us 1 war @ least

 

[croydoncorgi]

....Lions led by Donkeys?

 

[htgeng]

I did a job in london last year and advised the customer to upgrade the incoming to 32mm. Literally, this was a new meter, 2 metres of blue pipe, 28mm stoptap, a few speedfit reducers. Cost? £1000 to you sir!

 

[ACOperson]

Spoke to Thames water about this, and the helpful person on the line said that I might qualify for the lead replacement scheme. Anyone here had any work done under this scheme? Are they likely to charge me?

Oh, and hteng, was that £1000 YOUR fee, or what the water board charged?!

 

[doitall]

Depends on the scheme at the time but you pay a percentage, it was about 20%

 

[htgeng]

Oh, and hteng, was that £1000 YOUR fee, or what the water board charged?!

Thats what the customer paid to Thames water for doing the job

 

[Agile]

If there is no lead replacement deal then you can still get most of the benefits by replacing the lead from the garden stopcock into the house just for the cost of your own work.

Officially it should be done by a Water Regs qualified person or inspected by TW to ensure its 750 mm deep and enters the property at 750 mm through the appropriate duct with instlation and a rat stop.

Tony