Could someone offer some advice on costs associated with repair? I've
just been contacted by Three Valleys Water that there's a leak on the
supply pipe leading up to my house. Since it's past the meter, it's my
responsibility and they'll fix it for free provided they don't have to
burrow under the house.

My big, big fear is that the leak on the supply pipe turns out to be
underneath the house. If so, the the water company won't pay. Nor
will my insurance company. Should I be expecting a cost running into
many hundreds, or into the thousands? The maximum length of 'under
house burrowing' would be about 20 metres.

wrote in message
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Could someone offer some advice on costs associated with repair? I've
just been contacted by Three Valleys Water that there's a leak on the
supply pipe leading up to my house. Since it's past the meter, it's my
responsibility and they'll fix it for free provided they don't have to
burrow under the house.

My big, big fear is that the leak on the supply pipe turns out to be
underneath the house. If so, the the water company won't pay. Nor
will my insurance company. Should I be expecting a cost running into
many hundreds, or into the thousands? The maximum length of 'under
house burrowing' would be about 20 metres.


Is your floor a suspended timber floor? I presume that it isn't, because of
course it is easy enough to intercept the incoming water pipe if it is run
through the crawl space.

Andy.

larrypearl2000 wrote:
My big, big fear is that the leak on the supply pipe turns out to be
underneath the house. If so, the the water company won't pay. Nor
will my insurance company. Should I be expecting a cost running into
many hundreds, or into the thousands? The maximum length of 'under
house burrowing' would be about 20 metres.

The supply should not run under your house any appreciable
distance, it should go around, under/through a wall, and up.

On Mon, 26 Sep 2005 17:35:52 +0100, Chris Bacon
wrote:

larrypearl2000 wrote:
My big, big fear is that the leak on the supply pipe turns out to be
underneath the house. If so, the the water company won't pay. Nor
will my insurance company. Should I be expecting a cost running into
many hundreds, or into the thousands? The maximum length of 'under
house burrowing' would be about 20 metres.

The supply should not run under your house any appreciable
distance, it should go around, under/through a wall, and up.

And if it doesn't, it can be cut off and re-routed cheaply and easily.
Hell you could even do it yourself! :-)

Mr F.

Mr Fizzion wrote:
On Mon, 26 Sep 2005 17:35:52 +0100, Chris Bacon
wrote:

larrypearl2000 wrote:
My big, big fear is that the leak on the supply pipe turns out to be
underneath the house. If so, the the water company won't pay. Nor
will my insurance company. Should I be expecting a cost running into
many hundreds, or into the thousands? The maximum length of 'under
house burrowing' would be about 20 metres.

The supply should not run under your house any appreciable
distance, it should go around, under/through a wall, and up.

And if it doesn't, it can be cut off and re-routed cheaply and easily.
Hell you could even do it yourself! :-)


Thanks for the replies everyone. I live in the middle of quite a long
terrace and the internal stop tap is at the back of the house
Therefore, rerouting around the house is not possible.

in such circustances, would it be possible/practical to run a new
supply pipe through my house, rather than under it? I have a concrete
floor to my two storey house...

wrote:

Thanks for the replies everyone. I live in the middle of quite a long
terrace and the internal stop tap is at the back of the house
Therefore, rerouting around the house is not possible.

in such circustances, would it be possible/practical to run a new
supply pipe through my house, rather than under it? I have a concrete
floor to my two storey house...

In principle, sure... eg, take the pipe via a trench to the nearest
point of your house; you go through the house wall about 2' underground
(lots of water byelaws to contend with here) and then emerge above
ground in the corner of the front room or wherever - there's your
stopcock. Then you could run it up the wall within boxing, and connect
it to your existing mains pressure water system wherever most
convenient. All depends on your own layout. But I should try and
ascertain where the leak is before chasing that up any further.

David

wrote:

Mr Fizzion wrote:

On Mon, 26 Sep 2005 17:35:52 +0100, Chris Bacon
wrote:


larrypearl2000 wrote:

My big, big fear is that the leak on the supply pipe turns out to be
underneath the house. If so, the the water company won't pay. Nor
will my insurance company. Should I be expecting a cost running into
many hundreds, or into the thousands? The maximum length of 'under
house burrowing' would be about 20 metres.

The supply should not run under your house any appreciable
distance, it should go around, under/through a wall, and up.

And if it doesn't, it can be cut off and re-routed cheaply and easily.
Hell you could even do it yourself! :-)



Thanks for the replies everyone. I live in the middle of quite a long
terrace and the internal stop tap is at the back of the house
Therefore, rerouting around the house is not possible.

in such circustances, would it be possible/practical to run a new
supply pipe through my house, rather than under it? I have a concrete
floor to my two storey house...

Should be. depending on whats on te concrete flolor, chipping out a new
channel is no huge deal. I'd put the stopcock at the FRONT this time
though, and run 20mm copper thereafter...that can go up around and long
just about anywhere..

wrote:

My big, big fear is that the leak on the supply pipe turns out to be
underneath the house. If so, the the water company won't pay. Nor
will my insurance company. Should I be expecting a cost running into
many hundreds, or into the thousands? The maximum length of 'under
house burrowing' would be about 20 metres.

If the leak was under the house, would it be possible to install a
replacement pipe via a different route, ie around the house?

Or have it enter the house at a different point to where it does now,
and then run through the house above the ceiling, for example.

Either of those options would be much cheaper than the catalysmic
ripping up of your ground floor!

BTW there are very clever pneumatic 'moles' which can be used to burrow
underground without digging trenches; whether these can be used under
buildings I don't know (although I doubt it)

David

Lobster wrote:

wrote:


My big, big fear is that the leak on the supply pipe turns out to be
underneath the house. If so, the the water company won't pay. Nor
will my insurance company. Should I be expecting a cost running into
many hundreds, or into the thousands? The maximum length of 'under
house burrowing' would be about 20 metres.


If the leak was under the house, would it be possible to install a
replacement pipe via a different route, ie around the house?

Or have it enter the house at a different point to where it does now,
and then run through the house above the ceiling, for example.

Either of those options would be much cheaper than the catalysmic
ripping up of your ground floor!

BTW there are very clever pneumatic 'moles' which can be used to burrow
underground without digging trenches; whether these can be used under
buildings I don't know (although I doubt it)

David

Good point.

On 26 Sep 2005 09:25:03 -0700, wrote:

Could someone offer some advice on costs associated with repair? I've
just been contacted by Three Valleys Water that there's a leak on the
supply pipe leading up to my house. Since it's past the meter, it's my
responsibility and they'll fix it for free provided they don't have to
burrow under the house.

My big, big fear is that the leak on the supply pipe turns out to be
underneath the house. If so, the the water company won't pay. Nor
will my insurance company. Should I be expecting a cost running into
many hundreds, or into the thousands? The maximum length of 'under
house burrowing' would be about 20 metres.

I did me sisters for under a hundred quid, and four days hard work.
She had a timber floor, I simply ran a whole new pipe between the road
and the stop cock.

Rick

wrote:

Could someone offer some advice on costs associated with repair? I've
just been contacted by Three Valleys Water that there's a leak on the
supply pipe leading up to my house. Since it's past the meter, it's my
responsibility and they'll fix it for free provided they don't have to
burrow under the house.

My big, big fear is that the leak on the supply pipe turns out to be
underneath the house. If so, the the water company won't pay. Nor
will my insurance company. Should I be expecting a cost running into
many hundreds, or into the thousands? The maximum length of 'under
house burrowing' would be about 20 metres.

Insurance should cover this.

Its only a few hundred to chip up a floor, maybe a couple of grand if
its parquet :-(

Get the investigation done first outside, then contact insurers if
necessary.