Asbestos mains supply water pipe

robotrobo

Hi.
We are making a new patio at the rear of the garden,& the mini digger as unearthed a pipe which is asbestos water pipe , the house was built in the 1950s.
Now I want to replace this pipe as far back as possible for the proper blue water pipe, I have measured the outside diameter of this pipe and it is 23/4 " in old money , or 70mm in metric, does anyone please know if there is a reducer fitting that I can purchase ?, I could possibly connect a new pipe on a existing bend that measures 55 mm, but the question again is the same , is there a fitting on the market?.
We are doing the job ourselves as the hydrant /stoptap is across the main road & Will cost 5k or more to dig the road etc , so there is no other option .
Thankyou in advance.

muckybutt

If you run a new Alkathene pipe to your boundary won't the water supplier just terminate that to the old pipe ?

snowcat75

split repair clamp would do the job, and you could reduce to what you want, the repair should be taken back to a joint rather than cutting and disturbing the old pipe.


The repair clamp would need to be ordered through a specialist supplier, Hydraulic shops normally have access to order more specialist parts.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

First off, concrete lined asbestos pipes are high in asbestos fibre content.


Don't replace this DIY style.


I don't know what supplier area your in or whether your on your own supply (i.e a well or FW stream).


Welsh Water would replace these pipes when discovered FOC to the house internal tap where your own plumber could reconnect you at your own cost.


so contact your water authority.


Once these pipes split and the fibres get into the supply, its difficult to flush the fibres out.


If its a redundant line, local council could assist with proper removal.

EmmyLou30

A pipe that size is unlikely to belong to you or serve only your house and therefore you should contact your water company. Older properties have water mains crossing their gardens all the time. Nothing wrong with asbestos cement pipes unless you try and disturb them. Water companies never cut them, they remove them back to the nearest joint and replace entire sections at a time as it's often the joints that fail anyway, not the pipes themselves.
Why do you want to change it for plastic? If it's because you don't like the idea of them then you should know the roads are full of them so it's travelled through them on the way to your house anyway! If it's because you'd like to divert it then the water company can do this for you if you're planning an extension or something.

robotrobo

EmmyLou30 wrote: »

A pipe that size is unlikely to belong to you or serve only your house and therefore you should contact your water company. Older properties have water mains crossing their gardens all the time. Nothing wrong with asbestos cement pipes unless you try and disturb them. Water companies never cut them, they remove them back to the nearest joint and replace entire sections at a time as it's often the joints that fail anyway, not the pipes themselves.
Why do you want to change it for plastic? If it's because you don't like the idea of them then you should know the roads are full of them so it's travelled through them on the way to your house anyway! If it's because you'd like to divert it then the water company can do this for you if you're planning an extension or something.

Hi Emmylou.
Thanks for the reply, my son is completely revamping the very large garden at The rear of the property , firstly a Indian flagged patio ,
Whilst the digger was digging out to lay cableing to the full length of the garden, he caught the pipe & created a big leak!, now the problem as started.
There is only 4 houses out in this part of the sticks & non of the other houses have been affected as they have there own stop taps & our stop only turns our supply off & the farm shippon in the next field.
In the centre of the garden is the farmers meter & with his permission we are planning to resite in the adjacent field.
Haveing looked at the pipes , some are steel (cast) some are the asbestos pipe as we have talked about .
The idea was to rid of this ageing pipe work from under the ground we are going to work & join the pipe work away from the new work & do away with all the redundant pipe.
One of the cast elbows 55mm does not look in good order , so we are to unsure just to carry on & completely ignore , your right in what you are saying & we have not disturbed anymore at the moment.
The water board are comeing out next Tuesday to take a look & no doubt will put us on the right road !, but what we ain't got a lot of money to pay the water board & the stop tap is over the other side of the road & all the existing pipe work is under the ground that as been worked , going under, flags , & front lawn areas some 5years ago.
So the update is that we are no closer & need to learn a little more before we can go forward.

robotrobo

muckybutt wrote: »

If you run a new Alkathene pipe to your boundary won't the water supplier just terminate that to the old pipe ?

Hi.
Not quite mucky as the mains stop tap is on the other side of the road , the water board are comeing for a look on Tuesday, like I say there's no budget for them to do any work at all, after all we have exposed all the pipes & we have the equipment , it's just the know how to get around this short term problem I hope, at least we have water on.
Thankyou.

robotrobo

EmmyLou30 wrote: »

A pipe that size is unlikely to belong to you or serve only your house and therefore you should contact your water company. Older properties have water mains crossing their gardens all the time. Nothing wrong with asbestos cement pipes unless you try and disturb them. Water companies never cut them, they remove them back to the nearest joint and replace entire sections at a time as it's often the joints that fail anyway, not the pipes themselves.
Why do you want to change it for plastic? If it's because you don't like the idea of them then you should know the roads are full of them so it's travelled through them on the way to your house anyway! If it's because you'd like to divert it then the water company can do this for you if you're planning an extension or something.

Well it's a expensive repair job the digger has caused us in the garden renovation job , There was only one plastic/plumbers merchant that stocked the items I require to do a repair that big to the water main, & that was Plastic industries in Preston, & I must say a helpful bunch of workers in the shop.
I spent £260 on the items that I need & the bolted coupler (Viking)was about £60 , & I have since learnt that another main in the garden was broken, so that's another £120 .
While it's my sons house I still worry a little about the money side of things for them , but the good side is. That all the equipment jcb etc are all free as is my labour of course & the other grandad who runs & operates the machinery, & we are talking about half acre or so for the plot size.
It would have cost thousands to get contractors involved , so that's the good side of it I suppose, & even the 10 ton of stone delivered yesterday was free ,& still more to come , so it's not all doom & gloom for grandads!!.
I have learnt a bit more while helping with this job !,& Thankyou for all the good advice given on this forum:).