Slow water leak

Bettie

some waterboards change lead pipes free..if it is lead..

my leak was smaller and I could hear it through the listening device which I thought rather primitive. I am surprised he's gone straight in for

a pipe change rather than using gas.

Thanks for your update, I was wondering what had happened .

JohnB47

Thanks everyone.

Well, he did mention that a gas test could be done but that would cost and any leak found could be fixed and another leak could pop up later. He didn't seem to be looking for more profit but who knows. He just seemed to focus on the age of the pipe and that full replacement would be a better option.

Spoke to a neighbour who said someone three doors up had three leaks and then decided to replace the whole pipe. Their house was built a few years after ours (ours in 1929).

Don't know if our mains pipe is lead or not. The guy who came round looked at the big pipe coming up in the kitchen and said 'galvanised' but maybe it's lead elsewhere? Looked at the South West Water website - no they don't change out lead pipe between meter and house - householder responsibility no matter what the material.

I'll report back with results of my overnight water-turn-off experiment.

bjorn_toby_wilde

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82017986#Comment_82017986

Nope. That would be nice but they don’t automatically.

Some water companies have lead replacement programmes but typically that’s up to the boundary of your property and you would be responsible for the rest.

stuart45

My company (Wessex) will replace free of charge to the point of entry to the building.

Albermarle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82018016#Comment_82018016

Don't know if our mains pipe is lead or not. The guy who came round looked at the big pipe coming up in the kitchen and said 'galvanised' but maybe it's lead elsewhere?

Sounds like it is steel, which was also used 100 years ago. Probably would still benefit from being replaced though.

ciderboy2009

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82018016#Comment_82018016

From South West Water website:

"In some circumstances, we can help customers by replacing lead pipework for free. This is less likely to be possible if the replacement would be complex or technically challenging. In a few very limited cases, it might not be possible to replace lead pipes either on our part or your part of the network. If this is the case, we can advise on ways to reduce the risk posed by lead pipes."

It's worth checking with them - I had mine replaced by Bristol Water for free last year when I had a leak in it. No means assessment or anything like that. I think the fact that I mentioned an existing leak may have helped.

Albermarle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82018432#Comment_82018432

It is not clear they are lead, so that would need to be clarified first.

JohnB47

An update. My recent investigation did suggest that the water pooling is due to the water leak.

However, further investigation is not needed because I’ve received a quote of £1800 to completely replace the water main and I’ve accepted that. The quote seems very reasonable.

So I’m relieved that I’m not longer driven, by my instinctive need to fix things, to find the source of the leak myself.

Thanks for all the help here.

ComicGeek

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82020427#Comment_82020427

That sounds very sensible to me, that would be my decision in the same situation. Given the pipework material and age, further deterioration and leaks are inevitable, and local repairs normally result in other leaks forming.

Bettie

As long as you're happy with the quote. Probably well worth it to have the stress off of your shoulders.