Moling new water supply pipe

[eidolon]

I’m looking to replace my incoming lead water pipe with plastic but my back yard is concrete so the water board suggested finding a moling company rather than dig it up. The distance to the perimeter is approx 5m.
Has anyone ever had this done? What was the cost?

 

[Steampunk]

I’m looking to replace my incoming lead water pipe with plastic but my back yard is concrete so the water board suggested finding a moling company rather than dig it up. The distance to the perimeter is approx 5m.
Has anyone ever had this done? What was the cost?

I had it done about eight years ago. Cost me about £400 for about 10 meters and connection at each end IIRC, but they were mates of the kitchen fitter I was using. There's plenty of companies around that will do it if you just google. I recommend it not just because of lead being not great for your health, the pipe has probably got decades of limescale (which ironically seals the lead and makes it safer), so a new water pipe will give you back masses of flow rate into the house.

Bear in mind they will have to dig holes at each end of the pipe (and it the middle if they have to go around anything like vertical drains), and probably inside the house to get the pipe in.

 

[Participant]

Is it worth double checking that there's no way of getting the water company to pay for it all under some kind of lead replacement scheme?

I guess they'll only do that up to the property boundary.

 

[Steampunk]

Is it worth double checking that there's no way of getting the water company to pay for it all under some kind of lead replacement scheme?

I guess they'll only do that up to the property boundary.

Yeah, they'll pretty much only do it to the stopcock unless there's some weird circumstances like the supply on your land goes to multiple properties, and then it becomes the water company's responsibility for a lot of things. They may just claim there's nothing wrong with a lead pipe unless it's leaking. They'll tell you that if it's been there for years and it's three quarters plugged with limescale, that's actually sealing the lead in.

I just spent the money as I was having the kitchen replaced, so access was easy at the time. When I saw the end of the lead pipe into the house, with it's stopcock connected by a fragile, aged cloth binding, I decided it was worth doing. Looking at the cut pipe, it was more than half blocked with limescale (it was about 50 years old). The increase in water flow into the house was massively worth doing it alone.

 

[Six6siX]

Had this done a couple of years ago replacing the old lead pipe to from the meter to the property. The street had just had a brand new plastic main run all the way down so it was a good time to do it really.

From what I remember it depends on the length of the run and what the route it needs to take is. Cost £700 including new internal stop **** and connection back to the main, making good with concrete etc.

 

[Skiddley]

I just did it last week. About 1K per 10m. We had 30m to do. They will still need to dig holes for ingress\egress of the pipe, and for getting it under the footings of your house.

Lead replacement only funds the connection beyond the boundary. In our case upto 25mm diameter. I didn't bother exploring the cost of a 32mm mdpe.

Moling company need to be certified also. There is a list online.