Water main pipe has a leak, metal pipe abot 10 to 20 cent piece diameter. Runs across/under front lawn.
How will plumber likely do the repair ? Just piece in a new piece of pipe where leak is or replace whole pipe ?
les6,
Jul 2, 7:21pm
probably a jonhson`s coupling?do a google.
mals69,
Jul 2, 7:31pm
“You know your apples“ cheers Les
maclad,
Jul 2, 7:37pm
It may well be more cost effective, long term, to replace this "old school" metal pipe as it will continue to cause problems. You could always do the hard yards yourself, like digging it up and exposing it, before your plumber came in to replace it.
bill1451,
Jul 2, 7:52pm
If it is a galvanised pipe and you decide to replace it from the street (with alkathene or PVC )to where it enters your foundation, PLEASE for your own safety contact your electrician, as back in the day these pipes were used as an earthing conductor, and if you replace it with alkathene or pvc you will need your electrician to drive a new earth stake beside the house as close to the switchboard as possible and then run a new 6mm earth cable from swbd to earth stake.
gpg58,
Jul 2, 8:04pm
Good advice, Many a person has had shocking experiences with that.
pauldw,
Jul 2, 8:07pm
By the time an old galv pipe is leaking externally it's probably almost blocked with rust internally.
happychappy50,
Jul 2, 8:55pm
Sounds like old gal replace the lot,will save $$$ in the long run,a repair would be only temporary till it springs a leak somewhere else
eljayv,
Jul 2, 9:05pm
I have had same thing with pinhole in copper pipe - twice. Plumber dug up the spot cut out that piece and fitted a new piece . Each time done a different way by two plumbers from same company. Suggested if it happens again run a new piece up to house. Don’t know how deep the trench should be though.
lythande1,
Jul 3, 8:05am
Depends. If you want them replace the entire thing it will cost a lot more.
tegretol,
Jul 3, 10:27am
600mm min. Needs a digger or ten fit men.
mals69,
Jul 3, 6:14pm
Thanks a lot team - great replies!
Found the leak - pipe got lot of. “nodules†on it - not sure what actually are, looks like “rusted metal stones†attached to it ? Odd clean bit of pipe so hopefully plumber can insert a new piece.
gpg58,
Jul 3, 6:39pm
You are bound to need to replace soon anyway, why waste money just doing a temporary patch up now. As someone said already, if rusted outside, it likely is already getting near blocked inside.
mals69,
Jul 4, 2:40pm
Yeah true, cheaper in the long run.
maclad,
Jul 4, 4:20pm
Those "rusted metal stones" are just rust growing out of the pipe waiting to eat right through it and cause another leak.
eljayv,
Jul 4, 4:27pm
No, plumber now says min is 300mm
dajoki,
Jul 4, 5:26pm
Give it a good smack with a hammer. soon see how many "nodules" are just waiting to pop off.
boby11,
Jul 4, 5:40pm
My galvanised pipe from the meter to the main leaks every year and they just join a new blue plastic piece in to save digging up the whole lot.So each years it leaks again.This was the 4th year and it took them 2 weeks with a leak detector just to decide where to dig at about 600mm deep. The leak was like a half on tap flow
maclad,
Jul 4, 6:25pm
EEW, Iooked inside one of my gal pipes quite a few years ago and it was almost totally closed off by pinkish looking soft " muck. Guess that is normal but hate to think I drink this water believing it is "pure?"
elect70,
Jul 5, 11:10am
Yep Bite the bullet replace it with alkathene ,if your metered it will be costing you $ in water fess , bet it will have more than 1 leak . 300 mm deep is nt hard to dig by hand , & as prev get sparky to drive a new earth stake first .
pauldw,
Jul 5, 1:09pm
Locally on our hilly street rather than follow the original route of the pipe through the garden etc the new plastic pipe is run down the fence line on the surface until it is buried closer to the house.
gpg58,
Jul 5, 5:03pm
I am thinking 300mm is marginal, from a frost point of view. sure they don't hang around(frozen ground for weeks) like they used to , but climates change both ways, and plenty of shallow ones used to freeze.
supernova2,
Jul 11, 11:09am
Not usually a good idea as most plastic pipes are likely to suffer from problem with exposure to UV. Also hope you are not in a frosty area.
hairylemon19,
Sep 16, 8:34pm
Refer to nzbc g12 as it depends on where you are digging in the boundary
pauldw,
Sep 17, 8:57am
I know that the blue pipe isn't rated by the manufacturer for UV exposure but it seems to be used. The photo attached is feed to 2 of my neighbours down a council path. I could go a few 100m up or down the street and easily find 10 other cases. https://trademe.tmcdn.co.nz/photoserver/full/870807304.jpg
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