Supply pipe repair and replacement
Once the leak is located there is a decision to make, and the material the pipe is made of usually makes it for you.
0333 567 2637Seven days a week, 7am to 9pm. Fixed price agreed before anyone travels.
Repair the fault
The pipe is exposed at the point the survey identified, the damaged section is cut out, and new pipe and fittings go in. The joint is pressure tested before the hole is backfilled.
Right when
- The pipe is modern blue MDPE in otherwise sound condition.
- The cause was a single event, such as impact damage or one bad joint.
- The run is short and the fault is reachable.
- There has been no previous leak on the same pipe.
Replace the run
A complete new supply is installed from the boundary to the house in blue MDPE, and the old pipe is abandoned in the ground or removed where it is in the way.
Right when
- The pipe is lead, black alkathene or galvanised steel.
- This is the second leak on the same run.
- Several faults are found at once, which happens on old lead.
- Pressure and flow at the house were poor before the leak started.
What ADI actually recommended at Grantham
The lead pipe was repaired with a universal transit coupling and new pipe sections, which restored the supply that day. The engineer then recommended replacing the external main in full given its age and condition, and fitting a pressure reducing valve, because the incoming pressure was high enough to put the internal pipework at risk as well. Repairing the fault and replacing the run are not alternatives on pipework that old. One buys time for the other.
Replacing without a trench
A new supply does not usually mean a channel cut across the garden. A small pit is dug at each end of the run and the new pipe is pulled through underground between them, using moling or directional drilling. What is on top of the route between the two pits is left alone.
It is not always available. Rock, heavy tree roots, other buried services on the same line and a route passing under a building can all force an open cut for part of the length. The engineer will say which applies before the work is quoted.
Lead is worth a phone call first
Several water companies will replace their own lead communication pipe at the same time as you replace your supply pipe, and some contribute to the cost of the work. The offer generally has to be taken up while the ground is open, so it is worth asking your supplier before the job is booked rather than after it is backfilled.
What happens to the driveway
Something has to come up directly above the fault, and it does not go back the way it came. This is the part worth being straight about before the work starts.
The excavation is opened where two methods agreed
The opening goes directly above the point the survey identified, which is often some way from anything that looks wet.
The repair is made and pressure tested
Proved before anything is covered over, because an untested joint under a new drive is a second visit.
The hole is backfilled and left safe
Compacted and made good enough to walk on and drive over.
Restoring the finish is a separate job
Matching block paving, relaying tarmac or reseeding a lawn is specialist work and is normally quoted on its own. The report records what was opened, which is what a trace and access claim needs in order to cover it.
Questions about repairs
Can you repair the leak during the visit?
We aim to find and repair it during the booked day. A repair depends on safe access, suitable materials and enough time. Any repair is quoted separately for your agreement.
Guidance: ADI water mains service.
Should I repair or replace the pipe?
The decision depends on the condition of the whole run, the fault and the practical cost of each option. One damaged joint may be repairable; deteriorated pipework may need replacement. The material alone does not settle the question.
If you suspect lead pipework, ask your water company about testing and replacement advice before arranging work. Replacing only your section may leave lead pipework elsewhere in the supply.
Guidance: ADI Liverpool investigation; Drinking Water Inspectorate advice on lead.
Who restores the surface afterwards?
Pipe repair and restoring a driveway, floor or garden are different jobs. Confirm what the quote includes before excavation. Drying and reinstatement may need a separate contractor; ask your insurer about cover before commissioning that work.
Guidance: ADI service FAQs; Financial Ombudsman guidance on underground pipes.
Ask what your pipe is likely to need
The age of the property and the behaviour of the meter are usually enough to say whether this is a repair job or a replacement, before anyone travels.
The office team speak to every customer before an engineer is booked, and the engineer who attends is the one who writes the report.
Seven days a week, 7am to 9pm
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