This is honestly one of the better DIY lead replacement videos, and I have seen a lot. Regulations followed and no shortcuts or compromises made. I also have a United Utilities supplied waste and water services.
I have been doing plumbing for over 40 years, you did a very nice job. Great that you point out to use the clutch when drilling. I had one spin on me when drilling a 3" hole. Thought I broke my wrist, but just one finger which required surgery and six pins to hold it together while it healed. So like you said USE THE CLUTCH!
Hello I wanted to say a massive thank you. I needed my lead pipes replaced and in jan 2023 in Merseyside I got quotes of £1800 that included me digging the trenches. Your video has given me the confidence and showed me things I hadn’t considered like the mdpe pipe inserts what type of insulation and how to fit the ducting through the wall. My local water utility sent me a very well presented pack on how to do it myself but your video gave me the practical down to earth demonstration. Cheers I owe you a pint.
Thank you, I'm glad it's helped. It was the first time I've done it and it really was straight forward. Took longer to do it than getting someone in to do it but very satisfying when they came and connected the new mains up with no leaks.
The only thing I would do differently is run a 22mm pipe from the stop tap to your utilities and tee off the 22mm to 15mm for the connection to taps etc. You will have better flow when someone else is running a bath, shower or other taps in the house.
@@LCWDIY thank you again. Did you have any guidelines for insulation thickness or type. I have heard people recommend armaflex and see that you used quite thick insulation shells. I have been ruminating on ducting. My local suppliers are charging £48 for 1.5m of ribbed ducting but 6m of twin wall 110m blue twin wall ducting is under £20 from Bolton. About thirty miles from me. The trip with petrol cost still works out loads cheaper.
I had no guidelines on what insulation to use but all work was inspected by United Utilities and passed their specs. They won't connect you up if you don't pass their inspection. I can't remember how much that insulation cost me but it wasn't expensive and I used some of it to insulate the copper pipe on our outside tap which has never frozen so think it does the job very well.
I had my pipe work successfully signed off by united utilities a few days ago all thanks to LCWDIY. Your last tip was the icing on the cake and I used 22m for my main house pipes, only going to 15mm on the Spurs. Speedfit do a special connection of mdpe to copper22mm pipe for A 22 x 22 stopcock as I wasn’t sure if the mdpe could fit straight into a mdpe 25mmx 22mm stopcock. My issue was I could still spin the stopcock despite me twisting the compression nut as much as I could. Oh and what a relief to find the pipe went under my foundations so no 117mm diamond core drill was needed. The pipe needs 28mm thick insulation once inside the void below floorboards - about £9 for 2 metres not the stuff from b&q for £3. I secured it with zip ties. Again LCWDIY I owe you a pint you saved me £1800 . It took me about two days and it’s a better job with better quality than the wiaps approved plumber was willing to do. CHEERS! ! !
As all others have said you did an excellent job well done . I’m an old retired plumber and should have done my own years back at 78 don’t fancy the graft .
I had a lead main water pipe leak which Thames Water fixed by laying new plastic pipe under concrete drive from their stop cock outside my boundary wall into a new stop cock which they positioned by the front door..about 8 meters for FREE ... about 6 months later water usage was very high so they came out again to check for leak which they determined was between their new stop cock by the front of the house and the original stop cock at the back of the house. So my insurance company have agreed to rectify this ..will update this when its done hopefully in next few weeks. House is 1950 on solid base. So it's worth talking to your water board and insurance company before you start getting the digging gear out! Might be different in other parts of the country. This guy did a great job.
Just to aid anyone carrying out this work: I carried out all steps as shown in this video. United Utilities gave go ahead for me to fill in trench after inspection. The rubber reducer seal at each end of the duct lets the pipe fit real snug if you stamp a hole in the rubber (rather than cutting a cross) using a 15mm sharpened copper pipe. This makes a great seal when the 25mm pipe is passed through the hole. Key points checked at inspection were : Correct depth of trench, Pipe laid in bed of sand/soft material, Pipe ducted as specified in instructions, Pipe insulated in duct (I used 28mm core with 13mm wall thickness ,closed cell as found in most DIY stores) . Duct reducer ends sealed (I used same as in video). Some you tube videos for other water companies use Wiska gel or similar with wire mesh etc between the duct end and insulation as a vermin deterrent. I asked about this and the person inspecting my work said that just the end reducer on the duct was sufficient. The instructions from United Utilities are pretty straight forward but insulation and duct sealing method is a bit vague. If you carry out the work as Lee shows in his video you can't go wrong at least as far as this particular water company is concerned it seems. Hope this added input helps others who carry out this work.
In Atlanta, Ga. I would charge $3,800.00 for that work easily. You did a great job and should be commended. It was great seeing a man determined to do the hard work AND do the work well. Bravo!!!!! I also loved the extra comment regarding buying the post hole diggers and using them for a future fence project.
This is a great vid. I actually need to do this and it is very helpful. Thanks for taking the time to document your excellent work and posting it for others to see and learn from 👍
Just about to do that job mate and was unsure of what method to close off the 110mm ducting. Rubber ends look exactly right. Like you I have United Utilities and they don't specify method of sealing the pipe. Easily the most comprehensive and easy to follow video on the subject on this platform. Great...Thanks and well done.
Was further driven to get on with this job after watching this great video. Currently I'm digging a trench About 6 metres across front garden. I've already core drilled through three layers of brick at front of house. I've run 110mm blue flexible twin wall ducting in the void under the living room floor and then core drilled the underfloor kitchen wall. The ducting then comes up into the concrete kitchen floor through another core drilled hole. I think I should be ok with that as United Utilities don't specify any particular ducting. By far, the hardest part is digging down into rock hard clay. Even though I was expecting the rough location of the gas pipe, I still winged it with the spade as it was encased in the clay. As a precaution, I called the gas people out to check it was ok....It was. I highly recommend doing an online search for the "known" position of underground pipes, cables, drains, at your property. Proceed with caution especially in heavy clay. The temptation is there to dig in hard to make headway. It would be a shame if all the hard graft and saving is rewarded with a whopping repair bill.
Yes always proceed with caution. I knew where my gas pipe would run as I could see where it came out of the house and located the gas cover on the pavement outside and could figure out it was a straight run to the front of the house.
I replaced my old shared lead main about 18 months ago. Was serving my neighbours and my address. Had to cap it off in my neighbours garden. My trench was about 18m long and mostly 900mm deep and ducted with insulation. Had to be 100mm below the sewer and ducted were it went under. Took ages to dig as was witing for plumbers that let me down so I did the job myself. Had to core drill through the kitchen concrete floor for the duct and pipe / insulation to go through. House is 1950s 600mm foundations so both the lead pipe and my new mdpe pipe was under. Cost me about £200 to do it myself. A severn trent water guy said he would charge £1000 private job. A contractor that would of miles it wanted £100 per meter so about £1800.
Hi, Great video, really useful info’ for us house renovators. Can I ask what elbow you used in the 110mm ‘drain’ pipe through the wall/foundations, was it just a standard 90 degree? The reason I ask is I thought the blue water pipe was quite stiff and had a minimum bend radii that would prevent going through a tight bend?. TIA
Hi, yes it was a standard 90 degree bend. It was a bit stiff to push though but went in ok. I pushed it through the bend without the upstand pipe on, which made it easier, then added the upstand pipe under the floor afterwards. I hope this helps.
You could use a Blue 4" Naylor Perforated Twinwall Utility Ducting pipe. They come in 6 metre or 50 metre coils. iirc the inner diameter is 94mm but they accomodate the same 110mm rubber waste reducing end caps used in this video.
I've just had mine passed. Inspector didn't use a depth stick, I guess he was old and experienced enough to eye ball the trench and see it met minimum requirements with the grit sand bed. He did however check and take pics of the soil pipe entering the house was lagged and the correct blanking cap used, there was a mechanical stop end installed, sufficient pipe was left under the boundary wall and that a stopcock and drain off was installed in the house. Took no more than 5 mins and he said I can backfill the trench but advised leave some room for the installers should they need to push the pipe from the boundary wall. Now I have to wait upto 16 wait weeks for them to connect. How long did it take for them to connect it for you @lcw diy ? As for quotes, the cheapest I had from an approved WIAPS watersafe installer was £940 inc VAT for moling which isn't a bad price tbh. Others were around 1000-1200. Even if you factor in the cost of the tools: Trench spade, mattock, sds drill, core 117mm core drill, 8X4 metre tarps (because of Manchester rain) and materials for the job 25kg grit sand bags, concrete, 25mm 25metre mdpe pipe, 2X 110mm End cap reducers, 25mm clips, twinwall or soil pipe with a 90 degree elbow, 25mm pipe inserts, stopcock, waterproof gaffer tape, drain valve, lagging it will come in less than the £550 grant you receive, leaving you quids in and even more if you already have the tools. P.S I recommend people attempting this use a good heavy 5lb + mattack and the correct shape spade for digging as compacted soil and clay is easier to slice through and dig out. Also be careful around other utilities (gas, electric and waste) you can always find out from your council house plans where these services are laid and they will beburried higher than your current lead pipe so you will encounter them first if it's within your new pipe's path. Also mix up and throw some cement around the where the soil pipe enters the house from the outside and inside, this will stop any water ingress from entering your house as the 117mm core hole will leave a small gap around your 110mm soil pipe or Twinwall duct. See pics: imgur.com/a/2g20KLy
That's great news and thanks for all the extra info on prices and tips etc. it will help other people greatly. I think it took UU a couple of weeks to come and connect mine to the mains.
@@LCWDIY I received a text from UU with a link that redirects me to their VYNN system. I had to take a short video so the construction team can visit my site to complete their work, they needed to see if it was clear and ready for our connection works, no scafolding or skips blocking the connection area.
When core drilling you can only cut dry if what you're cutting is bone dry. I tried to do a 120mm dry cut through 2x deep of engineering bricks dry and it took 3 hours or so because the bricks were damp. The next hole I had to do 1m to the side I misted the core drill with the garden hose and cut the same hole depth of hole through same bricks in 40 minutes
Great job. The blue pipe entry point in my house Has no bungs on the end or insulation. It was installed about 15 years ago by previous owner. When it rains hard, water seeps in via the plastic pipe under my suspended floor. Any ideas on a solution ?
I'm only a diy'er so not sure how to solve that problem without digging it up and putting a bung on the ends. Regulations were probably a lot different 15 years ago
Hello Lee, my lead pipe seems to be leaking in my front garden [ hopefully ] water company inspector came round and agreed to replace old lead pipe from pavement main cock to about 2 meter in front of my front door, Could you please advice me why you did not use 32mm MDPE Pipe? I need to decide to choose should I use 25mm or 32MM. Thanks. P. J. April 2024
Under the lead replacement scheme (depending on your utility provider) they will only replace like for like. So in United Utilities case it's replacing 7lb 1" lead pipes to 25mm MDPE. In the information packs United Utility send it states this. Also when I gave them a call enquiring if I could run 32mm to a 25mm pipe at the boundary end using a reducer valve they said it's not allowed and only 32mm would be considered if you have a large domicile with 5-6 bathrooms. However, If you are doing a new connection (not the lead replacement grant), I see no reason why you can't use 32mm with a 25mm reducer at the boundary so they can connect it to the common or shared water supply. 32mm MDPE is a monster size and the cost will increase when you factor in different lagging sizes, pipe liners, clips, reducer valves, 32mm Philmac (or whatever brand you prefer) stopcock to whatever size pipes are in the house conversion attachments, but if that isn't an issue and you have the space to accomodate the internal fittings then you will definitely notice a difference in flow rate and future proof yourself. HTH
This was done 4 years ago and done to the local regs. Like I say in the video you need to check with your local water supplier and do the work to the regs. They will not sign off the work and connect you to their mains supply unless all work is done to their specifications.
The Instructions I received from water utility following my recent application only required the stop cock and drain valve no mention of the double check valve.
Great video, even though im a plumber by trade I have never attempted putting in a new main pipe in. Wanted to ask is there a maximum size mdpe pipe you can use. Also I'm assuming you cant dig up payment, does the water board make the final connection as long as you leave pipe long enough?
I think local water companies differ with the max size of pipe, you would need to check with them. They also come and do the final connection digging up the path etc. You just get the pipe as close as you can to the main connector.
That's correct you can't dig up the pavement as that falls under the councils duristriction or service providers. If you dig up the pavement and someone gets injured because of the hole left then you would be in trouble.
Hi mate , my 1939 property is still all lead and and measures 10 meters from stop cock on path to house, as a BIG DIY bloke was thinking this job was a bit to much for me but after seeing your video I'm definitely gonna do it my self , thanks for the video keep up the good work.
Personal advice, dig the trench yourselves. This man is right. I am currently dealing with a new water connection, and fuck me.... £3000 and also failed the Water Safety check. The trench wasn't deep enough, and the pipe insulation wasn't great. It was disgusting..... I am super unhappy with how much money I threw on people doing the work for me. I started with needing a pipe plugged through, and ended up with a crap. And nowhere near finish already 3 days. NEVER doing anything through engineers ever again.
It was a tiring job, especially in the heat wave we had in the summer. 750mm is a very deep trench when you dig it and there is a lot more earth dug out that you first think.
Great job. Hard work that. Also did your local water company not specify close foam insulation rather that your regular bylaws insulation. Also double check before after stop tap before the drain off. Severn Trent here want the close foam stuff used in HVAC etc.
Thanks. I followed the regulations to the letter. United utilities check everything and won't sign it off unless it's done to their specs. It could of changed now as this was done in June 2018 but at the time it didn't require close foam. Everything inside has worked perfect and not a single leak anywhere.
Hi, I’ve finally got round to digging my trench and digging the hole inside my house. I’m now at the point where I need core through the brick work. I just wondered how thick your wall was? At the required depth on mine, it has an extra skin of bricks as a footing. I have the same erbauer core bit as you used. Just trying to decide if this will get through three layers of brick. Will I be able to clear the core bit after each layer of brick?
Where I came into the house it was just above that bottom course of bricks so I just had 300mm to go through. 100mm of outer bricks then the mess in the 100mm cavity and another 100mm of brick. Start with the small arbour on the core bit then as you get further in change to the long arbour. Is will easily get through that length if you have the same core set as me. And yes keep clearing out the brick that gets in the core bit as you work your way through. Good luck with it all.
Did United Utilities do a pre check or just tell you to crack on and contact them when you are ready to be connected? I haven't done the work yet but they seem pretty efficient when I've had to deal with them. Can you tell me how deep sand to lay blue pipe on and did you layer sand on top of pipe and to what depth. Would appreciate reply...Thanks.
Hi UU didn't do any pre checks but they checked all the work was to their specs before connecting me up to the moans supply. I only paid an inch or 2 of sand below and above the pipe. It's just enough to stop any stones squashing or puncturing the pipe under the weight of soil. I didn't have very stoney soil though but if you do I would really go at least 2 inches of sand above and below.
I aske the case manager lots of questions in the end she offered me a pre inspection. So I met and inspected sounded out my ideas and got advice from them then passed the inspection. They want you to pass but also want you to do it To the right standard. It cost me less than 250 but that included having to buy a 25m x 22mm pipe for 100 .
This is great and inspirational video! Apart from saving money there is something very earthy and rewarding about doing it yourself. Modern life has papered us whereas if we dig deep (no pun intended) we are all capable. Good honest hard work and commitment. Well done.
Mine wil fit it for free , gave me lots of instructions and safety forms if I chose to do the pipe myself. some utilities will also offer grants if you qualify for the lead pipe replacement scheme.
I replaced our lead main it was very tough weeks work . But on plus side saved about 2k on pro rates. Wish I saw video before I started. But did everything you did sand bed soil pipe through wall etc.
Yes the cost of parts is under £50. See the comment above where they were quoted £3000! So definitely a money saver, not an easy job but quite simple really.
Had a leak on my water supply pipe and insurance company have replaced it for an excess of £200. As the connection was lead in the pavement the water company have replaced that for free 😁. Always worth checking with home insurance.
@@LCWDIYhi, thanks for replying to me. Iv got another question for ya pal🙄 Can the soil pipe be extend outside to the boundary of your wall if you wanted to, rather be close to your house as you've done for yourself?
@@moeenahmed6853 Yes it can but if you are extending soil pipe to the boundary wall then there is another set of regulations to follow. If the duct isn't blue then it must be cleared of any identifiers (like gas/electric) and then the duct must have a blue water utilities tape wrapped around it so that it is identifiable as a water supply pipe. I'm not sure if tracer wire is also required also, but best checking your information pack when you replace your lead pipe.
Thank you. You need to ask your water supplier to connect you to the mains. They will want to inspect your work and make sure it's to their regulations or they won't connect you. When I did mine I was with United utilities and they connected to the mains for free but I think some water companies do charge, so you need to look at your local water supplied for regs and inform them of the work.
Do i have to have the pipe sticking up outside my garden wall or just read to push through when they come to connect?? Great video mate keep up the good work
You normally leave the pipe where your boundary ends. If I leave mine outside some chav would probably slice it for a joke. In United Utilities regulations they state: - Pipe at the boundary - Walls tunnelled under - 2m of pipe coiled at boundary So for example my boundary ends at a brick wall which is 30cm in length. I just used my core drill at the bottom of the 750cm depth trench and made a 50cm long hole for the pipe to feed through (I used the same 117mm core drill bit used for the house entry). It was easier than drilling through brick as I had to just go through soil and clay, a bit of water on the core drill made the job much easier to bore through. Therefore I cleared my wall and when the inspector passes your work they normally say lwhen backfilling the trench eave about 1 metre at the boundary end for the lads to work and feed the pipe through and when everything is connected at the mains just fill the remaining trench.
Hi Lee.... Now dug out and ducted. Could you let me know what you used as a sealant for the gap between the rubber reducer and the pipe. United Utilities are vague in their instructions. The best I can com up with is Wiska Gel and that costs tons and still not sure if it will be acceptable. Are you able to tell me what you used? Would be very grateful for a reply.
Hi, I didn't use any sealant. The cross I cut in the rubber bung was small enough to make a good enough seal around the pipe. I don't remember anything from United utilities saying about it being sealed tight. I think it's just to stop larger bugs/animals living in the pipe and the rubber bung should be enough.
@@LCWDIY Thanks Lee for reply. UU state "duct has to be water/airtight . Some plumbers use sand cement but pipe has to be protected. Any sealant such as silicon type needed to be not petrol based and not damaging to pipe. Consult manufactured of pipe or sealant you want to use in advance". They also say " plastic duct end with appropriate grommet, if available, may be preferable" . I've seen various posts on net re this. Nearest I've seen is rubber reducer you used and one guy using wiska gel to close that small gap. I know I'm over thinking it but I'm allowing for a pedantic inspection. Seems you had a plumber (or you are) to send off the pictures as they state it must be an approved plumber sending in pics. They will come out to inspect mine as I'm doing it DIY. Anyway... Thanks again for your time , it's appreciated.
I used a flexible end cap £10:from Toolstation it was the only one that fitted the twin wall ducting I used. Screwfix had a 110 mm end cap for £5 if you are just using 110mm pipe for ducting.
Good job, but did you put your potable water pipe underneath your sewer pipe? That would be against code in the states since water /sewage flows down in the case of leaks
If I was younger ,I having seen your video might have had a go . My water pipe goes under my shed extension (brick) 5yr old ,so need the channel tunnels drill ! or something smaller or jusr spoil the floor . Then concrete yard where it splits into two ,one kitchen one outside loo. I will just have to leave it and die of lead poisoning but then I've been here 30 old yrs .
Hi mine was easy to avoid pipes. Just look at where you gas and electrics come into you house and you can usually trace them to an access point on the path or street outside your property. That will give you an idea of which way they go and they are usually in a straight line. Just don't go made digging and you shouldn't do any damage. I had a big waste pipe that I didn't know was there.
@@LCWDIY thanks for your reply. Yea our gas and water both roughly come in under the raised concrete front door step so I’m worried about taking an angle grinder to it.
Thanks for sharing I am considering replacing my 1920 old house water pipe. It seems your pipe is only 1/2 inches? I think the main should be 3/4 or 1 inch?
It all depends on your local regulations. I followed my local regs and it had to be at least 750mm (75cm). So it is less than 1 meter but not sure what you mean from footings? As long as you follow the regs you get from the local water supplier it'll be fine. All the work has to be signed off by them so if you do it wrong they won't connect you to the mains until it's done to the regs.
I didn't use a trace wire as the pipe run is quite obvious and it wasn't a requirement by the water company. As you can see in the video I found the lead pipe by guessing where it would be. If I did it again though I would put a trace wire on the pipe. Glad you liked the video 😀
Hello, great video. I am replacing my water supply pipe at the moment. My foundations are similar to yours. I was going to core drill through to the lowest point of the void under the floor which is all concrete. I hadn't considered digging down lower inside the house although it would be preferable after seeing your video. Was there a reason you did this and was it just soil or concrete under the floor? Thanks.
Thanks I'm glad you liked the video and decided to do it yourself. It will save you a fortune. Luckily I just have soil under the floorboards. The reason I came in that deep was because my water companies regulations (United Utilities) are the mains pipe needs to be 750mm deep. I had to do it by their regulations as they have to sign the work off before they will connect your new pipe up. Hope this helps 👍
@@LCWDIY pretty sure those are fairly universal depth in England, as Bristol water told me it needed to be 750mm under the ground and through foundation in a pipe, 160mm pipe was recommended for 32mm pipe and 110mm was minimum for 25mm (25mm is minimum pipe size for new connection/lead/iron replacement. They also said, a long 90° rather than a sharp 90° was a good idea, and needed 13mm lagging for 32mm pipe (or 19mm for 25mm pipe) if it was not coming up 750mm from inside the property foundation. And plugs plus insulation, at the boundary as a minimum. Thanks for adding to my body of research, hope to do it soon, but apparently they are a bit behind due to Covid.
Hi, super vid. Any advice on how to join up the end of a lead water supply pipe to blue alkathene? Know it's not recommended practice but need to know. Should the blue alkathene and the joined lead pipe be insulated just outside our 79-year old cottage, or can we get away with no insulation? My Groundsman just did a similar job to yourself, but I am a bit worried ...Thanks.
The way I had to do it was bring the new supply into the house and connect it to a 25mm to 15mm stop tap. I then ran some 15mm pipe from the stop tap and joined it to the internal lead pipes with a 'lead loc 'www.screwfix.com/p/reducing-coupler-fitting-15mm-x-22mm/68500 or there is a 28mm to 22mm www.screwfix.com/p/reducing-coupler-fitting-28mm-x-22mm/47096. It can be fiddly as you need to shave some of the lead pipe off with a knife by scrapping a blade along it, until it fits the lead pipe tightly. I don't think it's possible to go straight from the mdpe pipe into lead. If the mdpe pipe is outside the house you need to check your local regs, I had to bury my mpde pipe to 750mm and where it runs in to the house put it through the 110mm soil pipe and insulated inside that. It's buried that deep and insulated to protect it from frost and freezing which could then make it burst! Hope that helps. Thanks for liking the video.
Evening, i work for a utility company in london and you can connect lead services to mdpe, hundreds of lads do it every day. You need a plasson gripper, measure your lead pipe to see what size you need with a 25mm mdpe connection on one side. We dont insulate mdpe just cover it in a layer of shingle. Of course this can vary depending on client/ contract
@@matthewiles2660 Hi Matthew, many thanks for the info. The person who came out to supposedly fix it all - he smashed an external house drain to let out all the flooded water (instead of pumping it out). He put a small white plastic waste pipe from the kitchen sink drainage into a large plastic 15cm terracotta pipe (to make up for the genuine terracotta soil pipe he smashed). He didn't seal the two pipes with anything. Same for our barn waste pipes. He did exactly the same. He covered it all in type 1. We now have a sewage smell ... Likely type 1 stones all blocking the pipe now. Paying these idiot cowboys 4-figure sums and they are that greedy, it's never enough for them and they just don't care. The tarmac is now all sealed over on top of the unsealed pipes .... Thanks for your comment.
@@matthewiles2660 Sure did. He was meant to do the tarmaccing too, but he ran off with the money beforehand. Never again. CLM Paving of Cumnock, Ayrshire is the cowboy. Also, don't ever get him to do any fencing or groundswork. Job left incomplete and fraudulent invoice created to extort additional 3-figure sum out of me!!!! Consulting with lawyers now ... Thanks again for your comments.
Thank you. Yes some water suppliers do ask for a double check valve and I will be adding one to mine at some point (although it wasn't required at the time). It's very easy to add one in, it's just to stop any water from flowing from your house back into the water supply. Good luck with it all.
Great video Lee. I had a guy mole a 32mm new water main into my house from the stopcock in the front garden, that was around £500 including connecting it. Although I did supply the pipe. I see the internal valve your using is 15mm have you thought about running 22mm off your MDPE as that will give you a better flow if you use a pressurised water tank or combi boiler in the future.
Yeah keep it 22 if you can because the cold taps, toilets etc all pull off that pipe along with the boiler it makes a huge difference maintaing the pressure.
I had 2 water pressure tests done by water board and told its likely the okd lead pipe leading to my house that is the likely issue as I should have over 30 bar but inside running at about half that .......i was told it would cost us best 0art of a grand our stop cock us by front door the mains source is if I remember rightly just in front of our boundary wall on 0ath we have a concrete drive though im a bricky and should be confident I know how messy it couod be etc
Yes it's hard work and messy especially if it's running under a concrete drive. But hard work costs nothing and you'll save a lot doing it yourself. Good luck if you embark on that journey but it is very simple.
the guy knows what hes doing .I changed the mains at my house..because I had a leak under the foundation ..got lucky found the manifold or the main inside the house almost like finding a needle in a haystack .rather than go through the kitchen floor which is where the leak was ..and repair..i said hell ..noo never again three months of high water bills two thousand one month they started small ..any way I rerouted the main around the house through the wall and connected to the manifold in the house nothing is buried any more all above ..so if there is a leak I will see it ..I did myself saved much needed dollars for sure ..some plumbers or even me ..a job like that in the thousands for sure ..and I don't mean a couple either
how did you get the core bit all the way through didn't look long enough? and also do you have to use a core bit that big thought half that size would be ample?
The core bit only cuts at the tip and the brick goes inside it. You have to stop and empty it every now and again, although it would fit a whole brick width in it. The hole has to be that size as my local regs say the mdpe pipe has to go inside the 110mm waste pipe. The way I've done it is exactly how my local water company specified. They have to sign it off so you need to do exactly as they say or they won't sign it off and they won't connect you to the mains outside the property.
Couple of points: 1) When you got close to the pavement you didn't dig under the hedge, right to the property line. Did you dig that later - until you reached the water company's stop cock, ready to feed the MDPE through (because I can't imagine the water company digging the last foot or so without a hefty charge)? 2) When you cut the pipe at the road end, you said to leave twice as much pipe as was needed (rather than cut it too short). So if the water company connected the MDPE to their mains supply as you'd left it, there could have been more MDPE than was needed. How did you lose the excess? You can't really coil a couple of foot of pipe up and poke it in the trench.
1, In the water companies instruction (United Utilities) it said I only needed to dig to within 1 metre of the mains connection. I did go a bit further under the hedge but half way was the old brick access chamber and stop tap, which they had connected to from the pavement. But they did dig the last foot (for free) from the pavement side as I was within their required 1 metre. 2, The water company cut the pipe to the right length before connecting it up to the mains.
@@LCWDIY Many thanks for your quick reply. Now I've just got to hope that when I do it, Thames Water don't decide they want to fit a water meter at the same time.
You are welcome. There was already a water meter on ours and living here for nearly a year now our water bill has been a lot cheaper than when we was living down there with Thames Water and without a meter. Glad the video has helped you :)
Hello ! What water board did you have to submit the photos to ? I have spoke to Affinity regarding my new connection and they are saying that the trench has to be 750mm to 850mm deep but 1m wide!? I can see there being any reason for it to be that wide. Just wondered what the specifications you were told 😊
We are supplied by United Utilities. Yes the trench has to be 750mm or more deep but it makes no sense why it would have to be 1m wide! There were no specs on how wide it had to be for mine. I've seen other people use a trench spade for their trench which is only about 150mm wide. You only need a 25mm pipe to go in there after all. And the water board dig there own hole outside to connect you up.
LCW DIY Thank you very much. Yeh I have questioned it with them as it just seems silly. I have heard that some water boards will connect it outside for free? If you don’t mind me asking did you have to pay United utilities to connect it as Affinity are asking me for £2.5K just to connect it outside
Hi, no I didn't pay it was free. I just had to get my trench within 1m of the connection point and they came and dug up the path to connect it. Obviously you can see from the video I got it about 500mm from the connection point so it didn't take them long to get it all done, maybe an hour or 2.
It is a cavity wall so was about 300mm deep to get through both rows of bricks and took a while. The cutter set I used has different lengths of arbours so started with a short one and used the longer one when I got to the 2nd row of bricks.
It's only for going through the wall and into the house so it doesn't matter. It all has to be checked off by the water company so if it's wrong they won't connect you.
Hi, I got mine from screwfix. www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-110mm/51416?tc=VB2&ds_kid=92700055281954505&ds_rl=1249404&gclid=CjwKCAiAgJWABhArEiwAmNVTB2XI7yxsZ3tf6dDarqi58CRJVqxcKaWE0jNzxm01tNjIopUGL6iOERoCcxwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Nice work... So with regards to how much it would cost.. I once took £800 for a fraction of that distance you dug out... And I was told that was half what the utility company was gonna charge... It is a relatively straightforward job, ha, if ya don't mind digging, but I just paid someone to do that for me. Haha happy days.. Good effort 👍
As you see in the video I dug to 750mm and the bottom bricks you see are probably the ones sat on the foundations. So I would guess the top of the foundations are at 800-850mm deep.
It's all about saving money. The SDS drill used was perfectly adequate, it has bored many holes in 10 to 20 mins through cavity walls. Yes the disc cutter was way too small but at the time I didn't know the path was so thick.
But it's about saving money and using tools you have. Yes a trench digger would have been nice and easy. But a lot of people out there haven't got that kind of money to spare. So it might take a bit longer but anyone can really change their lead pipes very cheaply.
Oh no, I'm not saying that everyone has to dig the trench themselves. Obviously they can chose how to get the trench done themselves. I'm just trying to show how it can be done by yourself for virtually no cost.
@@LCWDIY Best check water regs 1999 mate. Double check valve after stopcock. Good practice to fit anyway if it wasn't requirement. Guess protecting public water supply aint important...
I'm swapping the 15mm over to 22mm soon so will be adding a double check valve then. If it was in the regulations then I'm not sure why united utilities would come and passed the work if it was a requirement.
If you have a dig safe plan that shows where your other utilities are located like gas, electric, sewage lines then yes it would make it easier but adds to the cost. An insured mini digger with driver is around £350-500 a day. Obviously you can get them cheaper but they are normally not insured and if they bust through a utility line then you have to bear the cost to getting it fixed.
united utilities have a grant for replacing lead pipes, they will pay up to £550 of the cost it takes you to replace the lead pipe with your boundaries.
WOW! That's a lot of money for a relatively simple job. The cost of a 25m length of pipe is under £20 and a stop tap is only £10. How long was the trench they needed to dig?
5ft by 5ft hole in front of house then the same and rear of house then told me using a mole to get 25mm pipe under house mid Terrance house built in 1900 ..... mine stop cock is on end of block of 5 houses and I'm the last on the run = low pressure half of bar sometimes been nagging Severn Trent about it for the last 5 years
This is honestly one of the better DIY lead replacement videos, and I have seen a lot. Regulations followed and no shortcuts or compromises made. I also have a United Utilities supplied waste and water services.
I have been doing plumbing for over 40 years, you did a very nice job. Great that you point out to use the clutch when drilling. I had one spin on me when drilling a 3" hole. Thought I broke my wrist, but just one finger which required surgery and six pins to hold it together while it healed. So like you said USE THE CLUTCH!
Thank you for the kind words. 👍
Hello I wanted to say a massive thank you. I needed my lead pipes replaced and in jan 2023 in Merseyside I got quotes of £1800 that included me digging the trenches. Your video has given me the confidence and showed me things I hadn’t considered like the mdpe pipe inserts what type of insulation and how to fit the ducting through the wall.
My local water utility sent me a very well presented pack on how to do it myself but your video gave me the practical down to earth demonstration. Cheers I owe you a pint.
Thank you, I'm glad it's helped. It was the first time I've done it and it really was straight forward. Took longer to do it than getting someone in to do it but very satisfying when they came and connected the new mains up with no leaks.
The only thing I would do differently is run a 22mm pipe from the stop tap to your utilities and tee off the 22mm to 15mm for the connection to taps etc. You will have better flow when someone else is running a bath, shower or other taps in the house.
@@LCWDIY thank you again. Did you have any guidelines for insulation thickness or type. I have heard people recommend armaflex and see that you used quite thick insulation shells. I have been ruminating on ducting. My local suppliers are charging £48 for 1.5m of ribbed ducting but 6m of twin wall 110m blue twin wall ducting is under £20 from Bolton. About thirty miles from me. The trip with petrol cost still works out loads cheaper.
I had no guidelines on what insulation to use but all work was inspected by United Utilities and passed their specs. They won't connect you up if you don't pass their inspection. I can't remember how much that insulation cost me but it wasn't expensive and I used some of it to insulate the copper pipe on our outside tap which has never frozen so think it does the job very well.
I had my pipe work successfully signed off by united utilities a few days ago all thanks to LCWDIY. Your last tip was the icing on the cake and I used 22m for my main house pipes, only going to 15mm on the Spurs. Speedfit do a special connection of mdpe to copper22mm pipe for A 22 x 22 stopcock as I wasn’t sure if the mdpe could fit straight into a mdpe 25mmx 22mm stopcock. My issue was I could still spin the stopcock despite me twisting the compression nut as much as I could. Oh and what a relief to find the pipe went under my foundations so no 117mm diamond core drill was needed. The pipe needs 28mm thick insulation once inside the void below floorboards - about £9 for 2 metres not the stuff from b&q for £3. I secured it with zip ties. Again LCWDIY I owe you a pint you saved me £1800 . It took me about two days and it’s a better job with better quality than the wiaps approved plumber was willing to do. CHEERS! ! !
As all others have said you did an excellent job well done . I’m an old retired plumber and should have done my own years back at 78 don’t fancy the graft .
I had a lead main water pipe leak which Thames Water fixed by laying new plastic pipe under concrete drive from their stop cock outside my boundary wall into a new stop cock which they positioned by the front door..about 8 meters for FREE ... about 6 months later water usage was very high so they came out again to check for leak which they determined was between their new stop cock by the front of the house and the original stop cock at the back of the house. So my insurance company have agreed to rectify this ..will update this when its done hopefully in next few weeks. House is 1950 on solid base.
So it's worth talking to your water board and insurance company before you start getting the digging gear out! Might be different in other parts of the country.
This guy did a great job.
Just to aid anyone carrying out this work: I carried out all steps as shown in this video. United Utilities gave go ahead for me to fill in trench after inspection. The rubber reducer seal at each end of the duct lets the pipe fit real snug if you stamp a hole in the rubber (rather than cutting a cross) using a 15mm sharpened copper pipe. This makes a great seal when the 25mm pipe is passed through the hole. Key points checked at inspection were
: Correct depth of trench, Pipe laid in bed of sand/soft material, Pipe ducted as specified in instructions, Pipe insulated in duct (I used 28mm core with 13mm wall thickness ,closed cell as found in most DIY stores) . Duct reducer ends sealed (I used same as in video). Some you tube videos for other water companies use Wiska gel or similar with wire mesh etc between the duct end and insulation as a vermin deterrent. I asked about this and the person inspecting my work said that just the end reducer on the duct was sufficient. The instructions from United Utilities are pretty straight forward but insulation and duct sealing method is a bit vague. If you carry out the work as Lee shows in his video you can't go wrong at least as far as this particular water company is concerned it seems. Hope this added input helps others who carry out this work.
Great tips thanks.
In Atlanta, Ga. I would charge $3,800.00 for that work easily. You did a great job and should be commended. It was great seeing a man determined to do the hard work AND do the work well. Bravo!!!!! I also loved the extra comment regarding buying the post hole diggers and using them for a future fence project.
I’m just doing the same job replacing old lead pipes….this was a great help, very informative….you did a smashing job.
Thank you. I'm glad it was useful.
Professional job young man (from old plumber)! Great video.
Thank you very much.
This is a great vid.
I actually need to do this and it is very helpful.
Thanks for taking the time to document your excellent work and posting it for others to see and learn from 👍
Thank you and good luck. The digging is the hardest part.
Just about to do that job mate and was unsure of what method to close off the 110mm ducting. Rubber ends look exactly right. Like you I have United Utilities and they don't specify method of sealing the pipe. Easily the most comprehensive and easy to follow video on the subject on this platform. Great...Thanks and well done.
Thanks I'm glad you found the video helpful.
Inspector said seal was to prevent vermin entering. I used a rubber seal each end from Toolstation.
I work for a water company in Pittsburg you did a great job 💪🏻 with no machines awesome
Thank you
Was further driven to get on with this job after watching this great video. Currently I'm digging a trench About 6 metres across front garden. I've already core drilled through three layers of brick at front of house. I've run 110mm blue flexible twin wall ducting in the void under the living room floor and then core drilled the underfloor kitchen wall. The ducting then comes up into the concrete kitchen floor through another core drilled hole. I think I should be ok with that as United Utilities don't specify any particular ducting. By far, the hardest part is digging down into rock hard clay. Even though I was expecting the rough location of the gas pipe, I still winged it with the spade as it was encased in the clay. As a precaution, I called the gas people out to check it was ok....It was. I highly recommend doing an online search for the "known" position of underground pipes, cables, drains, at your property. Proceed with caution especially in heavy clay. The temptation is there to dig in hard to make headway. It would be a shame if all the hard graft and saving is rewarded with a whopping repair bill.
Yes always proceed with caution. I knew where my gas pipe would run as I could see where it came out of the house and located the gas cover on the pavement outside and could figure out it was a straight run to the front of the house.
I replaced my old shared lead main about 18 months ago. Was serving my neighbours and my address. Had to cap it off in my neighbours garden. My trench was about 18m long and mostly 900mm deep and ducted with insulation. Had to be 100mm below the sewer and ducted were it went under. Took ages to dig as was witing for plumbers that let me down so I did the job myself. Had to core drill through the kitchen concrete floor for the duct and pipe / insulation to go through. House is 1950s 600mm foundations so both the lead pipe and my new mdpe pipe was under. Cost me about £200 to do it myself. A severn trent water guy said he would charge £1000 private job. A contractor that would of miles it wanted £100 per meter so about £1800.
Hi,
Great video, really useful info’ for us house renovators.
Can I ask what elbow you used in the 110mm ‘drain’ pipe through the wall/foundations, was it just a standard 90 degree?
The reason I ask is I thought the blue water pipe was quite stiff and had a minimum bend radii that would prevent going through a tight bend?.
TIA
Hi, yes it was a standard 90 degree bend. It was a bit stiff to push though but went in ok. I pushed it through the bend without the upstand pipe on, which made it easier, then added the upstand pipe under the floor afterwards. I hope this helps.
Great, that’s very useful to know as my Easter project is a new water pipe similar to yours, many thanks.
You could use a Blue 4" Naylor Perforated Twinwall Utility Ducting pipe. They come in 6 metre or 50 metre coils. iirc the inner diameter is 94mm but they accomodate the same 110mm rubber waste reducing end caps used in this video.
I've just had mine passed. Inspector didn't use a depth stick, I guess he was old and experienced enough to eye ball the trench and see it met minimum requirements with the grit sand bed. He did however check and take pics of the soil pipe entering the house was lagged and the correct blanking cap used, there was a mechanical stop end installed, sufficient pipe was left under the boundary wall and that a stopcock and drain off was installed in the house. Took no more than 5 mins and he said I can backfill the trench but advised leave some room for the installers should they need to push the pipe from the boundary wall. Now I have to wait upto 16 wait weeks for them to connect. How long did it take for them to connect it for you @lcw diy ?
As for quotes, the cheapest I had from an approved WIAPS watersafe installer was £940 inc VAT for moling which isn't a bad price tbh. Others were around 1000-1200. Even if you factor in the cost of the tools: Trench spade, mattock, sds drill, core 117mm core drill, 8X4 metre tarps (because of Manchester rain) and materials for the job 25kg grit sand bags, concrete, 25mm 25metre mdpe pipe, 2X 110mm End cap reducers, 25mm clips, twinwall or soil pipe with a 90 degree elbow, 25mm pipe inserts, stopcock, waterproof gaffer tape, drain valve, lagging it will come in less than the £550 grant you receive, leaving you quids in and even more if you already have the tools.
P.S I recommend people attempting this use a good heavy 5lb + mattack and the correct shape spade for digging as compacted soil and clay is easier to slice through and dig out. Also be careful around other utilities (gas, electric and waste) you can always find out from your council house plans where these services are laid and they will beburried higher than your current lead pipe so you will encounter them first if it's within your new pipe's path.
Also mix up and throw some cement around the where the soil pipe enters the house from the outside and inside, this will stop any water ingress from entering your house as the 117mm core hole will leave a small gap around your 110mm soil pipe or Twinwall duct. See pics: imgur.com/a/2g20KLy
That's great news and thanks for all the extra info on prices and tips etc. it will help other people greatly. I think it took UU a couple of weeks to come and connect mine to the mains.
@@LCWDIY I received a text from UU with a link that redirects me to their VYNN system. I had to take a short video so the construction team can visit my site to complete their work, they needed to see if it was clear and ready for our connection works, no scafolding or skips blocking the connection area.
Bloody good video. Helpful and shows that these jobs, although hard , are worthwhile and doable.
Thank you
When core drilling you can only cut dry if what you're cutting is bone dry. I tried to do a 120mm dry cut through 2x deep of engineering bricks dry and it took 3 hours or so because the bricks were damp. The next hole I had to do 1m to the side I misted the core drill with the garden hose and cut the same hole depth of hole through same bricks in 40 minutes
Thank you, That's a valuable piece of information. Will have to try that if I need to drill any more holes. 👍
Lots of hard work on this one but still, love the drive you showed. Your goal met, most satisfying.
Thank you
Mate you are my hero. I am going to do our house now have seen your video.
Great job.
The blue pipe entry point in my house Has no bungs on the end or insulation. It was installed about 15 years ago by previous owner. When it rains hard, water seeps in via the plastic pipe under my suspended floor.
Any ideas on a solution ?
I'm only a diy'er so not sure how to solve that problem without digging it up and putting a bung on the ends. Regulations were probably a lot different 15 years ago
Would’ve like to have seen how you got the mdpe round the bend in the soil pipe, did the blue pipe bend or did use an angle fitting for the blue pipe?
The mdpe pipe easily pushed through the pipe bend. 👍
Hello Lee,
my lead pipe seems to be leaking in my front garden [ hopefully ]
water company inspector came round and agreed to replace old lead pipe from pavement main cock to about 2 meter in front of my front door, Could you please advice me why you did not use 32mm MDPE Pipe?
I need to decide to choose should I use 25mm or 32MM.
Thanks. P. J. April 2024
I used that size as it was in the information pack I had sent to me from my water supplier (united utilities).
Under the lead replacement scheme (depending on your utility provider) they will only replace like for like. So in United Utilities case it's replacing 7lb 1" lead pipes to 25mm MDPE.
In the information packs United Utility send it states this. Also when I gave them a call enquiring if I could run 32mm to a 25mm pipe at the boundary end using a reducer valve they said it's not allowed and only 32mm would be considered if you have a large domicile with 5-6 bathrooms.
However, If you are doing a new connection (not the lead replacement grant), I see no reason why you can't use 32mm with a 25mm reducer at the boundary so they can connect it to the common or shared water supply.
32mm MDPE is a monster size and the cost will increase when you factor in different lagging sizes, pipe liners, clips, reducer valves, 32mm Philmac (or whatever brand you prefer) stopcock to whatever size pipes are in the house conversion attachments, but if that isn't an issue and you have the space to accomodate the internal fittings then you will definitely notice a difference in flow rate and future proof yourself.
HTH
I think to comply with water regs (in the UK anyway) a double check valve is required after the 15mm stop tap and before the drain cock.
This was done 4 years ago and done to the local regs. Like I say in the video you need to check with your local water supplier and do the work to the regs. They will not sign off the work and connect you to their mains supply unless all work is done to their specifications.
@@LCWDIY As far as I'm aware, Water Regulations must be complied with across the UK, regardless of local water authorities.
The Instructions I received from water utility following my recent application only required the stop cock and drain valve no mention of the double check valve.
I had a lot of comments about using a double check valve but there was no mention of it in the information from United Utilities
Mine passed this week no double check valve was mentioned in the literature or in the inspection.
Am doing this just now down my driveway and up into my house. You done a good job.
Good luck with it. It's hard work but will save you a ton of money.
Great video, even though im a plumber by trade I have never attempted putting in a new main pipe in. Wanted to ask is there a maximum size mdpe pipe you can use. Also I'm assuming you cant dig up payment, does the water board make the final connection as long as you leave pipe long enough?
I think local water companies differ with the max size of pipe, you would need to check with them. They also come and do the final connection digging up the path etc. You just get the pipe as close as you can to the main connector.
@@LCWDIY thank you!
That's correct you can't dig up the pavement as that falls under the councils duristriction or service providers. If you dig up the pavement and someone gets injured because of the hole left then you would be in trouble.
Hi mate , my 1939 property is still all lead and and measures 10 meters from stop cock on path to house, as a BIG DIY bloke was thinking this job was a bit to much for me but after seeing your video I'm definitely gonna do it my self , thanks for the video keep up the good work.
Thanks, good luck with it. It is hard graft but well worth it for the savings in money and the self pride.
Personal advice, dig the trench yourselves. This man is right.
I am currently dealing with a new water connection, and fuck me.... £3000 and also failed the Water Safety check.
The trench wasn't deep enough, and the pipe insulation wasn't great. It was disgusting.....
I am super unhappy with how much money I threw on people doing the work for me.
I started with needing a pipe plugged through, and ended up with a crap. And nowhere near finish already 3 days.
NEVER doing anything through engineers ever again.
Very nice job. I would have hired a digger. Knackered just watching you digging that lot out lol.
It was a tiring job, especially in the heat wave we had in the summer. 750mm is a very deep trench when you dig it and there is a lot more earth dug out that you first think.
Great job. Hard work that. Also did your local water company not specify close foam insulation rather that your regular bylaws insulation. Also double check before after stop tap before the drain off. Severn Trent here want the close foam stuff used in HVAC etc.
Thanks. I followed the regulations to the letter. United utilities check everything and won't sign it off unless it's done to their specs. It could of changed now as this was done in June 2018 but at the time it didn't require close foam. Everything inside has worked perfect and not a single leak anywhere.
Hi, I’ve finally got round to digging my trench and digging the hole inside my house. I’m now at the point where I need core through the brick work. I just wondered how thick your wall was? At the required depth on mine, it has an extra skin of bricks as a footing. I have the same erbauer core bit as you used. Just trying to decide if this will get through three layers of brick. Will I be able to clear the core bit after each layer of brick?
Where I came into the house it was just above that bottom course of bricks so I just had 300mm to go through. 100mm of outer bricks then the mess in the 100mm cavity and another 100mm of brick. Start with the small arbour on the core bit then as you get further in change to the long arbour. Is will easily get through that length if you have the same core set as me. And yes keep clearing out the brick that gets in the core bit as you work your way through. Good luck with it all.
@@LCWDIY thanks. You’ve given me confidence. I was debating whether it’d be easier to dig under the foundations, but that could be meters.
Hi Mate. Where you come out of the ducting, what sealant did you use on the gap between the MDPE and the rubber reducer on the ducting?
Did United Utilities do a pre check or just tell you to crack on and contact them when you are ready to be connected? I haven't done the work yet but they seem pretty efficient when I've had to deal with them. Can you tell me how deep sand to lay blue pipe on and did you layer sand on top of pipe and to what depth. Would appreciate reply...Thanks.
Hi UU didn't do any pre checks but they checked all the work was to their specs before connecting me up to the moans supply. I only paid an inch or 2 of sand below and above the pipe. It's just enough to stop any stones squashing or puncturing the pipe under the weight of soil. I didn't have very stoney soil though but if you do I would really go at least 2 inches of sand above and below.
@@LCWDIY Thanks for reply...much appreciated. Start mine this week.
I aske the case manager lots of questions in the end she offered me a pre inspection. So I met and inspected sounded out my ideas and got advice from them then passed the inspection. They want you to pass but also want you to do it To the right standard. It cost me less than 250 but that included having to buy a 25m x 22mm pipe for 100 .
This is great and inspirational video! Apart from saving money there is something very earthy and rewarding about doing it yourself. Modern life has papered us whereas if we dig deep (no pun intended) we are all capable. Good honest hard work and commitment. Well done.
Good video, did i hear that right, the water company will attach your mdp free of charge?
United Utilities do it for free. You need to check with your water company.
Mine wil fit it for free , gave me lots of instructions and safety forms if I chose to do the pipe myself. some utilities will also offer grants if you qualify for the lead pipe replacement scheme.
Also not only free but mine are giving a £550 grant to replace the lead with plastic. Materials cost me £ 250 so a profit of £300.
Very nice.
How will I came to know where the gate valve from the main when I want to tap water from the main
I replaced our lead main it was very tough weeks work . But on plus side saved about 2k on pro rates. Wish I saw video before I started. But did everything you did sand bed soil pipe through wall etc.
SLP
Jjjjj
Great video,thanks for sharing ,will give this a go on my 1930's house looking to move into the summer.Must be a swing of at least £1000👍
Yes the cost of parts is under £50. See the comment above where they were quoted £3000! So definitely a money saver, not an easy job but quite simple really.
Such a hard working dude ! I am impressed man !
Thank you.
Had a leak on my water supply pipe and insurance company have replaced it for an excess of £200. As the connection was lead in the pavement the water company have replaced that for free 😁. Always worth checking with home insurance.
Hey Lee, that looked hard work mate, well done! DIY sure saved you a couple of big ones.
I'm def looking forward to the next instalment :o)
Hi there, is there a reason to put a 4inch grey pipe in?
Or can you put a 4inch soil black pipe?
A 4" black soil pipe is fine. It's just to protect the pipe.
@@LCWDIYhi, thanks for replying to me. Iv got another question for ya pal🙄
Can the soil pipe be extend outside to the boundary of your wall if you wanted to, rather be close to your house as you've done for yourself?
I don't see any reason why not. Like I say, it's only to protect the pipe going through the wall and to stop any bugs crawling in.
@@moeenahmed6853 Yes it can but if you are extending soil pipe to the boundary wall then there is another set of regulations to follow.
If the duct isn't blue then it must be cleared of any identifiers (like gas/electric) and then the duct must have a blue water utilities tape wrapped around it so that it is identifiable as a water supply pipe. I'm not sure if tracer wire is also required also, but best checking your information pack when you replace your lead pipe.
great work you have done well done i am going to renew mine also do i have to ask the waterboard though ????
Thank you. You need to ask your water supplier to connect you to the mains. They will want to inspect your work and make sure it's to their regulations or they won't connect you. When I did mine I was with United utilities and they connected to the mains for free but I think some water companies do charge, so you need to look at your local water supplied for regs and inform them of the work.
When back filling I like to lay blue warning marker tape about 300 mm above the pipe.
Do i have to have the pipe sticking up outside my garden wall or just read to push through when they come to connect??
Great video mate keep up the good work
Sorry for the late reply. My water company did the last push though. I just got mine under the hedge as far as I could.
You normally leave the pipe where your boundary ends. If I leave mine outside some chav would probably slice it for a joke. In United Utilities regulations they state:
- Pipe at the boundary
- Walls tunnelled under
- 2m of pipe coiled at boundary
So for example my boundary ends at a brick wall which is 30cm in length. I just used my core drill at the bottom of the 750cm depth trench and made a 50cm long hole for the pipe to feed through (I used the same 117mm core drill bit used for the house entry).
It was easier than drilling through brick as I had to just go through soil and clay, a bit of water on the core drill made the job much easier to bore through. Therefore I cleared my wall and when the inspector passes your work they normally say lwhen backfilling the trench eave about 1 metre at the boundary end for the lads to work and feed the pipe through and when everything is connected at the mains just fill the remaining trench.
Hi mate.what connector dod you use at the meter?
The water company connected it all up to the water meter as my water meter is out on the street.
Hi Lee.... Now dug out and ducted. Could you let me know what you used as a sealant for the gap between the rubber reducer and the pipe. United Utilities are vague in their instructions. The best I can com up with is Wiska Gel and that costs tons and still not sure if it will be acceptable. Are you able to tell me what you used? Would be very grateful for a reply.
Hi, I didn't use any sealant. The cross I cut in the rubber bung was small enough to make a good enough seal around the pipe. I don't remember anything from United utilities saying about it being sealed tight. I think it's just to stop larger bugs/animals living in the pipe and the rubber bung should be enough.
@@LCWDIY Thanks Lee for reply. UU state "duct has to be water/airtight . Some plumbers use sand cement but pipe has to be protected. Any sealant such as silicon type needed to be not petrol based and not damaging to pipe. Consult manufactured of pipe or sealant you want to use in advance". They also say " plastic duct end with appropriate grommet, if available, may be preferable" . I've seen various posts on net re this. Nearest I've seen is rubber reducer you used and one guy using wiska gel to close that small gap. I know I'm over thinking it but I'm allowing for a pedantic inspection. Seems you had a plumber (or you are) to send off the pictures as they state it must be an approved plumber sending in pics. They will come out to inspect mine as I'm doing it DIY. Anyway... Thanks again for your time , it's appreciated.
I used a flexible end cap £10:from Toolstation it was the only one that fitted the twin wall ducting I used. Screwfix had a 110 mm end cap for £5 if you are just using 110mm pipe for ducting.
Very informative thank you very much for the info
Good job, but did you put your potable water pipe underneath your sewer pipe? That would be against code in the states since water /sewage flows down in the case of leaks
Yes, that's where the original lead pipe was that had been there since 1929 when the house was built.
If I was younger ,I having seen your video might have had a go . My water pipe goes under my shed extension (brick) 5yr old ,so need the channel tunnels drill ! or something smaller or jusr spoil the floor . Then concrete yard where it splits into two ,one kitchen one outside loo.
I will just have to leave it and die of lead poisoning but then I've been here 30 old yrs .
I’m going to do this. Please can you tell me what you did to avoid buried gas pipes and electrical cables?
Hi mine was easy to avoid pipes. Just look at where you gas and electrics come into you house and you can usually trace them to an access point on the path or street outside your property. That will give you an idea of which way they go and they are usually in a straight line. Just don't go made digging and you shouldn't do any damage. I had a big waste pipe that I didn't know was there.
@@LCWDIY thanks for your reply. Yea our gas and water both roughly come in under the raised concrete front door step so I’m worried about taking an angle grinder to it.
Thanks for sharing I am considering replacing my 1920 old house water pipe. It seems your pipe is only 1/2 inches? I think the main should be 3/4 or 1 inch?
Indeed it should 🤗
I was told mains water pipe should be less than 1metre down from footings?
It all depends on your local regulations. I followed my local regs and it had to be at least 750mm (75cm). So it is less than 1 meter but not sure what you mean from footings? As long as you follow the regs you get from the local water supplier it'll be fine. All the work has to be signed off by them so if you do it wrong they won't connect you to the mains until it's done to the regs.
Good work, did you put a trace wire on the new pipe?
I didn't use a trace wire as the pipe run is quite obvious and it wasn't a requirement by the water company. As you can see in the video I found the lead pipe by guessing where it would be. If I did it again though I would put a trace wire on the pipe. Glad you liked the video 😀
Hello, great video. I am replacing my water supply pipe at the moment. My foundations are similar to yours. I was going to core drill through to the lowest point of the void under the floor which is all concrete. I hadn't considered digging down lower inside the house although it would be preferable after seeing your video. Was there a reason you did this and was it just soil or concrete under the floor? Thanks.
Thanks I'm glad you liked the video and decided to do it yourself. It will save you a fortune. Luckily I just have soil under the floorboards. The reason I came in that deep was because my water companies regulations (United Utilities) are the mains pipe needs to be 750mm deep. I had to do it by their regulations as they have to sign the work off before they will connect your new pipe up. Hope this helps 👍
@@LCWDIY pretty sure those are fairly universal depth in England, as Bristol water told me it needed to be 750mm under the ground and through foundation in a pipe, 160mm pipe was recommended for 32mm pipe and 110mm was minimum for 25mm (25mm is minimum pipe size for new connection/lead/iron replacement. They also said, a long 90° rather than a sharp 90° was a good idea, and needed 13mm lagging for 32mm pipe (or 19mm for 25mm pipe) if it was not coming up 750mm from inside the property foundation. And plugs plus insulation, at the boundary as a minimum.
Thanks for adding to my body of research, hope to do it soon, but apparently they are a bit behind due to Covid.
Hi, super vid. Any advice on how to join up the end of a lead water supply pipe to blue alkathene? Know it's not recommended practice but need to know. Should the blue alkathene and the joined lead pipe be insulated just outside our 79-year old cottage, or can we get away with no insulation? My Groundsman just did a similar job to yourself, but I am a bit worried ...Thanks.
The way I had to do it was bring the new supply into the house and connect it to a 25mm to 15mm stop tap. I then ran some 15mm pipe from the stop tap and joined it to the internal lead pipes with a 'lead loc 'www.screwfix.com/p/reducing-coupler-fitting-15mm-x-22mm/68500 or there is a 28mm to 22mm www.screwfix.com/p/reducing-coupler-fitting-28mm-x-22mm/47096. It can be fiddly as you need to shave some of the lead pipe off with a knife by scrapping a blade along it, until it fits the lead pipe tightly. I don't think it's possible to go straight from the mdpe pipe into lead.
If the mdpe pipe is outside the house you need to check your local regs, I had to bury my mpde pipe to 750mm and where it runs in to the house put it through the 110mm soil pipe and insulated inside that. It's buried that deep and insulated to protect it from frost and freezing which could then make it burst! Hope that helps. Thanks for liking the video.
Evening, i work for a utility company in london and you can connect lead services to mdpe, hundreds of lads do it every day. You need a plasson gripper, measure your lead pipe to see what size you need with a 25mm mdpe connection on one side. We dont insulate mdpe just cover it in a layer of shingle. Of course this can vary depending on client/ contract
@@matthewiles2660 Hi Matthew, many thanks for the info. The person who came out to supposedly fix it all - he smashed an external house drain to let out all the flooded water (instead of pumping it out). He put a small white plastic waste pipe from the kitchen sink drainage into a large plastic 15cm terracotta pipe (to make up for the genuine terracotta soil pipe he smashed). He didn't seal the two pipes with anything. Same for our barn waste pipes. He did exactly the same. He covered it all in type 1. We now have a sewage smell ... Likely type 1 stones all blocking the pipe now. Paying these idiot cowboys 4-figure sums and they are that greedy, it's never enough for them and they just don't care. The tarmac is now all sealed over on top of the unsealed pipes .... Thanks for your comment.
@@inquisitive1911 wow, sounds like you picked a real cowboy!
@@matthewiles2660 Sure did. He was meant to do the tarmaccing too, but he ran off with the money beforehand. Never again. CLM Paving of Cumnock, Ayrshire is the cowboy. Also, don't ever get him to do any fencing or groundswork. Job left incomplete and fraudulent invoice created to extort additional 3-figure sum out of me!!!! Consulting with lawyers now ... Thanks again for your comments.
This is very informative ill have to do this in my property there now asking for a double check value after drain cock
Thank you. Yes some water suppliers do ask for a double check valve and I will be adding one to mine at some point (although it wasn't required at the time). It's very easy to add one in, it's just to stop any water from flowing from your house back into the water supply. Good luck with it all.
Great video Lee. I had a guy mole a 32mm new water main into my house from the stopcock in the front garden, that was around £500 including connecting it. Although I did supply the pipe. I see the internal valve your using is 15mm have you thought about running 22mm off your MDPE as that will give you a better flow if you use a pressurised water tank or combi boiler in the future.
Yeah keep it 22 if you can because the cold taps, toilets etc all pull off that pipe along with the boiler it makes a huge difference maintaing the pressure.
Hey just wondered what company you used for the mole? Trying to find one in the north west
I had 2 water pressure tests done by water board and told its likely the okd lead pipe leading to my house that is the likely issue as I should have over 30 bar but inside running at about half that .......i was told it would cost us best 0art of a grand our stop cock us by front door the mains source is if I remember rightly just in front of our boundary wall on 0ath we have a concrete drive though im a bricky and should be confident I know how messy it couod be etc
Yes it's hard work and messy especially if it's running under a concrete drive. But hard work costs nothing and you'll save a lot doing it yourself. Good luck if you embark on that journey but it is very simple.
@@LCWDIY thanks buddy I'm keen to have a go hard work dont worry me at all ill let you know how it goes
@@LCWDIY i meant to ask did you find it better when changed over ? As in water pressure?
when doing up compression fittings hand tight then 1/4 turn with spanner
the guy knows what hes doing .I changed the mains at my house..because I had a leak under the foundation ..got lucky found the manifold or the main inside the house almost like finding a needle in a haystack .rather than go through the kitchen floor which is where the leak was ..and repair..i said hell ..noo never again three months of high water bills two thousand one month they started small ..any way I rerouted the main around the house through the wall and connected to the manifold in the house nothing is buried any more all above ..so if there is a leak I will see it ..I did myself saved much needed dollars for sure ..some plumbers or even me ..a job like that in the thousands for sure ..and I don't mean a couple either
how did you get the core bit all the way through didn't look long enough? and also do you have to use a core bit that big thought half that size would be ample?
The core bit only cuts at the tip and the brick goes inside it. You have to stop and empty it every now and again, although it would fit a whole brick width in it. The hole has to be that size as my local regs say the mdpe pipe has to go inside the 110mm waste pipe. The way I've done it is exactly how my local water company specified. They have to sign it off so you need to do exactly as they say or they won't sign it off and they won't connect you to the mains outside the property.
Couple of points:
1) When you got close to the pavement you didn't dig under the hedge, right to the property line. Did you dig that later - until you reached the water company's stop cock, ready to feed the MDPE through (because I can't imagine the water company digging the last foot or so without a hefty charge)?
2) When you cut the pipe at the road end, you said to leave twice as much pipe as was needed (rather than cut it too short). So if the water company connected the MDPE to their mains supply as you'd left it, there could have been more MDPE than was needed. How did you lose the excess? You can't really coil a couple of foot of pipe up and poke it in the trench.
1, In the water companies instruction (United Utilities) it said I only needed to dig to within 1 metre of the mains connection. I did go a bit further under the hedge but half way was the old brick access chamber and stop tap, which they had connected to from the pavement. But they did dig the last foot (for free) from the pavement side as I was within their required 1 metre.
2, The water company cut the pipe to the right length before connecting it up to the mains.
@@LCWDIY Many thanks for your quick reply. Now I've just got to hope that when I do it, Thames Water don't decide they want to fit a water meter at the same time.
You are welcome. There was already a water meter on ours and living here for nearly a year now our water bill has been a lot cheaper than when we was living down there with Thames Water and without a meter.
Glad the video has helped you :)
Hello ! What water board did you have to submit the photos to ? I have spoke to Affinity regarding my new connection and they are saying that the trench has to be 750mm to 850mm deep but 1m wide!? I can see there being any reason for it to be that wide. Just wondered what the specifications you were told 😊
We are supplied by United Utilities. Yes the trench has to be 750mm or more deep but it makes no sense why it would have to be 1m wide! There were no specs on how wide it had to be for mine. I've seen other people use a trench spade for their trench which is only about 150mm wide. You only need a 25mm pipe to go in there after all. And the water board dig there own hole outside to connect you up.
LCW DIY Thank you very much. Yeh I have questioned it with them as it just seems silly. I have heard that some water boards will connect it outside for free? If you don’t mind me asking did you have to pay United utilities to connect it as Affinity are asking me for £2.5K just to connect it outside
Hi, no I didn't pay it was free. I just had to get my trench within 1m of the connection point and they came and dug up the path to connect it. Obviously you can see from the video I got it about 500mm from the connection point so it didn't take them long to get it all done, maybe an hour or 2.
When drilling the pipe hole into the house, how deep or long was the hole and did you use an extension?
It is a cavity wall so was about 300mm deep to get through both rows of bricks and took a while. The cutter set I used has different lengths of arbours so started with a short one and used the longer one when I got to the 2nd row of bricks.
@@LCWDIY many thanks
top work saved a lot off money there is good looking house from outside is 1920 or 1930 enjoyed the video.
It is a good looking 1920's house, it just needs a lot of TLC.
Grey pipe is above ground only isnt it?. Use a radius bend to turn the corner.
It's only for going through the wall and into the house so it doesn't matter. It all has to be checked off by the water company so if it's wrong they won't connect you.
There are 108 soil pipes on the link you put. Which is the correct one boss?
It doesn't really matter as long as it's 110mm but this one is fine www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-sp3g-single-socket-soil-pipe-black-110mm-x-3m/49565
To join MDPE 25mm pipe to lead pipe use a Philmac 1043 transitional connector
Been quoted £3000 by a Plummer meter to house, around 10 meter from meter another 5 inside house would do myself after watching this
When you get a price like that it makes you want to do it yourself, considering the cost of pipes and connectors would probably be less than £100
where would i get the end cap for the ducting which is 100mm? Thanks
Hi, I got mine from screwfix. www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-110mm/51416?tc=VB2&ds_kid=92700055281954505&ds_rl=1249404&gclid=CjwKCAiAgJWABhArEiwAmNVTB2XI7yxsZ3tf6dDarqi58CRJVqxcKaWE0jNzxm01tNjIopUGL6iOERoCcxwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Great stuff mate👍
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it. 👍
Nice work...
So with regards to how much it would cost.. I once took £800 for a fraction of that distance you dug out... And I was told that was half what the utility company was gonna charge... It is a relatively straightforward job, ha, if ya don't mind digging, but I just paid someone to do that for me. Haha happy days..
Good effort 👍
Great video. You re one hard worker. 👍
Great video! Thanks for sharing
United Utilities kept my JD Speedfit stop end... they must have literally thousands of them!
They gave me mine back when they cut the pipe to length. Although I have no use for it now! lol
How deep were your foundations?
As you see in the video I dug to 750mm and the bottom bricks you see are probably the ones sat on the foundations. So I would guess the top of the foundations are at 800-850mm deep.
It's all about using the right tools for the job, tiny disc cutter and a drill no where near man enough for a core bit that size!
and hire a trencher for 100quid - would have had that trench done in 15mins
It's all about saving money. The SDS drill used was perfectly adequate, it has bored many holes in 10 to 20 mins through cavity walls. Yes the disc cutter was way too small but at the time I didn't know the path was so thick.
But it's about saving money and using tools you have. Yes a trench digger would have been nice and easy. But a lot of people out there haven't got that kind of money to spare. So it might take a bit longer but anyone can really change their lead pipes very cheaply.
@@LCWDIY I think you over estimate the willingness/effort of most people to dig 5+mtrs of 750mm trench.
Oh no, I'm not saying that everyone has to dig the trench themselves. Obviously they can chose how to get the trench done themselves. I'm just trying to show how it can be done by yourself for virtually no cost.
No double check valve, no pressure reductor?
No, not required.
You dont fit cv on rising mains. Also no need for pressure reduction cause your lucky to even get 1.5bar anyway in a residential area
@@LCWDIY Best check water regs 1999 mate. Double check valve after stopcock. Good practice to fit anyway if it wasn't requirement. Guess protecting public water supply aint important...
I'm swapping the 15mm over to 22mm soon so will be adding a double check valve then. If it was in the regulations then I'm not sure why united utilities would come and passed the work if it was a requirement.
Well done for digging it out,,,
Nice job mate👍
Thank you Lee. Great video, very insightful.
Good work done
Good job but I would get a mini digger
If you have a dig safe plan that shows where your other utilities are located like gas, electric, sewage lines then yes it would make it easier but adds to the cost. An insured mini digger with driver is around £350-500 a day. Obviously you can get them cheaper but they are normally not insured and if they bust through a utility line then you have to bear the cost to getting it fixed.
Do more vids like this, learnt a lot
How much did you get for the old lead pipe?
I've not weighed it in yet as I still have a bit more lead to remove from under the floor.
£150 for a days hire of 1.5t mini digger and saves a lot of graft
Chris B he would only need a micro digger really but some times they can be quite exspensive aswell
If you want a job helping me replace my mains water pipe let me know?
If I wasn't too busy at the moment and you were local to me I would offer to help, but I've just got too much on at the moment.
No worries great video.
Thnx I have learnt some thing
Smart job!
Good job
Interesting vid, thankyou
united utilities have a grant for replacing lead pipes, they will pay up to £550 of the cost it takes you to replace the lead pipe with your boundaries.
well done m8 👍🏼
3,500$ in San Antonio Texas USA
YOU SAVED yourself $2,000 by my estimate?
Did you just solder a joint with a heat gun? Lol
Yep, I've done a couple and they've never leaked.
My neighbors just paid £900 for a trench for the new pipe!
At least £180 a day!
I was quoted £3000 to dig trench and fit pipe
WOW! That's a lot of money for a relatively simple job. The cost of a 25m length of pipe is under £20 and a stop tap is only £10. How long was the trench they needed to dig?
5ft by 5ft hole in front of house then the same and rear of house then told me using a mole to get 25mm pipe under house mid Terrance house built in 1900 ..... mine stop cock is on end of block of 5 houses and I'm the last on the run = low pressure half of bar sometimes been nagging Severn Trent about it for the last 5 years
Not even a cuppa at the end....