Topic: Water pipe

[davholla]

In my small front garden there is my water pipe (somewhere) which occassionally freezes and cuts out water supply off.
Thames Water said they can not help we have to a) find it and b) lag it.

Does anyone know how ?

[kt.]

Is it not their responsibility? Are they not shirking on their responsibilities of providing an adequate service? Is that not why you pay water rates? ::) Are they going to pay you for doing their job?

[davholla]

Is it not their responsibility? Are they not shirking on their responsibilities of providing an adequate service? Is that not why you pay water rates? ::) Are they going to pay you for doing their job?

Sadly if you have problems with water and your neighbours don't then they will do nothing !!!!

[kt.]

Some home insurance policies cover certain water problems. Not sure if this would be one of them though.

[ACE]

Any service inside of your hedge/fence/ boundary is your responsibility. Why should the rest of us pay. But don't dispair, it is easy to fix.

Get two bits of metal coathanger and bend into L shapes and hold one in each hand, walk across your garden, when the coathangers cross over your pipe should be below the ground right there.
Dig a trench the full length of the pipe and wrap pipe with insulation. Fill back the trench mixing the soil with some well rotted manure and plant a line of pansies along the line, this will help you finding it again, because if you have to ask how to lag a pipe you will most certainly will do it wrong and will have to repeat the exercise in a few weeks time.

Now this is all bulls**t as your pipe  must be less than 12 inchs under the ground to freeze up. look elsewhere for the problem.

[davholla]

Now this is all bulls**t as your pipe  must be less than 12 inchs under the ground to freeze up. look elsewhere for the problem.

Thanks :)

I only have lost water twice both times it was freezing outside and it came back at 1pm ish which does imply the freezing theory is correct.

[Barnowl]

could it be freezing at the valve/tap rather than in the pipe itself?

[kenkew]

If it only affects your house, I go along with B'Owl. Under your garden it's got to be around 30" deep min. and if it's freezing there then chances are it would have ruptured before now giving you a free pond!
I'd look closer to home, especially on the riser to and including your mains tap.

[gary]

Do you live in an old property? Or a new one?

The reason I ask is that an older property may have a lead feed into your house, and the chances are that the pipe will be very close to the surface or even external when it enters your property.

In newer properties you will have either an alkathene (black plastic) or MDPE (blue plastic) water pipe. These will be much deeper thus the chances of these freezing bellow ground are greatly reduced.

One thing that may help is to locate your external stopcock, this will give you some idea as to the depth of your pipe in the ground.

Gary

[SamLouise]

http://www.whatprice.co.uk/household/frozen-pipes.html

http://www.plumbingregister.com/frozenpipes.php

Don't know if this information will be of help.