Hi

Glad i found this group as i have posted a few messages and got great
answers.

we had our main drain dug up today near the house to investigate a leek,
anyway this also exposed a large length of the lead mains water supply. now
the stopcock is in the most inconvenient place on the wall inside the house,
another 1 ft to the right and it would be in the boiler cupboard. is there
any reason why the lead pipe could not be cut and a new bit of copper pipe
run into the house so to move the stopcock. Joining might be the main issue.

we have a plumber who works for the same firm who dug up the drain coming in
the morning so i would like to be forearmed before i ask.

Mark

"we had our main drain dug up today near the house to investigate a leek"

LOL, would it not have been more economical just to buy one at your local 
greengrocers?

"Mark D Smith"  wrote in message 
news:42c028ef$0$23688$db0fefd9@news.zen.co.uk...

> Hi
>
> Glad i found this group as i have posted a few messages and got great
> answers.
>
> we had our main drain dug up today near the house to investigate a leek,
> anyway this also exposed a large length of the lead mains water supply. 
> now
> the stopcock is in the most inconvenient place on the wall inside the 
> house,
> another 1 ft to the right and it would be in the boiler cupboard. is there
> any reason why the lead pipe could not be cut and a new bit of copper pipe
> run into the house so to move the stopcock. Joining might be the main 
> issue.
>
> we have a plumber who works for the same firm who dug up the drain coming 
> in
> the morning so i would like to be forearmed before i ask.
>
> Mark
> 

"Mackem"  wrote in message
news:T5qdnVydmrZBzl3fRVnyhw@pipex.net...

> "we had our main drain dug up today near the house to investigate a leek"
>
> LOL, would it not have been more economical just to buy one at your local
> greengrocers?
>
> "Mark D Smith"  wrote in message
> news:42c028ef$0$23688$db0fefd9@news.zen.co.uk...
> > Hi
> >
> > Glad i found this group as i have posted a few messages and got great
> > answers.
> >
> > we had our main drain dug up today near the house to investigate a leek,
> > anyway this also exposed a large length of the lead mains water supply.
> > now
> > the stopcock is in the most inconvenient place on the wall inside the
> > house,
> > another 1 ft to the right and it would be in the boiler cupboard. is
there
> > any reason why the lead pipe could not be cut and a new bit of copper
pipe
> > run into the house so to move the stopcock. Joining might be the main
> > issue.
> >
> > we have a plumber who works for the same firm who dug up the drain
coming
> > in
> > the morning so i would like to be forearmed before i ask.
> >

I don't know a definitive answer to this one, but I believe you could be
opening a can of worms. In order to change or move your stopcock, the supply
will have to be shut off at the water suppliers stopcock outside your
property. Because the pipe to the house is lead, this stopcock will almost
certainly be somewhat ancient and may even be seized up in the on position.
This means that it will have to be replaced. Which in turn means that A,
they will fit a water meter, and B, The lead pipe will have to be replaced,
and it may be long. I would be tempted to live with the stopcock where it
is, unless it's possible to move it disturbing only the copper pipe,
probably by freezing it.

Hopefully your plumber will be clued up and a decent type, but discuss these
issues with him/her anyway.

HTH

Steve

"shazzbat"  wrote in message 
news:d9pnke$rb8$1@newsg1.svr.pol.co.uk...

>
> "Mackem"  wrote in message
> news:T5qdnVydmrZBzl3fRVnyhw@pipex.net...
>> "we had our main drain dug up today near the house to investigate a leek"
>>
>> LOL, would it not have been more economical just to buy one at your local
>> greengrocers?
>>
>> "Mark D Smith"  wrote in message
>> news:42c028ef$0$23688$db0fefd9@news.zen.co.uk...
>> > Hi
>> >
>> > Glad i found this group as i have posted a few messages and got great
>> > answers.
>> >
>> > we had our main drain dug up today near the house to investigate a 
>> > leek,
>> > anyway this also exposed a large length of the lead mains water supply.
>> > now
>> > the stopcock is in the most inconvenient place on the wall inside the
>> > house,
>> > another 1 ft to the right and it would be in the boiler cupboard. is
> there
>> > any reason why the lead pipe could not be cut and a new bit of copper
> pipe
>> > run into the house so to move the stopcock. Joining might be the main
>> > issue.
>> >
>> > we have a plumber who works for the same firm who dug up the drain
> coming
>> > in
>> > the morning so i would like to be forearmed before i ask.
>> >


> I don't know a definitive answer to this one, but I believe you could be
> opening a can of worms. In order to change or move your stopcock, the 
> supply
> will have to be shut off at the water suppliers stopcock outside your
> property. Because the pipe to the house is lead, this stopcock will almost
> certainly be somewhat ancient and may even be seized up in the on 
> position.


The main supply stopcock frequently works IMHO. The best option to to try it 
and find out.


> This means that it will have to be replaced. Which in turn means that A,
> they will fit a water meter, and B, The lead pipe will have to be 
> replaced,
> and it may be long.


I am only familiar with Yorkshire water and they will replace the stop tap 
in the street for free if it is faulty and would not fit a meter in such 
circumstances.


 I would be tempted to live with the stopcock where it

> is, unless it's possible to move it disturbing only the copper pipe,
> probably by freezing it.


When the street stop tap is sorted out then a joint is made from lead to 
copper by using a "lead lock" (special compression joints that cost under a 
tenner)

Adam

"ARWadsworth"  wrote in message
news:eb_ve.57690$G8.37808@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk...

>
> "shazzbat"  wrote in message
> news:d9pnke$rb8$1@newsg1.svr.pol.co.uk...
> >
> > "Mackem"  wrote in message
> > news:T5qdnVydmrZBzl3fRVnyhw@pipex.net...
> >> "we had our main drain dug up today near the house to investigate a
leek"
> >>
> >> LOL, would it not have been more economical just to buy one at your
local
> >> greengrocers?
> >>

<snip>
see soup ref below!


>
>
> > I don't know a definitive answer to this one, but I believe you could be
> > opening a can of worms. In order to change or move your stopcock, the
> > supply
> > will have to be shut off at the water suppliers stopcock outside your
> > property. Because the pipe to the house is lead, this stopcock will
almost
> > certainly be somewhat ancient and may even be seized up in the on
> > position.
>
> The main supply stopcock frequently works IMHO. The best option to to try
it
> and find out.
>
> > This means that it will have to be replaced. Which in turn means that A,
> > they will fit a water meter, and B, The lead pipe will have to be
> > replaced,
> > and it may be long.
>
> I am only familiar with Yorkshire water and they will replace the stop tap
> in the street for free if it is faulty and would not fit a meter in such
> circumstances.
>
>
>  I would be tempted to live with the stopcock where it
> > is, unless it's possible to move it disturbing only the copper pipe,
> > probably by freezing it.
>
> When the street stop tap is sorted out then a joint is made from lead to
> copper by using a "lead lock" (special compression joints that cost under
a
> tenner)
>
> Adam
>


Hi Adam

am in kirkstall (LS5) and we know the street stopcock works. (had a new
boiler 3 months ago).
i thought i had seen a lead copper joint somewhere before.
thanks for all who replied.
off to make some leek & potato soup with the leeks we found :)

Mark

Mark D Smith wrote:

> Hi
>
> Glad i found this group as i have posted a few messages and got great
> answers.
>
> we had our main drain dug up today near the house to investigate a
> leek, anyway this also exposed a large length of the lead mains water
> supply. now the stopcock is in the most inconvenient place on the
> wall inside the house, another 1 ft to the right and it would be in
> the boiler cupboard. is there any reason why the lead pipe could not
> be cut and a new bit of copper pipe run into the house so to move the
> stopcock. Joining might be the main issue.
>
> we have a plumber who works for the same firm who dug up the drain
> coming in the morning so i would like to be forearmed before i ask.
>
> Mark


Mark,

Just as a matter of interest, contact your water company and they *may* give
you a grant to replace the entire length of lead pipe with copper or
plastic - or they may even do the work for you free of charge (have a look
on their website for more info).

With regards to the stop tap, have a chat with the waterboard and it's
possible this repositioning could be done at the same time as any pipe
renewal.

Brian G