What to Do if Your Burst Pipe is Outdoors?
Sometimes damage to pipes, requiring a water mains replacement, occurs outside your property but, crucially, still within your property boundary. Often this is a result of deterioration of old lead pipework.
Ideally, if a property dates from before 1970 and it has lead pipework, this should be replaced, to help ensure a safe, reliable water supply. The need may only actually arise from a burst pipe in the garden.
Understanding the Signs
If you can see water coming up through the garden, this can be an indicator of a burst pipe. This might not be dramatic – maybe a persistent damp patch even when you haven’t had wet weather – but significant.
You should also be aware that even though the water main pipe outside your property is damaged, it is still your responsibility because it runs from the mains supply in your street, carrying the water from there to you.
If you’re unsure about how old your pipework is, you can actually check within your property by looking at the main supply pipe that usually runs to your kitchen sink. If the pipe is a dull colour, or it appears soft to the touch, so that you can gently scrape the surface and reveal a silvery under-layer, then it’s made of lead.
In this situation, the sensible option is not to have your mains supply pipe repaired, but instead replaced.
Your New Pipework
It’s important to get a burst or leaking pipe fixed quickly and efficiently, indoors or out. Persistent leakage from an outdoor pipe into the ground can lead to an undermining of a building’s foundations; so even if you still have running water, there’s more to it than just inconvenience.
At Pipeline Services we specialise in trenchless technology, which means when we need to fit a water mains replacement, we can do this work without digging extensive excavations on your property. By drilling strategic boreholes, we can pull the replacement supply pipe into place, leaving the surrounding area largely undisturbed.
Your new pipes will be manufactured from industry-standard, durable plastic, ensuring that your mains supply won’t be interrupted through damage or deterioration.
Contact Pipeline Services today if you’ve got a burst pipe, because we can set you up for the future so that you won’t have to worry about your water.
