Leaking pipe lead in Victorian property outside toilet

Discussion in 'Plumbers' Talk' started by Ted Rogers, Sep 20, 2021.

  1. Ted Rogers

    Ted Rogers New Member

    Hi,

    I live in a Victorian terrace which is around 120-140 years old.

    I have this pipe in my shed which is leaking (see links to photos).

    https://ibb.co/8XvTHR7

    https://ibb.co/5RmZTBZ

    The pipe is wrapped in some kind of sticky cloth tape, but slowly drips. You'll see the water marks on the floor.

    Inside my kitchen, behind the wall in the photos, there is a damp smell.

    What is this pipe, how can I fix the leak, or remedy the problem in some other way?

    Thanks in advance for any advice. I've been here for 1 year now and it's starting to concern me.

    These old houses have really soft bricks, and I want to nip this in the bud since it has clearly been neglected by the previous owner!

    Best wishes,

    Ted.
     
  2. terrymac

    terrymac Screwfix Select

    It looks like a cold mains supply pipe ,and it's lead. If your propertys entire underground supply is lead ,you should have a new MDPE (plastic ) supply pipe installed. That would make that leaky pipe redundant ,and give you and your family wholesome water without the lead poisoning !
     
  3. Ted Rogers

    Ted Rogers New Member

    Thanks for getting back to me. Really appreciate it.

    I have a stopcock in the back alley. I've tested and it turns off the mains taps in the house, but doesn't affect the leaking lead pipe. So on that front it looks like we're safe from lead poisoning.

    However, no idea how to decommission this old lead pipe!! Any ideas?
     
  4. terrymac

    terrymac Screwfix Select

    If you turn off the house stop cock ,does the lead pipe stop leaking after a while ? It would be quite odd for that lead pipe to be fed from another external stopcock.
     
  5. Ted Rogers

    Ted Rogers New Member

    Thanks, I will try that this evening.

    I've also bought a lead testing kit for the tap water, and approached United Utils to get a lead replacement program under way just in case the entire house is fed with lead pipe externally.
     
  6. Ted Rogers

    Ted Rogers New Member

    Good news is that there is no lead in the house water, so must be fed from modern supply. Now just have to get this pipe capped, but can I find anyone to do a little job? Can I heck.
     
  7. ejenner

    ejenner Active Member

    Is that pipe potentially fed from a tank in the loft? If you have got a tank in the loft can you see a lead pipe coming out of it?
     
  8. Ted Rogers

    Ted Rogers New Member

    No, having spoken to United Utilities it is a historic system with no stop tap! Nuts. It is not the mains supply of my house, but does feed into pipes around my house. Must have been discontinued but left connected when modern supply was connected. Anyway, tested for lead, and nothing (so all good), and have a plumber coming next week to dig the pipe out of the ground and properly cap it. It might still leak underground in the future, but at least if that happens it won't be near any of my critical structural walls.
     

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