Yellow MDPE used for mains water

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Nj1978

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Hi all,

I need some advice. Our stopcock is peeing water in the basement. It's right next to the electricity meter and fuse board.

We can't find an external street meter or stopcock and the water board hasn't a clue where the feed is. So I've excavated the back yard and exposed the pipework. It seems the mains feed is in yellow 25mm MDPE pipe. The stopcock in the basement is attached to 20mm blue MDPE. I'm assuming they ran the 20mm blue inside the 25mm yellow.

The house was built in 1992. Why would they use yellow pipe? Is this common practice?

I need to use a squeeze off tool to cut the supply so I can fit an external stopcock. Will clamping off twin pipe work or do I need to cut out a section of yellow pipe first?
 
YELLOW IS GAS!!!

Get a squeeze off tool:

www.toolstation.com

Water Pipe Squeeze Off Tool

Use this squeeze off tool on your next plumbing task to to temporarily prevent water from passing through a plastic or rubber pipe. It's useful while working on heating systems and with temporary water supplies on construction sites.This tool is especially handy when you want to work on repairs...
www.toolstation.com www.toolstation.com

Or call a plumber and make sure he has one!

Andy
 
Rang the water board and explained we believe the water is being fed by yellow MDPE. I'm 100% sure it's not gas because I can see the gas feed above it on a separate black pipe. Doesn't help there is a second blue MDPE next to it supplying an outhouse.

They are sending someone out to take a look next week. I just need to keep bailing water out every few hours for now. I would get a plumber in but being as I've already done most the work it's a bit redundant now. They couldn't get at the stopcock with the water supply live and no one knows where the meter is.

My guess is someone used yellow 25mm to twin wall the blue MDPE. Knowing the builder of the house was a complete cowboy I expect it was him.
 
Seriously! Black pipe from top of image is gas to meter box. Grey downpipe is the electrical supply. (I patched it because I opened it up to see what it was) blue MDPE on left supplies redundant outhouse. (who builds an outhouse in this day and age!) yellow MDPE is mains water. (see threaded rod I used to mark from the internal stopcock)
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HERTS P&D said:
SQUEEZE OFF TOOL!
Click to expand...
Andy, I can't. There is no space to squeeze off in the basement. Has to be done externally.

ianmcd said:
sorry but you are wrong the yellow is gas the blue is water, expose them properly and run a cold tap at full flow and feel the pipes the one getting cold is the water, the blue one
Click to expand...
I'm not wrong at all. I can see the pipe in the basement and the rod all the way through. What, do you think gas gets pumped into taps? The blue is to a toilet that has been disabled. I can see the loop next to the stopcock. There is minimal space to expose further. I'll excavate the pit further down to cut into the pipe once the water company explains why the feed is being run through yellow and see if they can find the meter. If it wasn't flooding due to the summer weather I would get the thermal camera on it. But the mains water is definitely being supplied through that yellow MDPE.
 
Nj1978 said:
I need some advice. Our stopcock is peeing water in the basement. It's right next to the electricity meter and fuse board.
Click to expand...
How about a photo of the stopcock and leak - we may be able to suggest a less devisive fix?

Nj1978 said:
The blue is to a toilet that has been disabled.
Click to expand...
Then there wouldn't be any harm squeezing off the blue one, and seeing what happens?
 
bernardgreen said:
Until they can provide you with accurate information about the pipes do nothing at all to the pipes,

Damaging the pipe that is your gas supply will create a gas leak that will put you and your family at risk of serious harm.
Click to expand...
Wasn't planning on it until they have had a look.

RandomGrinch said:
How about a photo of the stopcock and leak - we may be able to suggest a less devisive fix?


Then there wouldn't be any harm squeezing off the blue one, and seeing what happens?
Click to expand...
The attached are the basement feeds. No gas supply enters that wall. The only feeds in here are the phase tails for the electricity supply and two "BLUE" MDPE 20mm pipes. On the other side there is one blue 20mm and one 25mm yellow.

I can't touch that stopcock live when it's a foot away from exposed main voltage. Squeezing the blue pipe does nothing as its empty. I can open and close the right hand stop cock and see water start/stop at the outhouse without impacting the main house. The left hand stop cock shuts off the whole supply.
 

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You could hire a puddle pump to save you bucketing out the water. Until the board come to have a look.
 
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