Water Supply Pipe Information for Homeowners
Your underground water supply pipe is the pipe that brings fresh water into your home. As the homeowner, you are responsible for the supply pipe generally from where it enters your home either to your property boundary or to the stop tap.
Stop taps are often called stopcocks, most people will know them as stopcocks. A stop tap is often found on the rising water main of a property and is used to isolate the water supply. Normally there are two stop taps, one on the boundary of the property, which is the water companies responsibility and one on the inside of the property, which is the owners responsibility.
If you are without water because of a leak or burst on your property, it is generally your responsibility as the property owner to sort it out, if this occurs within your property boundary. There are also situations in which your legal responsibility for the supply pipe extends beyond your property boundary.
Tree roots, soil conditions and ground movements are some of the potential problems that may affect your water supply pipe at any time of the year. Movements in dry or hard ground may be of particular concern over the summer months. Supply pipe emergencies may be complicated and expensive to fix, often requiring digging equipment and a specialist engineer, and may leave you without a water supply until the repair is complete.
Water supply pipe emergencies may be expensive to fix, and the charge may be calculated by the job separately:
- Locate, excavate and repair leak to water supply pipe.
- Replace segment of pipe.
- excavating and replace concrete surface.
- Dig down and repair burst rising main.
Your water company may provide Water Supply Pipe Cover for a yearly fee, a sort of insurance.