What's my pipe? (Un...
 

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What's my pipe? (Unknown type of water pipe emerging from garage floor.)

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So I've got this water tap just inside my garage, and it drips, and reasonable attempts at getting it apart for new washers have failed, it's well seized up. Next plan is to slice the lot off the pipe and start again. It has been painted red but under that it's some sort of slightly flexible black plastic. My calipers say 0.85" or 21.6mm external diameter, and given the context I'd guess it was installed 1940s-1970s, there's a joint into the lead feeding it about four feet further back. The house stop tap doesn't feed it, but the stoptap in the street outside does.

Anyone know what it's called, and even better, what I can use to make a join into new copper or modern plastic?


 
Posted : 19/04/2023 10:20 pm
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Maybe it was to feed an outside toilet?

Is it definitely plastic and not lead?


 
Posted : 19/04/2023 10:37 pm
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Definitely a not very bendy plastic. The garage started life as a stable, so a water supply for the horse is our assumption. We're doing the garage up at the minute so when we lay a new section of floor and put a proper threshold on, we don't want to put up with the drip any longer. MDPE is one name I've seen for underground water pipes, but I'm just guessing.


 
Posted : 19/04/2023 10:51 pm
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I'd go down your local plumbers merchant. Chances are it will have been used in other houses in the area and they'll know.


 
Posted : 19/04/2023 10:57 pm
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Yes, that or a neighbour who is retired from the water board should pin it down. You do find some odd stuff in houses round here though, things went missing in large quantities from the mines and railway works.


 
Posted : 19/04/2023 11:13 pm
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We’ve got that. Apparently it’s a bugger to fix if it breaks. IE the plastic can be a bit brittle.


 
Posted : 19/04/2023 11:20 pm
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Alkathene... Probably 1/2" or 3/4"
Fun times
Brittle as... If you can, replace the lot


 
Posted : 19/04/2023 11:32 pm
tillydog reacted
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Have you tried heat on that tap. Get it nice and warm then hit it with cold water.

I agree with above though, get that gone. You'll only have to dig it up as soon as the new floor laying is finished and you discover it cracked and you you have to dig it out again.


 
Posted : 20/04/2023 6:12 am
 Bear
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Looks like old black HDPE pipe, very common, most merchants will have a universal fitting that will cope with that.


 
Posted : 20/04/2023 7:01 am
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Why don't we have hot & cold water outside taps in the UK, perfect for winter clean ups 🤷🏻‍♂️


 
Posted : 20/04/2023 7:19 am
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If I'm reading this right, why not just join directly to the lead? The existing plastic is irrelevant and can be replaced (ideally replace the lead too)
Make sure that you insulate it as well


 
Posted : 20/04/2023 8:00 am
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Why don’t we have hot & cold water outside taps in the UK, perfect for winter clean ups 🤷🏻‍♂️

I do and a big Belfast sink, one of the best things we ever did.


 
Posted : 20/04/2023 8:19 am
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If I’m reading this right, why not just join directly to the lead? The existing plastic is irrelevant and can be replaced (ideally replace the lead too)
Make sure that you insulate it as well

Yes and if you can't get it back to the source to replace can you get to it outside the building to put a leadlock on to convert to copper/mdpe in current sizes and take it to somewhere you want it. Outisde tap fed from inside maybe?


 
Posted : 20/04/2023 9:17 am

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