Help! Running Water

[Mark]

So then, I had a card through the door today saying Thames Water have found a leak in my supply pipe! Deja Vu running wild.

If there is a leak, then they would have to have been trespassing on private land to find it (the card implies its in the ssupply pipe, which goes in via the back garden). However, I'll let them off with that one on the grounds that any leak in the supply pipe now would almost certainly be due to their own contractors either causing further damage or not fixing the original problem. Either way they're not going to like it.

[Nutcase]

As you say, an "acceptable" tresspass, although they may have just used listening devices on the pipes and narrowed it down to your property.

[Mark]

Or just carded all eight properties fed from the supply pipe that goes around the back. I'll find out Tuesday and I'm certainly hoping that if there is any leak it's the result of the work last time.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Mark

Or just carded all eight properties fed from the supply pipe that goes around the back.

This! Except there are actually two supply pipes. One goes down by the garages and serves houses 9-17, and one goes down by my house and does 1-7. Both pipes have covers in the street which is how the engineer found the leak. No trespassing then.

It looks like both pipes have rusted out, probably as a result of the back garden turning into a swamp. Will probably have to get the landlord involved with that in the summer. Maybe the drain has collapsed, or maybe it's just old age (the pipes around here are nearly 50 years old and there have been several recent leaks around the site).

I gave the engineer access to the back garden and we traced it to numbers 9 or 11. 5-7 (mine) was repaired last November, and it looks like 1-3 has been done since. I suggested they ought to replace the whole pipe run but no doubt they'll just patch again, which probably means several more years of this, and no doubt that the pipe on my side of the supply tap will eventually suffer the same fate (that will cost me).

Still, it's not me, this time. Aaaand relax!

[Stan_Lite]

On a related note, the guy from downstairs knocked on the door this morning to complain of water coming through his bathroom ceiling. He'd mentioned it a few months ago but I couldn't see anything then.
I checked a bit more thoroughly this time and the connection from our washing machine hose to the feed pipe was leaking. I've switched off the valve until I get a new hose and given him the details of the letting agents in case he wants to make a claim. He says he's going to let it dry out and see if there's any permanent damage. If there's no permanent damage, he says he won't make a claim. I'm sure the landlady's insurance will cover it anyway if he does.