Water Supply Problems & Procedures Before Calling An Emergency Plumber
Martin Smith explains water supply problems for example: the water is on from the outside stop tap valve, however there is no water passing through the internal mains water stopcock inside.
In the picture to the right explains about the depth, the boundaries, who responsible, qualifications to work when there is water supply problems and what we are not supposed to do. Just below is a series of questions listed and answered in the paragraphs further down. We hope the water supply problems becomes a good read and please share this amongst many others.
17 Questions of water supply problems
- I have no water coming into my house, what could this be?
- Both external stopcock and internal stopcock are both on but no water?
- What should I do if the water supply is off in the area?
- Should I be given notice of the water board before they turn the water off?
- How would I know my pipes under the ground are collapsed?
- What happens if my water supply has collapsed and who do I need to fix it?
- What is the name for the qualification to work on under ground pipe in domestic properties?
- How do I become a member of the Wras approved to fit a water supply in a domestic house?
- Can an emergency plumber repair my underground water supply problems without being qualified Wras approved?
- No water coming through my taps, could this be a burst pipe and how do I find this out?
- I think I may of gone through my water supply pipe in my garden, how deep should it be?
- What colour water mains pipe should I have as my supply?
- What is the size of my water supply coming into my house?
- What is the name for my water supply pipe?
- What does MDPE stand for?
- The colour of my mains water supply is discoloured, why is this?
- How do I know if I have a blockage in my water supply?
- I have slow water in my supply, how can I make this better?
17 Answers, when it comes to water supply problems
I have no water coming into my house, what could this be
If you have no water coming into the house then the first thing to do is to check all taps from the kitchen, bathroom and any outside supply pipe such as the bib tap for gardening or washing your van with a hosepipe. If all of these areas have no water coming through, then check that the internal stop tap is turned anti clockwise into the on position, if this is still not working with no supply of water coming through, then you need to do the same to the external stop tap.
Both external stopcock and internal stopcock are both on but no water
If both internal mains water stopcock and external stopcock are both on, then it may be an idea to call one of your neighbours, to find if there water is also off, just incase the water in the area has been turned off. If your on a shared stopcock, then you will require to ask one of the neighbours outside the shared stop tap valve for example: across the road or at the worse situation, on the next street.
What should I do if the water supply is off in the area
If the water supply is off to the area, this is most likely going to be because the water supply has been switched off.
Should I be given notice of the water board before they turn the water off
Before the water board turns off the water for any maintenance work, you should get a letter or leaflet explaining that the water is going off and may be off between certain times. If you have not received a letter or leaflet from the water board of notice, then you may call the water board, which they will explain, what is going on. The reason they send out notices is because, firstly and most importantly, to let you know what is happening with the water supply, but also to stop a high volume of calls calling the water board. One reason the water board may not send you a letter out is because of immediate emergency reasons that the water has to be turn off such as a burst pipe in the road, however making a call to the water board will confirm this for your area when it comes to water supply problems.
How would I know my pipes under the ground are collapsed
Knowing the pipework is collapsed is not easy at all and most possible the hardest to detect when it comes to water supply problems. To confirm that your water supply has collapsed, first the emergency plumber will find out if the water is getting to your stop valve by undoing the nut under the stopcock internally to the house, if there is no water coming through and the stop tap valve appears to be on, then the water board will come out and make further tests on the outside stop tap valve to find out if the problem is on there side. This will confirm that the water supply is most likely collapsed.
What happens if my water supply has collapsed and who do I need to fix it
If your water supply is collapsed and is causing a problem, you will require a plumber that is qualified to replace the water supply under the ground or if they are not qualified, the area has to be fully visible until someone would come along to pass it has safe and fitted correctly and sign the job off, so that any further work required, can be completed.
What is the name for the qualification to work on under ground pipe in domestic properties
The name of the qualification you need when replacing the water mains ready for the water board is know has being Wras Approved.
How do I become a member of the Wras approved to fit a water supply in a domestic house
To become a member of the Wras approved to fit a water supply in the domestic house, the best way to find the information and fill in a form is to type in the search engineer ‘application for membership of the water industry approved plumbers scheme’.
Can an emergency plumber repair my underground water supply problems without being qualified Wras approved
It is preferred that a Wras approve plumber fixes the water leak to make sure that all the water supply fills within guidelines, however due to there not being enough approved emergency plumbers, it is fair to say that a non-approved emergency plumber can make a repair, but it is always good to try and keep pictures to make sure the work has been done correctly for any future problems were to arise. Any work that has been done incorrectly will be the responsibility of the emergency plumber, unless stated as a temporary plumbing situation and a further fix is required.
No water coming through my taps, could this be a burst pipe and how do I find this out
If you have no water coming through the taps and want to find out if this is a burst pipe under the ground, then check for water coming up outside, in the line of the water supply. If there is no visible means, then use a long screw drive or anything else long and place on the outside stop tap valve and listen for passing water. If you can hear water passing through, then you will require an emergency plumber and you have a burst pipe.
I think I may of gone through my water supply pipe in my garden, how deep should it be
If you find yourself gardening or doing any work in the garden, as long as you keep within 750mm you should be ok, but if not, then the water supply is to close to the ground and you may end up with a burst pipe in the garden. Sometimes this can happen when a drive or garden has been lowered and to know fault of the approved plumber who had installed the water supply in the first place.
What colour water mains pipe should I have as my supply
Depending on the date of the water supply being fitted, the colour of the water supply should be blue, an older pipe before the blue MDPE would of been Black. Black MDPE was hard to acknowledge what the pipe was used for, which is the reason the black pipe was replace with blue MDPE.
What is the size of my water supply coming into my house
If your in a standard domestic property, the size of the water supply will either be 20mm or 25mm MDPE.
What is the name for my water supply pipe
The name for the water supply pipe that comes into the property is known as MDPE.
What does MDPE stand for
MDPE stands for ‘Medium-density polyethylene’
The colour of my mains water supply is discoloured, why is this
If you have discoloured mains water supply, this may either be due to the the mains water supply being turned off or some general maintenance has been done on the water supply. This can be cured by running the tap until the water becomes clean. If the water coming through the supply mains water still persists to be dirty after 10-minutes of running, then it may be a good idea to call the water board and explain what is happening. They may explain what is going on in the area or come out to investigate. It may be possible that you require an emergency plumber.
How do I know if I have a blockage in my water supply
Sometimes when there has been work in the area, you may end up with a blockage. Unless you proof that the blockage is not your fault and lies within your property, this may require an emergency plumber to solve the issue. In some circumstance by using a powerful jet of water or a pump, you may be able to get rid of the blockage, under the worse circumstance when having water supply problems, you may need to dig up the water supply.
I have slow water in my supply, how can I make this better
In some houses and areas, there may be slow water pressure to the mains water supply. This may be down to old lead pipe that may need to be replace or there is a problem in the area. It is best to call the water board for this situation to find out what the problem is. Is also a good idea to check with your next door neighbour the litres per minute to compare. If the problem is with the property then you may need an emergency plumber to solve your issue
If you require an emergency plumber to solve your water supply problems, then please feel free to give Martin Smith a call on the above number of who will send out an emergency plumbing engineer out to you straight away. We run a nation business, so no matter where you are, within reason we will get someone out to you right away. If your an emergency plumber reading this, please feel free to join our plumbing register and we will send you jobs your way.
