Plumbers experience needed

[devonwoody]

I have just had a water meter fitted, (the boggers wanted £916 per year for water without a meter this year :roll: )
and one of my neighbours in the road said, watch out John, five people in the road have had burst watermains since having a water meter fitted.

So I have got a quote from an insurance company that specialise in water and sewerage damage.
BUT one clause says, day to day maintenace of burst underground water supply pipe is not covered.

If my property is 45 years old with a copper mains pipe to the property, if it bursts, can they say, well what do you expect after 45 years, we are not a maintenance company insurer?
Thereby avoiding a claim.!

 

[Argee]

..... five people in the road have had burst water mains since having a water meter fitted.

..... BUT one clause says, day to day maintenace of burst underground water supply pipe is not covered.

If my property is 45 years old with a copper mains pipe to the property, if it bursts, can they say, well what do you expect after 45 years, we are not a maintenance company insurer?

Can you be a little more specific, DW? In my book, the water main is the supply, owned by the Water Company, which runs along the road. All and any bursts there are down to them anyway.

The supply to your house (i.e. your side of the stop-****) is, I think, down to you and - no matter what the pipe is made of, copper, plastic, etc. - replacement is your responsibility.

Presumably, the companies who provide specialist insurance are only there to cover that bit, aren't they? How, then, can they say that a burst in "their bit" isn't covered?

Are you sure, finally, that your buildings insurance doesn't cover it, or could cover it for an additional premium?

Ray.

 

[Digit]

In this area DW the water is very soft, ie, acid. I replumbed when we moved in and none of the old pipe showed any sign of failure after more than 40 years, and here I am at the bottom of a Cwm with the pumping station at the top so water pressure is callosal!
If yours is a hard water area furring is more likely to be a problem I would have thought.
If you have a galvanised supply pipe then that is a different matter, unfortunately, as they definitely corrode on the outside at least. And thereby hangs a tale!
Before I retired I was servicing domestic appliances and have seen hundreds of houses and never a failure due to age. Others may have different experiences of course but that's my two penny worth.

Roy.

 

[devonwoody]

Yes Ray, I am only interested in the bit from the stopcock to my property.

Studied my buildings insurance and they say my mains are insured as above but the wording implies "accident" and its in the accident extension of policy, but still concerned that at 45 years its maintenance that could be the problem if it goes.
So any plumbers with experience of underground copper piping re maintenance?
Also the usual exclusion if any other company as covered the subject my own insurance is invalid.

Yes Roy, we are softer than you lot in Wales.

 

[StevieB]

Why would fitting a water meter in the road outside at the site of your current stopcock increase the chance of a burst your side of the stopcock? A meter does not increase flow or pressure on the house side if at all.

Where were the other 5 bursts? Underground, at the meter, in the house? Got any proof of the 5 bursts rather than what your neighbour tells you? Seems a high enough incidence that the water company would take an interest if its true....

Steve.

 

[devonwoody]

I later learnt from the meter fitters that there were properties that had black plastic pipe used instead of copper on some of the later builds, and I think they were in the area of the bursts.

Could be that the main stopcock had the tap turned on higher than previously before meter was fitted.

(I had a plastic flange go the other week in my showerheater unit, and I also burst two hoselock plastic fittings last week when using the water pressure machine hosing down my masonry walls.)