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Thames Water at midnight
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roz


Posts: 1,796
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #1
16-07-2011 07:54 AM

I heard some funny noises outside in the early hours of Friday morning (12.30am) with what sounded like tools being dropped. Thinking my car was about to be stolen ( I once caught someone trying to get the wheels off a neighbours BMW at 3am) I carefully looked outside and saw several young men walking up and down the road poking into the water supply connections in the pavement. Very noisily.!
Not sure why they were doing this?
Is it common practice to carry out inspections at midnight/through the night?

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brian


Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #2
16-07-2011 08:19 AM

I assume it was an emergency. Are you sure TW men and not a cover for a robbery.

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Applespider


Posts: 285
Joined: Feb 2006
Post: #3
16-07-2011 08:21 AM

Regular inspections - no.

But if there is a burst main in the vicinity or other emergency, that might mean doing spot checks on other pipes in the area.

I've had the electricity workers suddenly show up at 1am and start work outside the house to fix some problem.

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roz


Posts: 1,796
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #4
16-07-2011 07:45 PM

The reason I looked out the window was that I did think someone was up to something. The two blokes were wearing TW yellow reflective vests but of course they could have been anybody. It just seemed so unusual- how would you detect a leak by looking into the small lid on the pavement elsewhere? Of course I probably know nothing about water supplies so it could be possible.

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Perryman


Posts: 820
Joined: Dec 2006
Post: #5
16-07-2011 10:28 PM

leak noise correlation - listen to the leak from 2 separarte points and you can work out how far along the pipe the hole is.
I guess it helps to listen at night when water usage and traffic are low.

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roz


Posts: 1,796
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #6
16-07-2011 10:32 PM

Interesting however theres no leak here or anywhere within a few miles at least....

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bensonby


Posts: 32
Joined: Dec 2010
Post: #7
16-07-2011 10:36 PM

I was once walking home at about 11pm at night and saw a couple of blokes fiddling with the manhole covers. I challenged them (I thought they were stealing manhole covers for the scrap metal to be honest) and they had TW ID, a TW van parked around the corner and all the proper equipment and paperwork so it seems they do do this sort of thing late at night...

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dovetail


Posts: 42
Joined: Dec 2007
Post: #8
17-07-2011 01:28 AM

See recent discussion thread on the east dulwich forum.

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/...p?5,701068

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Applespider


Posts: 285
Joined: Feb 2006
Post: #9
17-07-2011 09:24 AM

Leaks aren't always visible - remember the one that apparently washed away the South Circular and shut London Road for a while. And Thames Water lose litres a day so I'd say it's highly likely that there are a few leaks around Forest Hill.

In fact, there's another slow leak on the South Circular at the moment outside the old barracks which I've reported twice to TW over the last 3 months. The water wells up from under some new tarmac that was put down to fill a large pothole in the bus lane. But since I can't give them the exact postcode, it appears the telephone bods can't pass it on properly.

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michael


Posts: 3,255
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #10
17-07-2011 11:28 AM

If you need the postcode SE23 3HF is the Lemon Grove and most of the high street.

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dbboy


Posts: 201
Joined: Feb 2009
Post: #11
17-07-2011 02:36 PM

Roz, if you were suspicious please call the police in future, the police won't mind attending, I think the alternative non emergency number is 101.

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Sherwood


Posts: 1,412
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #12
17-07-2011 03:30 PM

They do use metal rods to listen for leaks. It is actually in a Sherlock Holmes story!

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blushingsnail


Posts: 371
Joined: Dec 2005
Post: #13
18-07-2011 09:26 AM

I think they're checking for leaks on domestic pipes, not the main pipes. We had them in our road a few years ago, although I don't remember if it was after midnight.

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Triangle


Posts: 133
Joined: May 2007
Post: #14
18-07-2011 10:16 AM

Has anyone else received a pamphlet from Thames Water confirming that they (Thames Water) are now responsible for the section of drain which runs from the boundary of a property to the main sewer under the road? (It's also mentioned on the TW website)

I was quite surprised to discover that until now my responsibility actually included the section of drain which runs under the pavement and partly out under the road too.

They initially say that this change of responsibility is good news for the property owner since they no longer have to worry about the upkeep of the said section of drain - but then in the next paragraph (in the pamphlet) they say that they estimate that this change of responsibility will cost the property owner between £3 and £14 per year!

This is rather interesting because we are already paying some building insurance premiums to cover the cost of repairs to our drains - typically the section running from the house, under the garden to the boundary.

I wonder if the premium we have been paying up until now actually included the section that Thames Water are now taking over? And I wonder if the insurance companies will now revise their cover to exclude the said section?

One thing for sure, property owners now face the possibilty of paying twice for the upkeep of their drains.

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Sherwood


Posts: 1,412
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #15
18-07-2011 10:38 AM

It's even more complicated than that!

I will look up the rules when i have time.

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roz


Posts: 1,796
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #16
18-07-2011 01:28 PM

It is complicated- there are rules relating to the age of the property I think. I once owned a Victorian flat where the main sewer ran down through everyones gardens and TW tried to make us all responsible for leaks however this was easily challenged and withdrawn.

You can't suddenly without consultation change things in respect of water responsibilities without proper notification, if it is indeed possible to do so as legal agreements would be required.

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Sherwood


Posts: 1,412
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #17
18-07-2011 01:53 PM

These are guidelines.

If the property is built before 1st October 1937, and so long as there are two or more properties connected to the length of drain/sewer affected, it is the responsibility of the utilityb company to clear.

For properties built after 1st October 1937, all drains/sewers are the responsibility of the owner/occupiers and any other properties connected to it, unless it is the main sewer.

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dbboy


Posts: 201
Joined: Feb 2009
Post: #18
18-07-2011 02:57 PM

Have Thames Water checked every London properties Land Registry registration to check when each property was built.

Mayve this is related to TW attempt to offer householders insurance of water supply pipes to households which might be failing?

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rshdunlop


Posts: 1,111
Joined: Jun 2008
Post: #19
18-07-2011 03:10 PM

I had to repair the mains pipe to my property a few months ago, while it was still my responsibility. The household insurance covered it, but I had to pay a £100 excess. However, TW also hands out grants to make sure the repair is done - in my case I got about £200, so made £100 on the deal. The grant goes to the householder even if the work is paid for by insurance.

I assume the cost of those grants came out of our collective water bills - so thanks everyone! I also assume that not paying out those grants wil represent a saving, albeit a small one, under the new ownership rules.

Oh, and they identified the leak by listening through a rod. They said it is particularly hard to do when water usage is high and there is traffic. Hence the midnight listenings.

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Triangle


Posts: 133
Joined: May 2007
Post: #20
19-07-2011 08:37 AM

Sherwood: Thanks for guidelines - yes, complicated!

Two issues being discussed here - water supply and sewerage. I think the change of responsibility applies to sewerage only.

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