Long story, power cuts and a water dowser.

[steveo]

Being a particularly sad individual, I collected some water and measured it. I got 9.75 FLoz in 1 minute. If my calculations are correct, that's a flow rate of 3.65 gallons per hour. I used a measuring jug, stopwatch and a calculator.

John Baker took about 30 seconds using two bits of metal and his brain to calculate the flow was "about 3 gallons per hour". He made his assumption whilst standing at the source in the middle of the road and couldn't see the water flowing form where he was. Pretty impressive.

 

[OldBlueLady]

What an absolute horror of a story, there are some great local historians about who might know of any past history of local springs and such like, some of them have maps going back centuries.

I hope you get it sorted - can't believe those of you saying get it repaired and moved, have you no conscience???

 

[MK Shrimper]

What an absolute horror of a story, there are some great local historians about who might know of any past history of local springs and such like, some of them have maps going back centuries.

I hope you get it sorted - can't believe those of you saying get it repaired and moved, have you no conscience???

Caveat emptor Kay.

I bought a money pit, this time I made sure that I checked everything out before contracts were exchanged. Full building survey, my vendors tried to hide some dodgy DIY wiring but I had it all checked out for £100ish and got £500 off the asking price as it cost me £1K to resolve.

 

[steveo]

What an absolute horror of a story,

Its not actually that bad OBL, once you accept the fact the water is just passing through its not really a problem. The conundrum is how to fix it but if John H20 Baker is as good as I hope, its now a matter of breaking the path, diverting the water to a drain about 4 foot away and making good.

It has certainly caused a lot of interest and speculation in the neighbourhood

 

[Special Blue]

The same thing happened to a neighbour of mine in Benfleet.
Always affecting the kitchen,Not sure if it was rectified! hope so as they have moved on and kitchens were ruined.
Hope it all works out well!

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

No update yet.

Do we need to send the RNLI out to search for steveo?

 

[steveo]

update - the chaps who are going to do the work are pretty busy for the next couple of weeks so expect more news nearer the end of the month. Until then the water continues to flow.

Apparently if I had it checked every 3 months for a year by the environment people, and it remained of a consistent quality, I would be able to sell it / drink it or do whatever with it.

 

[londonblue]

update - the chaps who are going to do the work are pretty busy for the next couple of weeks so expect more news nearer the end of the month. Until then the water continues to flow.

Apparently if I had it checked every 3 months for a year by the environment people, and it remained of a consistent quality, I would be able to sell it / drink it or do whatever with it.

I have to say, I'd be really tempted...you've got a free source of water, a few bottles and bob's your auntie's live-in lover.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

update - the chaps who are going to do the work are pretty busy for the next couple of weeks so expect more news nearer the end of the month. Until then the water continues to flow.

Apparently if I had it checked every 3 months for a year by the environment people, and it remained of a consistent quality, I would be able to sell it / drink it or do whatever with it.

Do it!:smile:

 

[Ricky Otto]

Only just come across this thread, I'm hooked! Looking forward to the next instalment!

 

[steveo]

Update - I forgot about this. Builders came round and dug up the path at the right side. All dry. Dug up the path at the front. All dry again. Lots of head scratching. One of the chaps went inside the hole in the all again and under the floor. We put a floodlight in. Crawled across the width of the house to the kitchen area. Large concrete slab there where the original boiler used to stand. Water all round it.

Next day, took up the kitchen floor. Took a breaker to the slab and broke it up. Between the slab and the wall was a gap about an inch wide. In this gap is a copper pipe pouring out water. Fixed the pipe job done.

Now this is where the quandary is. The water board, on a number of occasions tested the water and claimed it wasn't theirs. You may recall they couldn't find my supply on the first visit and after digging up the road fitted a new stopcock halfway down the path. They fitted a metre to this and it didn't show any use when we turned off all the tapes in the house. Which again proved the water wasnt theirs.

Call me dumb, but when a Company like Essex & Suffolk water, test the water and say it cant possibly come from them, you do tend to believe them - and I did so ruled out any burst pipes straight away.

So at some stage, when they couldn't find the supply did they run a new supply, and leave the old supply running and still leaking? On the upside, as it was a burst pipe I could get the insurance company interested as I had now spent about 2500 on digging and making good, although the repair to the pipe cost about a fiver to fix. My insurance company is Churchill and they were very quick to react, did not quibble about anything and could not have done any more to help me and squared everything up quickly so hats off to them.

Unfortunately, if Essex & Suffolk had identified the water on the first visit - in April - we could have looked at the problem in a different way i.e. kitchen floor up first, which would have saved a lot of block paving removal and refitting, concrete paths broken up, knocking a hole in the wall etc etc.

Although there is probably no mileage in it, I contacted E&S Water through their website. A lady from there phoned me yesterday and apologised for the delay but said they were carrying out further investigations and would have a written reply to me by Monday night.

 

[RHB]

Keep it coming Steveo, this is up there with MK's fridge.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Remind me to come back to this Monday - I'm not holding out too much hope!

 

[united we stand]

Update - I forgot about this. Builders came round and dug up the path at the right side. All dry. Dug up the path at the front. All dry again. Lots of head scratching. One of the chaps went inside the hole in the all again and under the floor. We put a floodlight in. Crawled across the width of the house to the kitchen area. Large concrete slab there where the original boiler used to stand. Water all round it.

Next day, took up the kitchen floor. Took a breaker to the slab and broke it up. Between the slab and the wall was a gap about an inch wide. In this gap is a copper pipe pouring out water. Fixed the pipe job done.

Now this is where the quandary is. The water board, on a number of occasions tested the water and claimed it wasn't theirs. You may recall they couldn't find my supply on the first visit and after digging up the road fitted a new stopcock halfway down the path. They fitted a metre to this and it didn't show any use when we turned off all the tapes in the house. Which again proved the water wasnt theirs.

Call me dumb, but when a Company like Essex & Suffolk water, test the water and say it cant possibly come from them, you do tend to believe them - and I did so ruled out any burst pipes straight away.

So at some stage, when they couldn't find the supply did they run a new supply, and leave the old supply running and still leaking? On the upside, as it was a burst pipe I could get the insurance company interested as I had now spent about 2500 on digging and making good, although the repair to the pipe cost about a fiver to fix. My insurance company is Churchill and they were very quick to react, did not quibble about anything and could not have done any more to help me and squared everything up quickly so hats off to them.

Unfortunately, if Essex & Suffolk had identified the water on the first visit - in April - we could have looked at the problem in a different way i.e. kitchen floor up first, which would have saved a lot of block paving removal and refitting, concrete paths broken up, knocking a hole in the wall etc etc.

Although there is probably no mileage in it, I contacted E&S Water through their website. A lady from there phoned me yesterday and apologised for the delay but said they were carrying out further investigations and would have a written reply to me by Monday night.

just came to this thread - its a great read (although I appreciate is must have been crap for you ). Was rather hoping that the wter diving bloke was going to be spotr on, but apprecaite tht from a monetary positiion this was the best outcome. It doesn't make any sense though re the water being tested - I don't understand that, and I am guessing a chlorine test is a pretty simple thing to do.

 

[Mad Cyril]

Are you going to try for a rebate from the water divining fella?

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Update - I forgot about this. Builders came round and dug up the path at the right side. All dry. Dug up the path at the front. All dry again. Lots of head scratching. One of the chaps went inside the hole in the all again and under the floor. We put a floodlight in. Crawled across the width of the house to the kitchen area. Large concrete slab there where the original boiler used to stand. Water all round it.

Next day, took up the kitchen floor. Took a breaker to the slab and broke it up. Between the slab and the wall was a gap about an inch wide. In this gap is a copper pipe pouring out water. Fixed the pipe job done.

Now this is where the quandary is. The water board, on a number of occasions tested the water and claimed it wasn't theirs. You may recall they couldn't find my supply on the first visit and after digging up the road fitted a new stopcock halfway down the path. They fitted a metre to this and it didn't show any use when we turned off all the tapes in the house. Which again proved the water wasnt theirs.

Call me dumb, but when a Company like Essex & Suffolk water, test the water and say it cant possibly come from them, you do tend to believe them - and I did so ruled out any burst pipes straight away.

So at some stage, when they couldn't find the supply did they run a new supply, and leave the old supply running and still leaking? On the upside, as it was a burst pipe I could get the insurance company interested as I had now spent about 2500 on digging and making good, although the repair to the pipe cost about a fiver to fix. My insurance company is Churchill and they were very quick to react, did not quibble about anything and could not have done any more to help me and squared everything up quickly so hats off to them.

Unfortunately, if Essex & Suffolk had identified the water on the first visit - in April - we could have looked at the problem in a different way i.e. kitchen floor up first, which would have saved a lot of block paving removal and refitting, concrete paths broken up, knocking a hole in the wall etc etc.

Although there is probably no mileage in it, I contacted E&S Water through their website. A lady from there phoned me yesterday and apologised for the delay but said they were carrying out further investigations and would have a written reply to me by Monday night.

If the water board are still insistent it isn't theirs, you should dig a well and take free water. You could probably even sell it to your neighbours.

 

[steveo]

Are you going to try for a rebate from the water divining fella?

80 quid cash Cyril. When I use my home made divine sticks it still shows water in exactly the same place, and other people have tried them with the same result. So it may be there but deeper than we dug.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

80 quid cash Cyril. When I use my home made divine sticks it still shows water in exactly the same place, and other people have tried them with the same result. So it may be there but deeper than we dug.

Maybe you need to dig all the way through to the southern Pacific Ocean?

 

[steveo]

Got the reply from Essex & Suffolk Water today - from their Durham office - well it would be stupid if you were based in the area you were serving. They outlined all the work they did and concluded that I have a private water supply which they don't know about - so its not their responsibility.

I was somewhat flabbergasted and having considered it I think I need to ask:

Who else is supplying water in this area?
Who am I paying for this private supply?

If there is a another provider and I do have a private supply I really need to get hold of them and square them up for the 25 years or so I've lived here.

****ing ridiculous.

 

[Benfleet A1]

Got the reply from Essex & Suffolk Water today - from their Durham office - well it would be stupid if you were based in the area you were serving. They outlined all the work they did and concluded that I have a private water supply which they don't know about - so its not their responsibility.

I was somewhat flabbergasted and having considered it I think I need to ask:

Who else is supplying water in this area?
Who am I paying for this private supply?

If there is a another provider and I do have a private supply I really need to get hold of them and square them up for the 25 years or so I've lived here.

****ing ridiculous.

Bottle it and fob it off as mineral water. After all, its a free supply and you have a letter to prove it. Get it tested and I'll send you my bill.

** The legal bit. If it is the real stuff then my bill will be a shed more than £80.**