New water supply - plumber required?

[BotusBuild]

Apologies if this has been answered elsewhere, but my searches are obviously not good enough ...

 

I have a new water supply site survey arranged (for a single dwelling of 3 bedrooms), and some of the documents I've read on the SW Water website seem to indicate that a plumber is needed to provide the pipework from the property side, but this seems to be something that any competent DIYer can achieve.

My intention is only to connect to a stand pipe to start with (along with the appropriate non-return valve or check/double-check valve), and I figure I can dig a 750mm deep trench and drip a few metres of 25mm blue pipe for SWW to connect to their equipment.

 

My question therefore is - am I allowed to dig that trench and provide the short length of blue pipe?

Follow on question #1 - can someone point me at a specification for the width, depth of the trench and what infill should be used below and around the pipe (pea shingle?)

Follow on question #2 - can someone point me at the spec for the valve/s need on my side before I get to the standpipe?

 

Thanks

[ProDave]

Definitely yes in my experience.

 

Scottish Water do a "track inspection" before they will authorise connection.  My advice is connect ONLY a short length of pipe connecting to the site standpipe to make that inspection easy. Then you connect the house later when it is built with no further inspection.

[Redoctober]

As for the trench, I don't believe such things as pea shingle are required - see photo of ours installed by our plumber 18 months ago. The depth will depend on what else you plan to put in the trench.

[BotusBuild]

4 minutes ago, Redoctober said:

As for the trench, I don't believe such things as pea shingle are required - see photo of ours installed by our plumber 18 months ago. The depth will depend on what else you plan to put in the trench.

 

 

I see three "valves". Could you explain the one in the middle (the brass one). I assume the upper and lower ones are simple isolating valves.

[Simplysimon]

double check valve

[ProDave]

I just bought an MDPE check valve.

[PeterW]

For the sake of £30 and ease install, I would do it all in ducting and then you have a much reduced chance of damaging the pipe. 

[Redoctober]

27 minutes ago, Simplysimon said:

double check valve

 

Thanks as I don't have a clue on such matters. I just picked up the invoices!

[ToughButterCup]

9 hours ago, BotusBuild said:

[...]am I allowed to dig that trench and provide the short length of blue pipe?

[...]specification for the [...], depth of the trench and what infill should be used below and around the pipe (pea shingle?)

[...] can someone point me at the spec for the valve/s need on my side before I get to the standpipe?

 

Your  Utility company will answer all those questions (United Utilities in our case). For us the answers were;

• Yes.
• 900mm below ground level, with a protective wire reinforced  plastic mesh laid at 300mm below ground level. There was no infill spec. But the inspector suggested ' ... soft earth ...' Use ducting.
• You need a non return valve and a stop tap.

 

[Andrew]

We received the attached from United Utilities. Might be worth asking SW Water if they have a similar document.

A2 Temp to perm Wall Mounted (Normal).pdf

[recoveringbuilder]

This is the arrangement we were given by Scottish water for our standpipe (which never actually happened as they took so long to make the connection)

they were sticklers for how everything had to be done, 900mm down for the pipe , had to be through blue ducting with pea gravel and had to be in a straight line, we had it in a large sweeping curve to enter the house at the side but they wouldn’t pass it and we had to relay it in a straight line entering the building from the front.