Gas or water main?

[SuperPav]

So... can anyone tell if this is (as I first assumed, and hope) a water pipe, or a gas pipe? Was just about to tap into this to re-route the internal stop cock to a new space in the house with MDPE, when I got concerned it might be a gas pipe instead of a water one, before i took the hacksaw to it.

 

I've tried running the water and stopping/starting a hose to see if I get any hammering, but not sensing anything obvious, and it's such a big pipe I don't think that the flow in the hose is enough to create much of a disturbance.

 

Based on its location on the property, it seems to be roughly pointing towards the Severn Trent stop cock in the road (approx 10m away, but under a wall/pavement so can't dig all the way to it), and is parallel to the wall, rather than perpendicular which is what I'd expect the gas main to be, taking the shortest route to the road (house is on a corner plot).

 

It's approx 35mm in diameter, approx 450mm depth, and looks to be steel (or iron) coated in a black rubbery thing which i've scraped off. It's not lead. It's also not rusty but does oxidise where I've taken the rubber back. House is 1950's, current stop cock in the house rises up in lead, but is right near the gas entry point to so doesn't really help.

 

I'd really want to avoid having to dig it the entire length to where it should enter the house, as that part of the site is a bit inaccessible, and could do with moving the water ASAP to crack on inside, but will do if there's no easy way to tell if it's gas or water....

 

Pav

 

 

[markc]

Turn taps off, hold ear to the pipe and listen, then get someone to turn a or some taps on, if you hear the flow it’s water. If not then probably gas.

[ProDave]

And use a stick to listen with to save sticking your head down in the trench.

[SuperPav]

7 minutes ago, ProDave said:

And use a stick to listen with to save sticking your head down in the trench.

Tried that, can't hear it. The proviso is we only have one outlet off the current supply inside (hooked up to a garden hose!), and it's quite restricted, so i'm not sure how much flow you need to be able to hear it through a big steel pipe.

 

Sounds like i'll need to dig it further to see whether it joins the gas or the water inside....