Replacing Lead Pipes in York

How the job runs

• Route agreed and services scanned
• New MDPE pipe installed — moling is standard under drives and paths
• Internal connection to the stopcock, external connection at the boundary
• The water company transfers or renews their side per their scheme

Disruption, honestly

Expect a pit at the boundary, an entry point at the house, and the water off for an hour or two at connection. Moling avoids the trench; reinstating two pits is a far smaller job than relaying a driveway.

Choosing the route

Three ways in: mole along the old line (the default under anything paved), open-cut where the run is short and soft, or a new entry point — often better than following a lead pipe that runs under the house, and the moment to reroute anything an extension will later sit over.

Inside the house on the day

Expect the internal stopcock renewed with the connection, the water off for an hour or two, and a few minutes of cloudy water as air clears. Run the kitchen cold tap until it runs clear before drinking — normal commissioning, not a fault.

The old pipe stays in the ground — this is standard practice

Nobody excavates the length of the garden to remove dead lead: the old run is disconnected at both ends, capped, and abandoned in place — standard, safe and universal, because lead in soil beside a pipe is not lead in your glass. What matters is the disconnection being total: no forgotten tee still feeding an outside tap, no live stub behind the old stop tap. The completion photos worth keeping show both capped ends. If a future project ever unearths the old pipe, it can simply be scrapped — it causes no further issues.

Local water facts for York

Who owns which pipe in York: the supply pipe from the boundary stopcock into the property belongs to the property owner; the water main in the road and the communication pipe up to the boundary belong to Yorkshire Water. Contractors on WaterTrust handle the private side — for a fault on the company's side, report it to Yorkshire Water instead of paying anyone.

Common questions

Do I need the water company's permission?

You must follow their connection and notification process — contractors doing this weekly handle it, and the company's details for this area are below.

What pipe replaces the lead?

Blue MDPE, sized to the property — which often improves pressure and flow at the same time as removing the lead.

Should the internal plumbing change too?

If lead exists inside the property, plan its replacement as well; the supply pipe is the priority because all drinking water passes through it.

Can I replace just part of the lead run?

You can, but you shouldn’t — any lead left in the run continues to affect the water, and part-jobs rarely qualify for the company scheme. Full run or wait until you can.

How soon can we drink the water?

Same day — flush each cold tap for a few minutes first. New MDPE needs no curing time; the flush just clears installation debris and air.

Who is responsible for this work in York?

The supply pipe from the boundary stopcock into the property belongs to the property owner; the water main in the road and the communication pipe up to the boundary belong to Yorkshire Water. Contractors on WaterTrust handle the private side — for a fault on the company's side, report it to Yorkshire Water instead of paying anyone.

How do quotes work on WaterTrust?

You post the job once, free, with no account needed. Up to 4 vetted contractors covering York and the wider YO1, YO31, YO10, YO24, YO30, YO23, YO32, YO26, YO19, YO41 area contact you with quotes — you are never charged. You deal with the contractor directly — WaterTrust makes the introduction; it never resells or subcontracts your job.

Ready to get quotes?

Post the job free in about a minute. Up to 4 vetted contractors reply with quotes — no obligation.

Get quotes for replacing lead pipes in York

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