Soil in Mains Water, but no leak... Advice? I live in Killiney, Dublin.

J

johnnyapple

Registered User
Messages
25
Hello,

I have had problems with my mains water, which invariably contains soil particles... from where I don't know. I'm at a loss to explain it, as I have been told there is no leak on my side of the pipeline, and the neighbours water is fine. When the leak detection guy came over, he shut off, and then reopened the outside stopcock to check for the leak, which he said didn't exist. Strangley enough, for a few days after that, the water was the best and cleanest it had ever been inside the home, but then it reverted back its 'old self.' The dirt has been in it for some years now, and I can't believe that the local water can be that bad (I live in Killiney, Dublin) especially when it seems to be the case exclusively to my property!

This soil problem has wreaked havoc on the hot water system in the house, the electric shower, and is just foul really overall. I wonder if it has anything to do with the pavement stopcock, as it is filled with soil and other detritus (though I would imagine stopcock upkeep ain't common). Maybe someone could enlighten me here, or perhaps have a similar story?
 
I would suggest you have a water filter fitted first and do the investigation later.
 
I suggest you get your water tested first and then decide how best to rectify the problem.
 
I had a water filter fitted (a sediment filter) some time back, and the filter element turned brown very quickly. I have tried flushing out the rising main by disconnecting the supply hose to the washing machine and letting it flow at full pressure into the sink for a few minutes. This works wonders, as for a few days the water is noticeably cleaner all over the house. After this period though, it just reverts back to 'unclean mode' again.

This tells me that it probably is not the area's water with the problem, but surely my supply line. But if I have no leak on my property, then I don't know. This is causing a lot of distress in the house, I mean nobody wants to shower in sediment filled water, much less use it for drinking and cooking, it causes sore, itchy eyes and skin discomfort. The county council have been no help to me either. It's really awful to live with this sorry water supply, however its caused.
 
Galway has a similar problem,r u sure its not human soil.
 
Johnnyapple, the problem is problably that you are on the end of a main and there isn't enough flow to clean the main. you should ask the local water inspector to scour the main (ie flush it out) and see if that improves the situation. if you are on a dead leg of a watermain, the problem will recur after a while, but just keep getting the council to scour the main.
 
@ NiallA; Would the pressure in the house be any indicator of this? We have pretty high mains pressure, and we're not at the very end of the road. There is a castiron cover outside the house (not the stopcock, a much bigger one)... could this be covering a hydrant that they would flush?
 
The pressure wouldn't be any indication.

the cover for a hydrant is usually about the size of an A4 page. they are often used for scouring but are not ideal. a scour valve is usually what is required. there is usually a marker plate on the wall or nearby. ScV means scour valve or SV is a sluice valve (this is a vavle which closes off the water main and can be used to separate water management zones).
 
I rang the council earlier today to get them to flush the hydrant, and everything was sorted until they realised I was part of a small area that gets dealt with by a different branch, so I was referred to a this branch that deals with my specific estate. The guy who works the phones there is complete ignorant prick with a woefully aggressive attitude, I remember I had to deal with him a while ago on the same matter i.e. dirty water.

Bottom line is, he says (more like spits at me) 'they'll have a look'.... but he never did ring me back, just like that previous time. These guys don't sound like they're gonna help me out and do this for me... and the indications are that it badly needs to be. I have one of those A4 sized metal plates in front of our house, so I guess we're just unluckily situated, and get all the crud buildup.

NiallA, would there be any effective way to get this bloke to send someone to scour the main? I mean, I don't exactly sound like I know what I'm on about! Today, I just suggested broadly to flush the nearest hydrant, but I'm sure with this guy I'll get a funny reaction off him if I get that specific. Thanks for the original advice, I think I finally know why our water is so changeable now.
 
in Killiney, you would be in Dun laoire Rathdown Area, if you PM me your details, i will contact someone i know there to see if they can help.
 
johnny, i got your PM, i'll ring my contact on monday (i wasn't in work today) and let you know how i got on.
 
Thanks for the help. The sediment/silt problem is back only three days after the mains was flushed, its terribly frustrating. Anyhow, as you said, you'll let me know. Cheers mate.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top