04/06/2026
Repairing a shared water supply pipe when those sharing it have different opinions and budgets for the work is always a challenge - as this week's Thursday Throwback shows 😳
A row of eight terraced cottages in London built in the 1800s were connected to the public water network by a 48-metre long shared supply pipe attached to the back of the buildings.
One of the cottages noticed their section was leaking. Lagging was removed, revealing several cracks and severe corrosion spread over the entire 48-metre line.
A new pipe was quoted at £22,000. £2,700 per cottage. Some could not afford or did not want to pay that, instead preferring to chance their sections would not deteriorate further.
Two cottages contacted Sylmasta for help. We sent an approved contractor to London.
Superfast Aqua PW Epoxy Putty sealed the cracks. Liquid Metal Epoxy Coating created a new, hard-wearing outer surface strengthening the brittle metalwork.
SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage was wrapped over the top to further protect the line with an impact-resistant, protective sleeve.
After watching the simplicity and effectiveness of the repair, a third cottage asked for their section to be refurbished. Several weeks later and a fourth cottage did the same. We had now repaired half the pipe.
It was a bit longer before a fifth cottage asked for help. 12 months passed when our contractors returned to site, finding a section of untreated pipe now with numerous cracks and so weakened that it was on the verge of collapse.
The condition of the pipe meant a repair was now far more challenging and costly than the protection and strengthening process the other four cottages had opted for a year previously.
Those four cottages benefited from taking action when they did - prevention always being better than a cure.
How long until cottages six, seven and eight need a Sylmasta pipe refurbishment? 👀
