We knew our water main pipe installation wasn’t going to be easy. If fact connecting the mains water supply into the house was going to be a mammoth task.
When living the ‘Good Life’ in France, there are a few basic essentials. High up on that list is drinking water. Unfortunately our Grande Maison was only connected to a spring water supply.
Although all of our neighbors were connected to this spring water supply it is now law to be connected to mains water in France.
Spring Water Tap
Our only water source was outside in boiler shed that had previous been home to donkeys and goats.
Incoming Water Supply
The water company came whilst we were in the UK to dig a trench. Unfortunately, when they dug a trench and laid a pipe and put in a new stop cock they didn’t update the cadastral maps very accurately. Also, these maps take countless weeks to be processed by the local government. When laying pipes in the UK contractors, would put meshing 20cm below the surface to indicate pipes were below the surface. In France they purely rely on the accuracy of these maps, so often; as in this case; no mesh is laid. The pipe was laid 30cm deep in places, without protective plastic trunking. This isn’t below the frost barrier.
Normally for an area at nearly 2,000 feet, that regularly hits -10°C each winter, I’d expect trunking, mesh, and a depth of closer to 60cm. Although they came out quickly, their workmanship was fairly unimpressive.
You’ll see in later vlogs the trouble we had with the water companies installation.
Hand Digging Trenches
We needed to dig our trenches by hand. With only basic tools we had to smash our way through 3 feet thick dry stone walls into 160 year old caves.
France was in the middle of a heatwave, neither of us knew anything about plumbing and the ground we were digging probably contained our fosse septic.
Drilling Through One Meter Thick Dry Stone Walls
Our first attempt at drilling through the granite wall went disastrously wrong. The second, wasn’t much better. They say practice may perfect?
Hoses and Connectors
The plastic hose is 25mm. We intend to bury it 50cm deep in trunking. Inside the trunking will be insulation. Above the insulation 20cm below the surface will be plastic mesh. We have been warned the water pressure in the area is incredible. We have that excitement ahead!
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