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Really odd metal pipe JUST under the surface...

Gaughan.davidGaughan.david Posts: 80
in Problem solving
So, I know this isn't necessarily the best place to post, but wondered if anyone might have a better idea than me.. 

I was just digging up some turf for a new bed, and as I started to break ground beneath it, I found this, not more than 20cm below the surface...


It feels like lead. It's pliable and moves quite a lot if I tug at it (which I did very gently might I add!).

So my house was built in the 1860s, and the pipe is pointing ROUGHLY at my gas meter, but I do know that my gas meter wasn't installed much more than 20 years ago- probably closer to 10. At which point they almost certainly wouldn't have been using lead, surely?!

It also looks almost like it's wrapped- there's a line running around it, almost in a spiral, but it's really hard to get a photo since it's so old and mud-caked.

A bit of a mystery. If there are any wise old heads I'd appreciate an opinion!

David
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Posts

  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    If it's of the original date, I'd say the only metal it could be is lead, and its contents were probably water with an outside possibility of gas?
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Lead was banned for new installations sometime in the 70’s, but older properties may still have it. It could have been used for water, gas lighting or electricity. It’s doubtful it’s still connected to your current supply of any of those utilities but not impossible. Is there an old water supply in the garden anywhere? Is it possible to dig around a bit more and trace it back to anything?
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • TheVanguardTheVanguard Posts: 136
    I found something similar in my front garden, like you a couple of inches below ground. 

    My house was built in the 1930’s

    Looked like lead and was tangled up in a tree root (the tree is pretty old and large at least a few decades old but I’m no expert). I just put it down to be a redundant utility pipe either gas or water?) 

    I suspect it will no longer be in use? 
  • Gaughan.davidGaughan.david Posts: 80
    Thanks everyone.

    I did a bit of cleaning and it does look like it's 'wrapped' in one of those black spiral things. Can't see it being an old garden electric supply, and it's definitely not the mains electric supply (that's the other side of the house).

    I'm just really hoping it's not gas, because having a gas pipe that close to the surface would be a real worry!

    I think I'll try to follow it tomorrow..
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    In a previous house the estate agent put his sign stake right through our gas pipe causing chaos on a main road into the city and evacuation of the street at rush hour. The modern ‘plastic’ pipe was less than eight inches below the surface ... and the sign was erected on a line directly between a metal gas plate on the pavement and our meter on the outside house wall.😱

    Needless to say the estate agent paid Transco’s bill and didn’t charge us a penny for selling the house. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    Would borrowing a metal detector help you @Gaughan.david? I have never used one so have no knowledge of their efficacy.
    Rutland, England
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    Our neighbor burned up the local cable internet connection a few months ago because it was so close to the surface when he burned weeds along his fence.  Melted it enough to disrupt the service to the communications box.  It was only a few inches below the soil.  
    Utah, USA.
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    To prevent freezing, some years ago I put a heating cable round our water pipe that runs just below the lawn's surface.  Needless to say, Murphy's Law has said we've never had to switch it on since but your mention of 'black spiral thing' rings a bell with me because our instructions were to spiral it round the pipe.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Electrical cables can be run/buried all over your property from the mains supply. We have garden lights about 30m away on the opposite side of the house to the electricity entry point. Is the black spiral thing that flexible plastic sheathing? We have that covering buried water and electric cables, very badly deteriorating in places and I do have to be careful when digging as the routes from the supply to the outlet are, somewhat quirky, shall we say! In some places, I have come across bare electric cables laid near the surface with no protection whatsoever. Scary!
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • SlumSlum Posts: 385
    I found an old water pipe that went from the house to a disused well right at the other end of the garden. It became redundant when mains water was fitted. 
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