EXPLORE YOUR WATER
From the water main.
Into your home.
Understand the equipment, who looks after it and when to bring in a plumber.
One continuous plumbing film · Jump to a chapter
LESSON 1 · THE WATER SUPPLY TO YOUR HOME
Follow water into your home.
Follow the pencil from the public main to the external stop tap, meter where fitted, supply pipe and internal stop valve. Understand who looks after each part and when to call a plumber.
Read the transcript
Water main & connection · 0:00
Welcome to the home of EPHG. Let’s follow the water supply into this house, one part at a time.
The public water main distributes drinking water through the local network. It is maintained by the water company and often runs beneath the road.
A smaller connection, called the communication pipe, links the main to the property’s supply. The water company normally maintains this section.
External stop tap · 0:39
Near the boundary there may be an external stop tap beneath a small cover. It allows the supply to be isolated for work. Ask your water company about problems with its valve; a shared valve may also affect neighbours.
Water meter · 0:57
Where a water meter is fitted, it records the volume passing through it, not the water pressure. One cubic metre is one thousand litres. Meter locations and household charging arrangements vary. Contact your water company about meter faults or readings.
Private supply pipe · 1:17
The private supply pipe continues towards the house. The property owner normally maintains this pipe, usually from the property boundary. The position of the meter does not prove where responsibility changes. Shared supplies can mean shared responsibility.
Inside stop valve · 1:37
Inside the home, the internal stop valve controls the incoming mains water. It is often under the kitchen sink, but its position varies. This valve and the home’s plumbing are normally the property owner’s responsibility.
Know where your internal stop valve is before a leak happens. If it is stuck or leaking, contact a plumber rather than forcing it. Stored water can remain in tanks and pipework after the incoming supply is closed.
If several neighbours lose water or pressure together, check your water company’s service updates and contact them. They can help establish whether a problem is on the network or the private supply.
For a leaking private supply pipe, a faulty internal valve, or repairs to your home’s plumbing, use a qualified plumber experienced in that work. If you rent, contact your landlord or managing agent.
The next film will follow the water beyond the stop valve to the fixtures and systems inside the home. Find the series through Explore your water.
Sources and supply arrangements
This film illustrates one house on a public water supply. The cutaway reveals equipment for explanation; pipe routes, burial depths and component positions are not installation instructions. The external stop tap and meter, where fitted, sit below a cover in this example. The internal stop valve is shown inside a cupboard within the house.
Ownership and maintenance arrangements vary. The property boundary is shown separately from the meter; meter position alone does not identify the responsibility boundary. Shared supply pipes can involve joint responsibilities. Private water supplies, flats, common areas and unusual connections need their own arrangements confirmed. Contact the water company and an appropriately experienced plumber if unsure.
A meter measures volume, not pressure. Meter location and household charging differ across the UK. The example does not assume that every property has a meter or separate external stop tap. The film explains the components without showing excavation, disassembly or valve operation.
The coloured-pencil passes show example materials: blue plastic supply pipe and copper pipework indoors. Materials vary between properties. Colour does not establish ownership or identify a service on its own; copper is also used for heating and gas. The public main is left in graphite because its material is not specified.
- Ofwat: responsibility for water pipes — England and Wales.
- Ofwat: connection terms and ownership boundaries (PDF).
- Scottish Water: your pipes and responsibilities.
- NI Water: responsibility for repairing leaks.
- Cambridge Water: external and internal stop taps.
- Wessex Water: finding and reading a meter.
- NI Water: meter readings and suspected faults.
- Scottish Water: household meters.
- Ofwat: water pressure and locating a problem.
- Thames Water: no water or low pressure.
- Kalsi: blue MDPE pipe for underground drinking-water supplies.
- Cambridge Water: identifying pipe materials.
- Wednesbury: copper tube applications (PDF).
WHEN YOU NEED A PLUMBER
Understanding can lead
to the right help.
Tell us what is happening at your property. We’ll explain our plumbing service, check availability for your location and discuss the charges before a booking.