Grange PlumbingThe short answer
A standard domestic water main replacement of 15–25 metres is normally completed in a single day from start to finish — including digging the two small pits, moling the new MDPE pipe through, connecting at both ends, pressure testing and reinstating the pits. The actual moling shot itself takes about 20–40 minutes.
Day before: the site survey (30–60 minutes)
We visit, walk the route, locate the existing stopcock and any other services (gas, electric, telecoms) using a CAT and Genny, and agree the exact entry and exit pit positions. You get a fixed written quote. Nothing is dug yet.
Hour 0–2: digging the two access pits
On the day, we hand-dig two small pits — typically about 600mm × 600mm × 1m deep. One sits over the external stopcock at the boundary, the other inside your boundary close to where the new pipe will enter the house. That's the only excavation. Your driveway, lawn and paving everywhere else stay untouched.
Hour 2–3: setting up and launching the mole
The pneumatic mole — a torpedo-shaped tool about a metre long — is set up in the entry pit, lined up with a laser-style sight, and connected to a compressor. It's fired horizontally through the ground towards the exit pit, hammering its way through the soil. For a 15–25m run, the actual mole shot takes 20–40 minutes.
Hour 3–4: pulling the new pipe through
Once the mole reaches the exit pit, the new MDPE pipe (usually 25mm or 32mm blue MDPE) is attached to the rear of the mole and pulled back through the bore. The result is a brand-new continuous pipe between the two pits, with zero damage to anything in between.
Hour 4–6: connections and pressure test
We connect the new pipe to the water company's communication pipe at the stopcock end, and to your internal plumbing inside the house. The system is pressure-tested to confirm there are no leaks, chlorinated and flushed, then your supply is switched over. Water back on the same day.
Hour 6–8: backfill and reinstate the pits
The two pits are backfilled and tamped down. Turf, paving or tarmac over the pits themselves is reinstated — often the same day for smaller pits, sometimes the following day if a slab needs to be laid back. Beyond the two pits there is nothing else to reinstate, which is the whole point.
When jobs take longer
Most domestic jobs are done in a day. They go longer when: the run is over 25m (some shots need to be split), the ground is very rocky or full of buried obstacles, multiple services cross the route, or the connection at the house is awkward (concrete floor, no easy entry point). We always tell you up front in the quote if we expect more than a single day.
How we can help
We carry out moling jobs across Sussex and Surrey every week — typically same-day, fixed price, no call-out fees. Call or WhatsApp 07894 956041 for a free site visit.
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Free site visit, fixed written quote, no call-out fees — across Sussex & Surrey.