Hi,
I got a quote to do this as I'm converting a hosue into to 2 flats, the cost was over =A32.5k! I was told that I may be able to split to current supply and not need a second supply pipe. Does anyone know how I would go about investigating if I do indeed require a second pipe or if the pressure formt he existing pipe is sufficient. I've spoken to the water company who say that in some cases a single supply pipe can service 3 houses. any feedback greatly appreciated.
Well if NOT using mains pressure water, I would have thought a single pipe more than adequate.
Even in a pressurized system..well I was wondering why my pressurized system was behaving more like a tank in the loft. I mean it filed teh bath well enough but it wasn't GUSHING. I found later my wife had left the garden tap full on..
A lot depends on where you want to spend the money: on the extra pipe, or on separate header tanks and system boilers rather than e.g. a combi
- a beast I loathe - but which is a sensible and cost effective solution in a small flat that IS equipped with good mains water.
The pressure remains the same - it's the flow that might alter.
Well, you need to get their expertise on whether yours will be adequate.
Most wouldn't be happy with the use of water in different premises effecting theirs.
Plenty of houses are still on shared mains round here, in one case four two bedroomed cottages share the same supply
I live in a house that shares its supply with two others in the same terrace. There are six houses in the terrace and two incoming pipes.
When either neighbour turns on a tap or flushes the loo, the flow drops dramatically. If two other flows are turned on together, the flow drops - as you would expect - by about two thirds. There isn't much flow available at the best of times, so the reduction in flow is significant.
I would have liked to fit a combi boiler without a hot water storage tank but this problem put me off because of likely problems when taking a shower. The change in flow is probably more than a shower mixer could safely cope with.
I investigated the possibility of a new water main at my place (old house converted to five flats) when the side path was being dug up for something else. Dropped the idea when I was told that each flat would need its own incoming main (so that they can be metered and the water co. can cut the supply if you don't pay) and unless impossible to do otherwise, each flat's main must pass through common parts only, not another flat. So that was the end of that idea. And IIRC the water co. charge for inspecting the mains before backfilling and connecting would have been around £1000
the pressure\flow seems good (better than my current house) when I asked threevalleys for more info on the flow rate or pressure they said they had no information on that, just that my pipe is probably led and they will put in a 25mm, 1.0qn meter polythylene pipe to my boundary. so in fact its an upgrade and not an additional pipe.
That's got to be better than spending 2.5K but I wonder if, knowing that it's going to supply two households, Threevalleys could be pursuaded to put in an even bigger pipe to the boundary, particularly if you offer to pay the difference? Wouldn't do any harm to ask and if both flats have combi boilers, it might pay to have as good a supply as possible. Just a thought.
Tim
My supply is shared between a group of 4 houses. Lead, and of a bore size around the same as a 15mm pipe. The old lead pipes inside the house were the same outside diameter, but thinner walls, meaning that the supply pipe was a smaller bore than the original house pipes, which surprised me. Of course the orginal plumbing would have been gravity fed. The pressure I get for a combi seems fine, and not affected much by other neighbours, but they are all old people. The water authority turned up the pressure last year, and all my taps started dripping ! Simon.
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