Too much pressure!

[Bob Mannix]

Thames Water for one (and maybe others), in an attempt to meet their statutory requirements for reducing leaks, are reducing pressures down towards their statutory obligation to provide a minimum of 1Bar pressure (it's a lot cheaper than mending the pipes). In many areas this may mean a significant reduction. There have been complaints from London councils and the Fire Service already about reductions.

Does a possible drop in pressure to 1Bar make direct, pressurized hot water systems less attractive?

Discuss!

[Tony Bryer]

1 bar is only about 10m head, so you wouldn't get any water on the third floor of a block of flats.

[Andy Hall]

Depends on how much it affects the flow.

[Bob Mannix]

Clearly it is "where they can" but the prevailing movement is down. Someone asked the question at work so I did a Google search and found water user body meeting minutes etc., where it was clearly of great concern. The political point, of course, is that it is an example of the knock on effect of ill thought out government "targets" (ie the target was not to mend pipes but to reduce the amount lost through leakage).

Someone at work raised the question of mains pressure hot water systems as he was about to install one at the same time as he was noticing a drop off in pressure, thus making it on-topic for uk.d-i-y.