Water pressure on shared supply

[mogga]

The top half of our street is affected by a prioblem with the shared supply pressure.

Pressure issues seems to stop some of them having particular types of boiler and showers just don't work.

When a neighbour puts a tap on the pressure drops even worse for some of them.

One I've measured does well less than the 9L a minute from the first tap.

United Utilities is saying it is cos the shared supply needs replacing and that it's the householders responsibility.

The water pressure used to be loads better until they 'improved' the mains a few years ago.

Have got local Cllrs on it - but am looking for anything useful you lot might have to say on the issue. :)

[harryagain]

[Roger Mills]

What size is the shared supply, and how many properties does it serve?

What is the static pressure when there's no flow?

Assuming that the basic mains pressure is ok, something must be restricting the flow. If it suddenly got worse when the mains supply was 'improved' it suggests that some sort of blockage was introduced at that time. Could it be as simple as a stopcock not turned on fully where the shared supply joins the mains?

[harryagain]

Going by the above the utility company may be right. Good community DIYproject!

[mogga]

One I know had UU out who dug up outside the house and put his finger over the end of the pipe and declared the pressure was fine - they came back and redug the hole to provide figures when that person complained ... They said it was fine at the street.

I know they said you can repipe your house and they'll connect for free at the street when we made enquiries about one property - but many of the houses have got solid floors so the work involved to go through seems enormous. Relaying the pipes the same way would just be silly if it's a altered drive that's affected the pipework as it could happen again? Especially if all three supply pipes go the same way.. (there are some 6 blocks too - so supple does 3 from each side)

[Artic]

mogga scribbled...

If you all applied for water meters, it would soon be sorted.

[mogga]

how?

[Artic]

mogga scribbled...

They'd dig up the road, discover the pipes reduce supply which would affect their profit....

Has anyone tried to get a price to upgrade the supply pipes?

[mogga]

I think £1000 between 3 "they have told 3 of us we need to put a pipe in to the mains which costs £1000 which we havent got" I'm assuming its not £1000 each.

[Artic]

mogga scribbled...

Seen this ?

[mogga]

UU have said people need a new supply as the shared one is causing the problems ... Not all houses on the street are affected, down this end it's not bad at all -

Ofwat is more specific that companies should maintain a minimum pressure in the communication pipe of seven metres static head (0.7 bar). The communication pipe comes off the water main and belongs to the company. It ends at the outside stop valve to a property. The company has no obligation to meet pressure requirements inside your external private supply pipe, whether shared with neighbours or not, or inside your property.

If you have concerns about your level of pressure, we recommend that you record the times of incidents of low (or high) pressure over a period (such as two weeks) and report these to your company. If pressure falls below 0.7 bar on two occasions, each occasion lasting more than one hour, within a 28-day period, the company must automatically make a guaranteed standards scheme (GSS) payment.

How do you measure the pressure?

[Artic]

mogga scribbled...

Buy a guage for £15 off ScrewFix.

screwfix.com/p/monument-tools-mains-water-pressure-test-gauge/82412

[Jonathan]

Interestingly, we are Severn Trent and five years ago they gave us a new supply for free because it was a shared supply.

Jonathan

[mogga]

Where do you connect that - In the house? They don't care what happens beyond the end of the mains from what I understood all that stuff to say.

Somewhere it says 9l a minute as a minimum standing in the kitchen but even with much less than this they don't seem to care.

[Artic]

mogga scribbled...

Fit it to a washing machine connector that is on the mains. It will give you a base reading for comparison purposes. You could fit it in a house(s) without problems and see what pressure they have.

Has to be better than sticking a finger over a pipe!

If you can show your mains pressure is s**te, according to that article, they have to do something. Armed with some figures, you could put them under pressure...

Do you still use your vanity ng *G*

[mogga]

ta

Indeed.

I have asked the group on FB if any opf them have one - unlikely, but as it's their problem they'll have to fork out for one not me.

Ok ta. Yes they really need to work together. But we did a survey and no one with a water issue returned it, and then we organised a meeting and only one person with water issue turned up to that so I am reluctant to spend too much more time on this issue until one/some of them get up and take a bit of action. I sorted out the bucket with the

4.5l mark for them to test that bit first.

The refugee one?

[Tim Watts]

On Tuesday 23 July 2013 13:30 mogga wrote in uk.d-i-y:

Leave all your taps on and get the one other who showed any interest to do the same.

I bet the rest will get off their butts when they are reduced to a dribble :->>>

Shared anything is a PITA. I have a shared sewer - but luckily that is no longer my problem!

[Artic]

mogga scribbled...

Can't remember. How many did you create !!

[Artic]

mogga scribbled...

In that case. Fuck 'em. Too many are happy to leave things like this to others. As you're okay, why be arsed.

[mogga]

LOL It'd work... it's terrible to hear people having to wait til their neighbours have stopped watering the garden before they get a chance at using water.

Yup.