Replacing Internal Lead Pipes

[Stephen]

Hi

We've recently moved into a 1940 house and all the internal cold water plumbing is made of lead. All the cold taps and toilets are fed directly off this lead mains feed. I plan to replace all of the lead pipework.

We have arranged with the water board to replace the pipework from the road to our internal stopcock with 36mm plastic piping.

I plan to attach this pipe to a new 22mm copper pipe which will be the new internal cold water feed. I will take this feed into the loft and connect to the cold water tank.

Along the way I will take off 15mm copper feeds to supply the cold water taps and toilets.

The old hot water supply seems to be I would guess steel and at least

36mm thick. Should I replace this also with 22mm copper pipe, connecting to any existing 15mm copper pipe. We currently have a good hot water supply to the bath.

I'd like to have a power shower so I wanted to attach a pump to the hot water supply. Can I attach a single pump for the hot water supply from the feed out of the hot water tank. Can anyone recommend a good pump. Can I take a spur off the immersion power feed to power the pump ?

Any advice/comments on my plans would be much appreciated.

[mrcheerful]

It is usual to have a pump that supplies the hot and cold at equal pressure, I usually install an extra dedicated take off from an extra large hot header tank, then use a surrey flange on the extra large hot water tank, both hot and cold should be in as large as plausible to the pump. Put full bore ball valves immediately before the pump. (I usually put them at the tanks as well)

If you go to the extra expense incurred by the above then you should be able to enjoy multiple power showers without running out of water (a common problem with cheapo installations)

mrcheerful

[Ed Sirett]

1) Reads the FAQs thee are quite a few things you _probably_ are aware of about how HW systems, stroage cisterns etc. 2) This is certianly grasping the nettle and you might as well go the whole hog and sort out the HW system at the same time.