Water Regulations Check

[MB]

Following a complaint to my local water authority regarding the quality of the water (the inlet to the water tank has eroded away in a period of 6 months), they came and took samples from my kitchen tap.

A few days later, I received a call requesting access to my property to undertake a water regulations inspection.

Should I be worried? Does anyone know what sort of things they are likely to be looking for?

While I expect everything to be in order - the house is only 3 years old, built by a quality national builder - I get the impression that the water company are looking to find fault with my equipment to divert my attention away from them.

Any help / guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[cynic]

Why should you worry - its the "quality national builder" who will have to put any shortcomings right and compensate you if this involves loss to yourself

[MB]

[ARWadsworth]

You said "While I expect everything to be in order - the house is only 3 years old"

Is the house NHBC backed? That would give you 10 years to make a claim. I have no idea how good the NHBC are in such cases but it is worth a look.

Adam

[Ed Sirett]

Please don't top post.

Building control will have signed off the installation. The NHBC guarantee can be claimed on.

You should be OK unless some modification have been done.

They are really interested in things like:

Shower hoses connected to the mains and no NRVs fitted. Lead piping still in use (not in your case). No drain c*ck immediately after first main c*ck ( a common fault). Maybe unvented HW naughties. Storage cisterns without the bylaw 30/60 kit breather fitted. Mixers taps fitted between potable and non-potable supplies. Garden taps without DCVs on the mains. Underground supply pipes buried less than 760mm (but hard to check so they won't) WC with flush volumes in excess of 6 litres. I don't think they'll be interested in drainage.

[Andrew Gabriel]

My solicitor described the NHBC guarantee as not worth the paper it's written on.

[MB]

solicitor described the NHBC guarantee as not worth the paper

You're right to an extent. I think the NHBC covers only very major issues after the first 2 years - e.g. subsidence. Admittedly, I would go back to the builder with a latent defect attack.

[MB]

don't top post.

here:

Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -

Thanks Ed

Can you see any of these conceivably causing erosion to a water inlet (brass construction) in a ball valve in a water tank?

Thanks for your help and comments.

[ARWadsworth]

Probably true looking at the the new builds I have seen.

Adam

[Heliotrope Smith]

Are you sure you have water going through your pipes and not acid?

Corrosion of joints over such a short time is most likely caused by leaking due to poor installation.

[Tony Williams]

Might be useful to try and get hold of some litmus paper, pdq.

We had a similar etching? oddity a few years ago, in two parts.

Firstly the h/w tank suddenly decided to spring a series of pinhole leaks, culminating in a leak in the heat exchanger. Ok it was at least 25 years old so I replaced it. Just out of interest I carved off the top of the old one, and noticed that it was a beautiful fresh salmon pink inside. Just something interesting to remark on at that time.

Then a cold tap, about 4ft from the incoming stop tap needed a new washer. Again this was a 25 year old tap, but the piston and the works inside the tap were beautifully fresh and pinky, no deposits, no crud, no nothing. However the mating face did have to be reground to get a good seal.

The two incidents close together gave a suspicion that over that period there was something in the incoming cold water supply. Possibly acidic, and concentrated enough to etch copper/brass.

We have a small reservoir at the top of the hill, to feed the village. Every week a water van rolls up, the man puts on full protective garb, and tips something into the water. We don't know what it is, but on some days the chlorine? in the water stings your eyes.

[Brian Sharrock]

snip

Probably nothing to connect your observation to ..... but

.... might give cause for thought. :(

'They' seem to do a lot tipping 'stuff' in.

[Aidan]

Where is the water supply from? Is it a local reservoir, like Tony & Camelford, or a supply shared with big towns? Do you know if it the supply is drawn from boreholes?

I'd be inclined to suspect a sub-standard fitting. DZR (de- zincification resistant) fittings used to be a standard specification, but mimimum cost seems to over-ride most quality considerations. Some water can dissolve the zinc out of the brass. ISTR a very old employer's internal engineering note regarding acidic water from boreholes attacking pipes in some areas.

[Adrian]

We have a deep borehole for domestic water in our house out here in the far South-West of Ireland.

Couldn't understand why the hot water was coming out of the taps a delicate pale blue-green colour....

Tests showed that the water was pH 5.8 - which is reasonably acidic - and the pretty blue colour was probably the copper leaching out of the plumbing.

Have just had a dosing system fitted - which meters the water drawn off, and adds a measured 'squirt' of alkali solution to bring the pH back down to 7 - which will (hopefully) stop the copper being stripped out of the pipework and save us a large re-plumbing bill in the next couple of years....

On the plus side - the borehole water is very soft, and free from other mineral and bacteriological contaminants - so shouldn't complain

Regards Adrian West Cork., Ireland

[Merryterry]

As poster Adrian says, this is probably a de-zincification problem. In certain areas the water leaches out the zinc from brass fittings. In these areas DZR (De-Zincification Resistant) or gunmetal fittings must be used. Could be that the Water Company wants to check that these have been used. If not your builder is very much responsible. I used to sell gunmetal fittings so saw loads of de-zincification.

[Ed Sirett]

don't top post.

here:

Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -

My _guess_ is that the bylaw inspection is just standard procedure before they talk to any water user. Just possibly it's being done as a 'shot to nothing' to see if they can wriggle out.

In all probability the ball valve may have been made with an inferior alloy.

They may have supplied you with contaminated water and are hoping to finesse their way out trouble, but it could not have been very badly so or you would have noticed.

Having said all this. If you are just looking at the cost of replacing one float valve you might do well to just know when to concede a battle to win a war.