sudden drop in water pressure in hot and cold taps

sudders999

About 4 days ago I noticed a significant drop in my water pressure which affects every tap in my flat both hot and cold.

I live in a 2nd floor flat within a converted house and the work was done about 10 years ago. None of my neighbours including the top floor next door have noticed anything and still have good pressure.

I have a combi boiler in the kitchen but I don't think it is the problem as the display is showing good and the cold kitchen tap is also affected therefore ruling out the boiler (?).

I have checked all taps and toilets and none are dripping or letting by and I have also checked my stop !!!! outside to ensure that it is fully open. I have also monitored my water meter to ensure that it is not going up whilst nothing is turned on and that seems fine too.



Can anyone shed some light on what the problem may be please as it is starting to drive me crazy... My shower and bath are so weak now that you can barely hear the water when is turned on!

Any advice/help would be much appreciated

Regards

Steve

JohnB47

Well, if you have your own metered supply and everything is turned on, the problem must be the supply to your meter. Do you have a stopcock in your flat - usually under the sink and have you checked that? (Although why it should suddenly have been turned down is a mystery).

It won't be your boiler if the problem effects all the cold water taps. The fact that your hot water is low pressure too is because it's pressure is determined by the cold water pressure.

sudders999

Hey John,

Thanks for the reply...

My setup seems to be a little bit different I'm starting to realise as I don't have a stop tap under my sink but 6 individual knobs (3 hot and 3 cold) under the boiler on 2 manifold type pipes, they are marked as, and isolate the kitchen tap, bathroom tap and shower mixer. These are the only internal stop taps that I can find.

My next step is to close the pavement stop tap next to my meter and then to open all taps to drain the pipes. Then I'll quickly reopen then stop tap to see if that clears any partial blockage that may be in the pipe.

You mention the problem being before the meter..... can I ask what makes you think this?

Thanks very much for your help...

Suds

JohnB47

What I meant was that, if you are confident that there is nothing acting to reduce the pressure between the meter and your taps, then the problem must be in the mains supply to the meter.

Let us know how you get on. Seems odd that you don't have an isolating stopcock in the flat but there you go.

I wonder if the taps you've found are only going to cut off the hot supply to the taps. The cold supply will go directly to the taps and to the boiler, not to the taps via the boiler.

That's how my system is arranged.

sudders999

Oh ok, I understand. It's just strange that the 3 other flats in the house (whose meters are also in the same pit in the pavement) aren't affected. Wouldn't that point to it not being before the meter?

Also 3 of the 6 individual knobs are on the cold supply and do isolate the cold taps so I think for some reason I basically have 6 stop taps internally.

Ruski

Do you have a pressure reducing valve on your incoming mains/ near your manifold??

Russ

sudders999

Not that I know of because I'm on the 2nd floor. I can't see anything that looks like it would be...

JohnB47

I hope Ruski will clarify but I think he means a valve that controls the pressure that is fitted somewhere in your flat and perhaps near to the boilers mains input manifold (the fitting where the incoming pipe connects to the boiler).

Interesting what you say about all those taps. Maybe the problem is something to do with the boiler after all. What make and model is it? Perhaps some plumbing experts will think of something.

I agree with your point about the common feed to all the meters.

A curious one .

sudders999

I've closed and reopened every one of the 6 knobs but no change, I've also taken a pic of the pipework and manifold but for the life of me can't work out how to post it here... It just asks me for a url instead of just
Uploading one.

Think the next step is to register with British gas for tier plumbing cover and see if they can narrow it down.


Thanks again everyone for the effort

JohnB47

Try copying the url and pasting it in. Boiler make and model?

sudders999

The picture is on my phone though as a photograph so it doesn't have a url...? Does it? ?

The boiler is an Atag premier, not sure that will help though as every engineer that has ever seen it has never seen it before lol. Apparently it's a good German boiler.