Low water pressure

pineapple

I live in a rural area in a small group of properties and we all have problems with water pressure though it seems some are worse affected than others. The pressure in my property at best is low but if I try to fill a kettle when, say, next door is having a shower, the tap water slows to a trickle.
I understand this is a known issue and that previously some excuse was made as to why the water company couldn't or wouldn't sort it.
I found this on their website
If your water pressure falls below ten metres static head, twice within a four-week period (each time longer than an hour), you can claim £50 once per year. If we’re aware of this problem, we'll automatically pay this to you.
Not much consolation if you can't run a washer or your morning shower is interrupted every other day,
The Ofwat site suggests that water companies have a responsibility for fixing pressure issues if it is not down to your own plumbing. Will be contacting the water company next week. Just wondered if anyone had any experience of this sort of thing..

EachPenny

Static head is not really a useful measure for most people - it is a measure of water pressure in a system where the water is not moving and indicates the maximum theoretical height where water would (just) flow out of the pipe.

The rate of flow is more important to most people, and this is affected by the loss of head caused by friction, changes of direction and restrictions in the pipe system.

I had a water meter installed and the poor quality of the fitting meant the flow from my kitchen tap went from being excessively high (difficult to avoid getting splashed) to being painfully slow to fill a kettle. I complained to the water company who sent someone to measure the flow. Unfortunately the standards are so low that my supply passed with flying colours - and there is nothing they will do about it. :mad:

It won't help with the kitchen tap (filling the kettle) but the only thing you can do to overcome low flow rates from the mains is to have your own cold water cistern in the loft and make sure it is large enough to meet your needs - if you need higher pressure for showers etc you may also need to add a pump rather than just rely on gravity.

It is possible that upgrading your own pipework may provide some improvement (e.g. full-bore valves, larger pipe sizes) but that improvement is likely to be marginal at best.

By all means complain to the water company, but don't be disappointed if they say your supply is adequate.

pineapple

Thanks that is helpful. A neighbour told me today that they came out a year or so ago and tested his water pressure and that it met minimum standards. Which was a surprise to him! However it depends on the time of day, who else is using water and perhaps even where in the 'queue for water' your house is.
Also they reportedly said that if they turned up the pressure here it would 'flood a property lower down'. The neighbour felt he was being fobbed off.
I've been putting up with it since moving in but now that I am finally sorting the bathroom and kitchen it needs looking at. Especially as it has ramifications for whether I can have a washer and apparently even the type of taps.
A pump wouldn't help the shower as there is no water tank in this old cottage and the water comes direct. It is such a pain if you are in the middle of washing your hair say and are just about to rinse out the conditioner when the flow drops and the water turns searing hot. The only option is to wait or switch it to ice cold.
Maybe I should get a tank. Sigh....

Geoff1963

The problem seems to be the collective supply to the group of properties, like your car headlamps dim when you crank the engine.

A tank is probably the only answer ; but is there a way to install a tank for the group of properties, so that it fills up when no-one is using water, then drains down during the "rush hour".

If the change in pressure while showering is the problem, could you fit a pressure reducer, so that it is always low, and doesn't dip ?

A neighbour told me today that they came out a year or so ago and tested his water pressure and that it met minimum standards.

Have someone call them out, but this time, while the pressure is being measured, everyone else in the group runs their taps. A neighbour can call in, and say "You know what, mine is low as well" ; and while he's measuring theirs, everyone else runs their taps.

pineapple

I am going to contact them today and see if I can arrange a visit and coordinate a couple of people to run their water at the same time, Meanwhile am going to undertake my own tests at different times of day and maybe take some video footage - though that wouldn't prove anything as for all they know I could have my tap not fully on. As for the shower, first the flow dwindles and there is a bit of a humming, then the water gets too hot to use. I time it for when it is least likely to happen but will be having visitors shortly so should be interesting. :mad:

Strider590

It may not be a pressure problem at all......

In my house I get very high unregulated water pressure, so much so that I had to fit a pressure regulator to stop all my taps leaking.
BUT, even with that hight pressure, as soon as you opened more than one tap everything ground to a trickle.

There are two things at play, pressure and flow, the two are VERY different, you could have stupid high pressure with all taps closed, but if the water is coming through a pipe the size of a pin hole, the pressure will drop to nothing as soon as you open a tap, because the flow through that restriction is not enough to maintain the standing water pressure once the tap is opened (the tap being bigger than that pin hole).

pineapple

Strider590 wrote: »

It may not be a pressure problem at all......

Thanks I will bear that in mind. Though because it is a longstanding problem affecting a cluster of properties including some with fairly new pipework, I think it is most likely down to pressure - or maybe the configuration of the supply. I 'phoned them yesterday and they are coming next week. But before that could be arranged, the guy on the phone insisted I run the water while opening and closing stopcocks to rule out trapped air :huh:
Is there a way I can measure the pressure/flow myself?

Geoff1963

Make a note of all the cold taps in the house.
For each one, turn it on full, and check how fast you can fill a known-volume jug.
A = 30 seconds, B = 26 seconds, C = 20 seconds, D = 40 seconds etc.

Do the same again, but this time, leave the fastest tap ( in this case, C ) running while you do it
A = 50 seconds, C = 30 seconds
B = 40 seconds, C = 35 seconds
D = 50 seconds, C = 32 seconds etc.
Now do even more taps together, and eventually all of the taps together.

Finally, convert the jug-filling times, into litres / minute.

If the pressure is low ; a tap will run slowly, independent of other taps being on.
If the flow is low ; turning on more than one tap starves the others, and after too many, the total stays the same.

The shower set to cold, is a "tap" you can measure.
So is the toilet cistern, but it's more tricky :
1. Hold the ball !!!! up
2. Flush it to empty the cistern
3. Fill it about half way with a bucket, to a known reference depth, say part of the mechanism.
In this case, the "tap" is made to run by : holding the ball !!!!, flushing, then dropping the ball !!!! and timing the fill up to the line.


Not sure what the company will make of it, but they like numbers.

Geoff1963

Interesting that MSE didn't like "female hen".

Hoof_Hearted

I think a female hen is a hen. A male hen is a c0ck.

Geoff1963

In my outrage, my grammar failed me. Good suggestion about the 0.