Can/should I switch hot water systems?

nicw_3

@Jeepers_Creepers @Section62 Thanks both! Yes there's a void under the floor so certainly an option. Will wait and see what the water company come back with and work from there.

Hoping this last guy's thinking is the one that works out because I'm definitely keen on not having a pump if we don't absolutely have to - current one is *not* quiet (our fault, but also a plumber who we thought was great but in retrospect didn't do much advising).

Should also find out what kind of wait time I might be looking at with building regs for putting an unvented system in as I understand it requires permission. Everyone who's been has definitely been much more pro-unvented than combi given what we're working with so that seems the way to go.

Really appreciate the help! Will update when we've got numbers, in case you're dying to know how this one was resolved 

Section62

nicw_3 said:

Really appreciate the help! Will update when we've got numbers, in case you're dying to know how this one was resolved 

Good luck.

Always good to know how problems get resolved in the end.

Jeepers_Creepers

A thought - you had the meter fitted during your tenure? When you look down the meter hole, can you see the pipe that heads off to your house? What type is it - what's it made of?

Or, knowing how deep the meter is, could you dig a hole on your land as close to this as possible to uncover a section of that pipe to check what it is?

If it ain't plastic (MDPE), then you should really be considering replacing it regardless of how much improvement it could provide; if you want to sort out your 'water system' - and you clearly do - this should ideally be part of it.

Once you've discovered how rewarding it is to dig a hole, you will want to continue with the trench...

Section62

Jeepers_Creepers said:

When you look down the meter hole, can you see the pipe that heads off to your house? What type is it - what's it made of?

If the meter has been fitted in the relatively recent past then the visible pipe (if any) will almost certainly be blue MDPE and not necessarily the same as the rest of the supply pipe.

To speed up the fitting process the installers will usually use a short MDPE tail in the standard connection on the meter itself, then pick one of whichever coupler they need to go from MDPE to the existing pipe. Much quicker than faffing around fitting the meter itself directly onto a non-standard pipe.

It is also good practice to have a length of 'flexible' pipe next to the meter to allow for ground movement - otherwise if the meter was attached directly onto a rigid supply pipe (e.g. steel) the meter could be subjected to loads as the surrounding ground settles. The 'flexible' tail should accommodate any movement and avoid the risk of the meter ports cracking.  Additional joins also helps on the flexibility front in any case. (similar principles to using 'rocker' pipes with a drainage manhole)

It was good thinking, but the only way to be sure about the pipe material would be to dig a trial hole outside the meter chamber.

nicw_3

Jeepers_Creepers said:

Or, knowing how deep the meter is, could you dig a hole on your land as close to this as possible to uncover a section of that pipe to check what it is?

Section62 said:

It was good thinking, but the only way to be sure about the pipe material would be to dig a trial hole outside the meter chamber.

Well, happy coincidence - we have some hedges that separate that bit of drive off to the left from the pavement, and at some point someone must have ripped part of the hedge out to make it easier to get the car out - this happens to also be exactly where the water meter is. As a result, the first patch of our land directly between the water meter and the house is actually dirt rather than tarmac, so if I can summon @Jeepers_Creepers enthusiasm for digging, I should be able to get a look at the pipe pretty easily. Going on holiday today though, so will have to wait til we get back!

Jeepers_Creepers

Pffft - digging a hole is like going on holiday, except more fun.

Enjoy. And we look forward to the next instalment...

nicw_3

@Jeepers_Creepers @Section62 Official numbers are in: 25lpm and 2.8 bar at the road, 13lpm and 2.5bar at the house. Looks like we have some digging to do!

Jeepers_Creepers

Ha-ha! Yup.

The fact the pressures are largely similar and it's the flow that's mainly affected does suggest a crushed or restricted pipe.

Enjoy

nicw_3

@Jeepers_Creepers @Section62
So in the end, we paid about £1250 to have it moled around the house rather than through it, which has the bonus effect of not having water pipes running under the house anymore in case something goes wrong. Just the one hole in the drive, one in the dirt off to the side near the gate, and two in the grass in the garden, all furiously dug and then returned as new(ish) by mid-afternoon. So much water coming out of the outside tap and downstairs cloakroom sink as to render them almost unusable 

Thanks again for your help guys, we are having the new unvented system installed next week, without the £1500 pumps recommended by the two companies that told us the mains replacement would cost us at least £2k. Can't wait to get rid of our existing pump and get some heating in here!

nicw_3

@Jeepers_Creepers @Section62 Just wanted to say one more huge thank you now that we have had all the work done. In the end, we've spent around £8k all told for a new unvented system (with the fancy smart tank we wanted), moved to the loft, and there is no noticeable difference from the 3bar pump we were using before - having the water main replaced was an absolute game changer. Genuinely so happy every time we have a shower to not hear the pump noise and to have ended up with exactly the solution we had hoped for.

Incidentally - about 10 days after the water main was replaced our neighbour came by to say his drain (which flows into ours) was blocked up. Investigation showed there was indeed a blockage between our houses. Luckily our plumber had started that very day, recommended to us by the moling company, so he was straight on the phone to them. By the afternoon there were eight men stood round staring into the sewer in our driveway. Turns out the new pipe had gone straight through some part of the drainage pipe  The moling team were straight on digging another hole in the drive and everything was patched up within a couple of hours. Some impressive work!