Low water pressure with Welsh Water

EIGHTOF8

Hi there experts.

I am asking on behalf of my girlfriend whom I've only just met.

After spending thousands on a new shower room.

Welsh water laid new pipes along her street. Effectively re routing the water supply to all houses in the street.

But because she is a home owner and not a social tenant. She was not advised about the new pipes being installed.

So 2 home owners in the street were not included in the connection to the new pipes. This has left them with very low pressure. But to her, it means she can't use the shower anymore. She's having to go to her brother's house in a different street to have a shower. 

I know she's spoken directly to Welsh Water and has been told that they are providing the minimum requirement for pressure. 

But this pressure is just not good enough for the shower to work at all.

My question is:

Surely Welsh Water should have told her about the new pipes being installed and given her the opportunity to be added to the pipe? Instead of just taking away her only means of using her shower.

Any guidance would be much appreciated.

I'm only asking on her behalf because she feels that Welsh Water is just fobbing her off which in turn makes her frustrated.

TIA

WIAWSNB

I presume she still has the option of connecting to the new pipe?
Could you explain the layout, please? Which 'new' pipe is this, and where does it run? Who owns the properties with the 'social tenants'? Are these properties otherwise identical?
And what pipe still supplies your gf's house? Why is it now at a reduced supply?
And, what is the flow in litres-per-ninute, and pressure in bar of your gf'supply as it comes in to the house?
Oh, and what would be involved - how much would it cost - to be connected to the new pipe?
Ta.

Albermarle

Also do you know what the water system is in the house? Is everything running at mains pressure, or is there a cold water tank in the loft ?

plumb1_2

Minimum water pressure should be 0.7 bar  which would give you a flow rate of 9 ltr p/m

check the stop taps in the street and where it enters the house are fully open.

get a plumber in to test the pressure and flow rates, once you have the details then you can contact WW

EIGHTOF8

The old pipe is in the back lane which has a leak.
The new pipe runs down the front of the street which she wasn't asked or advised if she wanted to be added at the time.
They saying that she needs to get the plumbing done in her house before they can come and connect her to the new pipe at a cost of over £4000 by a her own plumber. But the plumber is saying he can't do it the works until Welsh Water establishes the new stop tap at the front of the house. 

Welsh water wants proof that she has had the plumbing done before they will connect her to the new pipe.
So now she's just struck in limbo.

Albermarle

They saying that she needs to get the plumbing done in her house before they can come and connect her to the new pipe

It seems unusual for a water company dictating domestic plumbing work. Do they mean a new supply pipe has to be installed from the house to the front of the property ( as it is currently supplied from the rear) ?

WIAWSNB

EIGHTOF8 said:

The old pipe is in the back lane which has a leak.
The new pipe runs down the front of the street which she wasn't asked or advised if she wanted to be added at the time.
They saying that she needs to get the plumbing done in her house before they can come and connect her to the new pipe at a cost of over £4000 by a her own plumber. But the plumber is saying he can't do it the works until Welsh Water establishes the new stop tap at the front of the house. 

Welsh water wants proof that she has had the plumbing done before they will connect her to the new pipe.
So now she's just struck in limbo.

This is bonkers.
If she gets confirmation - written - that WW will connect her if she gets a new mains pipe run to X point, then she's good to go. How can she not be?
Where did the £4k figure come from? It 'just' needs a narrow trench to the required depth, which can possibly be moved. Then into the house and run to connect to the existing.
How far is it from the front street to the house? What terrain needs to be negotiated? 

daveyjp

What she potentially has is poor flow rate.

Is the flow at the cold tap nearest the main meeting the minimum supply rate?  Easy enough to check, get bucket and start filling it, time it for a minute and see if you have 9 litres (2 gallons),

I suspect the domestic side work is exaclty as stated.  She will need to provide a new pipe for WW to connect to fheir supply to.  If the old pipe has a leak are WW fixing it or are they not responsible for it?

bjorn_toby_wilde

£4k is not necessarily unusual for the connection. We don’t know the situation and if they have to close the pavement, divert the pedestrian traffic and use a private contractor to put traffic lights on the road then believe me that’s how much it will cost. Been there, done that.

The homeowner will also have to have their pipework in place and up to the boundary before the water company will go ahead.  It will need a min 1m depth trench to the boundary and a stop tap inside the house fitted before they connect. You could run everything else back to that stoptap in your own time. Not sure why the plumber is saying he needs the connection done first.

Albermarle

bjorn_toby_wilde said:

£4k is not necessarily unusual for the connection. We don’t know the situation and if they have to close the pavement, divert the pedestrian traffic and use a private contractor to put traffic lights on the road then believe me that’s how much it will cost. Been there, done that.

The homeowner will also have to have their pipework in place and up to the boundary before the water company will go ahead.  It will need a min 1m depth trench to the boundary and a stop tap inside the house fitted before they connect. You could run everything else back to that stoptap in your own time. Not sure why the plumber is saying he needs the connection done first.

The OP seems to be saying that laying a new pipe from the house to the property boundary will cost them £4K, although they have not confirmed the detail so far. Seems an excessive amount.
I would presume then that Welsh Water would make their connection for free ?

bjorn_toby_wilde

Albermarle said:

bjorn_toby_wilde said:

£4k is not necessarily unusual for the connection. We don’t know the situation and if they have to close the pavement, divert the pedestrian traffic and use a private contractor to put traffic lights on the road then believe me that’s how much it will cost. Been there, done that.

The homeowner will also have to have their pipework in place and up to the boundary before the water company will go ahead.  It will need a min 1m depth trench to the boundary and a stop tap inside the house fitted before they connect. You could run everything else back to that stoptap in your own time. Not sure why the plumber is saying he needs the connection done first.

The OP seems to be saying that laying a new pipe from the house to the property boundary will cost them £4K, although they have not confirmed the detail so far. Seems an excessive amount.
I would presume then that Welsh Water would make their connection for free ?

Hard to tell as you say but if it’s £4000 for the work to the boundary that’s excessive. There can’t be more than a couple of hundred pounds worth of materials.