Warning! Low pressure don't pay a plumber read this first
ben500
Posts: 23,192 Forumite
in Water bills
I had a problem with low water pressure, the local water authorities response after checking the pressure was, "call a plumber" Despite being aware of the actual cause of the problem, when challenged the engineer immediately called someone on his mobile and arranged for someone to come out and remove the offending object FREE OF CHARGE, he knew exactly which number to call yet didn't offer this service until such time as he realised we KNEW what was wrong so BEWARE.
Mods I have been in touch with the author of the following article and been given permission to post it in its entirety here with the appropriate attributation at the end please advise if this should contravine any forum rules and I will ammend the post accordingly.
Subject: solenoids
THIS little black box can reduce your water pressure to a trickle - and
may be lurking unnoticed in your home.
Cardiff Patients' Council is warning that the matchbox-sized units are a
timebomb and say there may be thousands in South Wales.
The devices were used as part of a card-payment system that was phased but
in the 1990s but although the meters were removed the solenoid boxes were left in.
Welsh Water denies that they are a problem but Cardiff Patients' Council
recommends that if your pipes were fitted with one, it should be removed.
John Evans, of the council, said: "We have been told that there are
hundreds or even thousands out there and they can malfunction after a few
years."
One woman, who did not want to be named, fell victim to the solenoid unit when it started to malfunction and left her taps almost dry.
The victim, of Danescourt, Cardiff, said: "It would take almost five
minutes to fill a kettle.
"I was lucky because I was off work but if you had a busy family trying to
get out of the house in the morning, it would be impossible."
The units are usually located next to your stop tap and you may not know
it is there. A spokeswoman for Welsh Water said: "Water card units were
trialled as a payment method for some customers, but were phased out
during the 1990s.
"The solenoid component of these units was subsequently disconnected to prevent
restriction to water flow. We are currently not aware of other customers
experiencing low water pressure as a result of water card units and
believe this to be an isolated incident.
"Any customers who experience problems with their water supply should
contact our operational helpline on 0800 052 0130."
This article first appeared in the South Wales Echo on August 4, 2005,
Mods I have been in touch with the author of the following article and been given permission to post it in its entirety here with the appropriate attributation at the end please advise if this should contravine any forum rules and I will ammend the post accordingly.
Subject: solenoids
THIS little black box can reduce your water pressure to a trickle - and
may be lurking unnoticed in your home.
Cardiff Patients' Council is warning that the matchbox-sized units are a
timebomb and say there may be thousands in South Wales.
The devices were used as part of a card-payment system that was phased but
in the 1990s but although the meters were removed the solenoid boxes were left in.
Welsh Water denies that they are a problem but Cardiff Patients' Council
recommends that if your pipes were fitted with one, it should be removed.
John Evans, of the council, said: "We have been told that there are
hundreds or even thousands out there and they can malfunction after a few
years."
One woman, who did not want to be named, fell victim to the solenoid unit when it started to malfunction and left her taps almost dry.
The victim, of Danescourt, Cardiff, said: "It would take almost five
minutes to fill a kettle.
"I was lucky because I was off work but if you had a busy family trying to
get out of the house in the morning, it would be impossible."
The units are usually located next to your stop tap and you may not know
it is there. A spokeswoman for Welsh Water said: "Water card units were
trialled as a payment method for some customers, but were phased out
during the 1990s.
"The solenoid component of these units was subsequently disconnected to prevent
restriction to water flow. We are currently not aware of other customers
experiencing low water pressure as a result of water card units and
believe this to be an isolated incident.
"Any customers who experience problems with their water supply should
contact our operational helpline on 0800 052 0130."
This article first appeared in the South Wales Echo on August 4, 2005,
Four guns yet only one trigger prepare for a volley.
Together we can make a difference.
0
Comments
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Is this only in the Cardiff area. We have an intermittent problem. Often at 6am when my husband is trying to shower we have no water pressure at all. We just get a little trickle. It does happen at other times, but not at peak times, when you might expect it. Water board were no help when we contacted them.
~Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.~:)
0 -
I'm pretty sure these trials were regional and that Cardiff was not the only area, try ringing the number or have a look at your cold mains pipe for the solenoid box if its there then its a fair bet that's your problem.Four guns yet only one trigger prepare for a volley.Together we can make a difference.0
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It's a small black unit about 2.5" by 1.5" and will be attached just above the stop !!!! tap.
HTHFour guns yet only one trigger prepare for a volley.Together we can make a difference.0 -
Ok this may be a dull question but we are talking stop tap outside the property? ~Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.~:)
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Poppy9 wrote:Ok this may be a dull question but we are talking stop tap outside the property?
No such thing as a dumb question so long as you pay attention to the answer and don't have to ask it again too quickly!
This is NOT the stop tap outside your property this is the stop tap at the point where the supply enters your property, the one you would use in the event you had a leak say, usually under the kitchen sink in older properties but could just be near the rear or front of the property depending on the route into it.
HTHFour guns yet only one trigger prepare for a volley.Together we can make a difference.0 -
And congratulations on finding the skipping rope just in case you don't locate the stop tap!
Four guns yet only one trigger prepare for a volley.Together we can make a difference.0 -
Oh I know where the one in my house is - the downstairs loo!
No black box on there though. We did have another stop tap in our house if I remember rightly in the kitchen. Waterboard were stumped why we had two. The builders who were working on our house 10 years ago couldn't work out which one switched the whole system off and called them out. Now if it had been me I would have just turned one at a time off to see what worked. Apparently they tried that and they both worked
. One has now been capped.
Any other ideas what could be causing our low pressure?
re skipping rope - must change my signature. I lost my skipping rope when I adopted the andy88 avatar and then couldn't find it again. I will have to think up something else. ~Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.~:)
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Could be limescale or if you have had a water outage recently it could be something blocking the pipework that was loosened when supply resumedFour guns yet only one trigger prepare for a volley.Together we can make a difference.0
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