Water Pressure

[madameimadam]

Not the most thrilling of topics, but thought I’d ask here to get an idea of cost.

Am renovating a period property (Victorian 3 storey). The water pressure is rubbish so I’ve been advised to replace the original pipe work from the mains into the house with modern pipes then get a decent tank installed. Especially as they’re lead pipes anyway so I ought to get rid. Makes sense to do this work before we replace the bathroom and install a shower room in a room on the top floor.

I know this will be costly - has anyone had this done and can give me a rough estimate? I’ve had a few people saying anything between £3k - £10k and anything in between!!
Am Midlands.
thankyou!

Maybe speak to your neighbours and ask them what their water presssure is like. Could be a supply issue.

I will. Good idea but am pretty confident that
It’s definitely the pipes. We have very narrow original ones and they just don’t allow much flow hence the pressure issue. Modern ones are much wider. And not made of lead which is also a concern!

The cost will surely depend on how far the new pipes have to go, and what the ground and access is like? If neighbours have already done it and don't mind sharing what they paid, that might give you a guide, but otherwise you'll need quotes.

We had a pump installed in similar circumstances @madameimadam so it might be worth asking tradies if that would be an easier fix.

It depends how long the pipe run is, you can dig the trench and lay the new pipe (or find somebody with a mini-digger to do it), then get the waterboard to connect you, they'll want to fit a meter if you don't already have one. Are you planning to install a "megaflow" mains pressure hot water system, or an old fashioned gravity system with a header tank, in either case you may need a pump for a third floor bathroom

pressure and flow rate are two separate things

switching to a "less narrow" pipe will not increase the pressure at which the water flows out of a tap, but will increase the volume (rate) at which it does so since bigger pipe = more water though it

if the pressure is poor, then as suggested above, you may end up needing to fit an actual pump to boost it

Yep, flow rate is poor because of the narrow pipes so that needs sorting. Prob need a pump too for the pressure issue & getting water up to the top floor?

There is definitely some type of scheme where I live to get this done for free (if it's lead pipe) . I know someone who has only recently had this done, maybe worth a Google.

Digging a trench is not done by plumbers, who are weedy little chaps with petal soft hands, but by builders or groundworkers or a fit young apprentice.

It is easy if it goes through a gravel drive, flowerbed or lawn. More tiring if concrete has to come up, but roads and pavements are trenched every day. You do not have to use a Water Company contractor, but they will inspect it before it is filled in to verify the depth is correct. Importantly, it can follow a convenient route, perhaps under a floor or to the side of the house, it does not have to go the same way as the one laid when the house was built.

Ask the water company to test your drinking water fir lead content BEFORE starting work. There might be a lead replacement subsidy, if not, they will probably reconnect free or replace their bit of lead under the pavement, especially if they fit a water meter at the same time.

Make sure you have full-bore stopcocks fitted inside and out. They are relatively expensive and some installers scrimp on them. It is a hundred times more difficult and expensive to replace them at a later date.

P.s.

I bet the real problem is flow not pressure, and big blue pipes will fix it.

You can get a plumber to test static pressure with all the taps turned off. Unless you are at the top of a hill I bet it will be adequate, but will drop when taps are turned on due to your narrow old pipes.

You can get a water pressure guage from Screwfix (or cheaper from eBay) that screws onto an outdoor tap. We were struggling at 1bar but the water company eventually turned it up to about 1.5, which is still on the low side for a Combi boiler. Getting rid of the old boiler meant we also lost the hot and cold water tanks and had all the plumbing tidied up, which helped the flow rate.

We had pants water pressure for years. Then we found out that the mains stopcock in the pavement outside our house was jammed and had only ever been partly open. The water company replaced it and the pressure is quite fierce now!

Thank you all for your very helpful advice!!

@PigletJohnI feel honoured!! I know you’ve been on here giving sage advice for ages & that’s really useful. The drive at the front of the property is block paved so yeah, someone will need to get their hands dirty I reckon!

Do you have your own external stop tap? If you don't you may have a shared supply with your neighbours. It was quite common with victorian houses, when originally they would only have had a cold tap in the scullery/kitchen and a loo if they were lucky. Separate supplies benefit all the households.