Flow rate

markius · 29 Jun 2015

I have really poor flow rate of the cold main in my house but the pressure is OK.

Could the cause be the device fitted inline, just after the main stop and drain down taps?

What is that thing?

I should have hard water but in the 3 years I've lived here I've never needed to descale the kettle. Could it be some kind of softener?

Cheers!
M

Newboy · 29 Jun 2015

It looks more like a very old slip/repair coupling.

What the flow rate like out of the (rather unusual) drain down tap?

What are the static & dynamic pressures?

markius · 29 Jun 2015

I don't think that drain down tap has been turned in about 50 years... it's completely seized up unfortunately.

I also don't have a pressure gauge. I was told when the water meter was fitted that the pressure was normal for the area but that flow was definitely abnormally low. Flow rate from the garden tap is approx. 7.5 L/min.

The rate is low enough that I empty the loft CWST when running a bath.

Newboy · 29 Jun 2015

I'd suspect that the supply pipework is past it's best - always assuming that the stopcock is fully open (and if there's one in the street, that's also fully open).

Where is the garden tap supplied from - before or after the stopcock in your photo?

markius · 29 Jun 2015

I'm fairly sure the main stopcock is fully open. Fully closing it is a bit more difficult though. The one in the street has recently been replaced with a meter and these issues predate that.

The garden tap is after that stopcock.

I fear you're probably right about the pipework :-/

craftor · 30 Jun 2015

I'm wondering if it could be some kind of flow regulator. I'd take it out anyway

Agile · 30 Jun 2015

I think you should aim to replace everything in the picture.

Ideally with a full flow lever valve as they give less restriction than a stopcock.

The next question is what is the pipe to the right made of!

Tony

Belboz · 30 Jun 2015

Are you thinking lead?

Newboy · 30 Jun 2015

It looks like barrel to me

craftor · 30 Jun 2015

I'm guessing steel before the stopcock, I seem to recognise the stopcock's threaded end. 3/4 BSP?

If it is there's plenty of adaptors available

markius · 30 Jun 2015

I think the pipe is steel rather than lead.
How would I connect on to those pipes if I were to cut out all of the old fittings?

craftor · 30 Jun 2015

Can you scrape the pipe on the right to check it is steel, if it's soft its lead. Assuming it's all steel it will be all threaded
I can't make out the device to the left of the piece that you arrowed. It could be some sort of joiner. Turn the water off and see if you can release it. If it comes off just unscrew everything else with stillsons
Buy 2 BSP to mm adaptors and screw them on to the pipe with ptfe tape,then join the gap with copper pipe after fitting a new stopcock
There should be enough movement to waggle it in with compression fittings

I've left out sizes, they can't be verified from the pic. Measure the internal dia of the steel pipe, if it's 3/4inch then it's 3/4BSP, if it's 1inch then it's 1BSP and so forth

Good luck

craftor · 30 Jun 2015

Just had a thought. Obviously don't just cut the pipe because you need to keep the threaded ends left and right. If you can't move anything cut through the thing you arrowed, this will let you unscrew everything else
Make sure you do this job in in the morning so you're not caught out needing a part with all the stores shut

markius · 30 Jun 2015

The thing to the left of the (flow regulator?/slip fitting?) is an old earth bonding clamp. There's a newer one slightly out of shot to the right.

There is what looks like a simple butt joint in the steel pipe further down so I guess I could replace with copper to that point if the mystery device doesn't have the standard threads. I can't see how it can given the position of the nuts.

I think this must be 1/2 BSP as the o/d looks like 22mm.

I think I'm going to wait until I have a spare weekday for this.

freeflow · 1 Jul 2015

The mystery device is just a pipe connector, it is called a Johnson coupling.

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Flow rate

Newboy

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