Low Water Pressure (??)

[sooshi]

Hi all, I was hoping someone here more experienced could advice on my predicament.

A bit of background, I am in a 3 bed terrace that has central heating and hot water served from a Worcester Bosch Greenstart 24i Junior combi boiler - not yet a year old.

So far, we have had great water pressure, and the shower is simply a mixer tap attachment in the bathroom on the 1st floor (boiler is in the kitchen on the ground floor). The hot and cold water pressure there has always been fantastic.

(Unbeknownst to me at the time )on Friday there was a leak in our local area, which was summarily fixed.

Come Saturday I noticed the cold water pressure was much lower than usual and also the shower was rather weak.

Skip to Monday morning and the shower is laughable (though I didn't find it very funny!). If any cold water tap is turned out anywhere else in the house, the hot water ceases. Even with every single other tap off, the flow is rubbish.

I have spoken to 2 next door neighbours who both report their pressure has dropped very low.

I have phoned United Utilities and reported my findings (and that of my neighbours), but they don't believe the work carried out on Friday has anything to do with this, and are sending someone round on Wednesday morning to check my property.

I have tried their advice regarding turning the kitchen tap on full and then opening and closing the stopcock fully several times to work air etc out of the system, but to no avail.

Basically, the water pressure has dropped significantly enough that it can no longer serve the boiler and any other tap simultaneously, and even if just hot water is being demanded, that output is low.

I'm really worried United Utilities are going to shrug their shoulders and say it's just "an old house" or "extra demand in the area" and leave me with a pretty functionless system... despite me having living in this house for a year without any trouble... plus, it being a student-ey area, there's probably fewer people in the houses on my street than there usually is.

Sorry for the ramble, I'd be really grateful for any advice

 

[dcawkwell]

The utility company will be able to measure the flow and pressure you are receiving.

What are the official standards for water pressure?

The guaranteed standards scheme (GSS) sets out that water companies shall maintain a minimum pressure of water in the communication pipe serving the premises supplied with water of seven metres static head. Companies also monitor the number of properties at risk of low pressure against an indicator known as DG2. The DG2 measure is ten metres head of pressure, at the external stop tap, at a flow of 9 litres per minute. This should be sufficient to fill a one-gallon (4.5 litre) container in 30 seconds.

Note if the pressure is less than this twice in 28 days the customer can claim £25 from the local water company

So it would seem all they have to provide is approx 14psi and 9 litres a minute. Barely enough for a shower and that is at ground level less pressure upstairs. If they meet this they can simply say they are meeting
their requirements.

This country is going to the dogs.

 

[sooshi]

God that's total baloney (not your information, the bare minimum attitude of utility companies).

I haven't the foggiest about water supplies, but I get the impression that after they fixed the leak, they reopened the valve to about 60% of what it was before they went in there, and now they're unwilling to change that... presumably because they don't have to... that's complete speculation on my part, though.

 

[mysteryman]

You may have debris somewhere in your pipework, which got in during their work.