Megaflo and system boiler - Who is right ?

[cam123]

There is no worry really when it comes to storage of water in the short term - there are only two of us in the property so our needs aren't huge and a combi without cistern works just fine.

The system boiler and megaflo is very much to match the scale of the house (and the likely family that we'll eventually sell to) as opposed to our consumption.


MAINS PIPE - We have about 4bar pressure (not sure on flow rate) coming in but are as you say in London, and have an old leaky lead pipe coming into the cellar.

I do intend on replacing it - we don't have a water meter and i am hoping that in putting in a water meter Thames Water will have no choice but to update the incoming supply pipe. We are on the end of a row of houses and the supply comes from the public pavement which forms our bundary on the flank wall, meaning that the supply pipe from the boundary stop cock is only about 1m long.

 

[JohnD]

Run the kitchen tap into a bucket, time it, and calculate how many litres per minute you get.

In my case, taking out the kinked old lead pipe and replacing with plastic approximately doubled the flow.

If you put in a new plastic pipe before they fit the meter, and have a bit of extra length in a convenient hole very close to the boundary, they will probably be able to connect your new pipe to their new meter. Otherwise they will connect the new meter to the old bit of pipe.

But do ask them to check the lead first.

If you can get Leaky Pipe Replacement and Lead Pipe Replacement it will help.

 

[cam123]

I seem to have a flow rate of about 18 litres/min.

Thing is, the pipe comes straight into the house from the external valve, there is no garden or anything inbetween. There is nowhere outside for a meter to be placed as it would be on the public pavement, meaning that the meter would have to go between their stopcock and mine, and therefore on the leaky section of pipe.

 

[ALEC1]

well the leaky section of the pipe needs to be replaced...and yes water meters always go in the pavement...thats what all those black boxes in the pavement are...

 

[ChrisR]

....except when they decide to put them inside the property.
You'll have to ask.
Someone's having another day of mistakes.

They're intermittently keen on making you pay for the repair to the pipe, but usually
1) not, and
2) the meter does go outside.

 

[cam123]

Frankly, if it goes outside on the public footpath (don;t the council have something to say about that?) then i'm happy - in that case the pipe would have to go at the same time.

Always thought that meters for private houses stayed on the property...

 

[ALEC1]

its an involved procedure, requiring coordination between Thames Water, and the people who lay the pipe from your property to the mains pipe in the road.


Your builder/plumber shoukd be able to advise on the procedure...