Very high water pressure!

[dllive]

Hi all,
My plumber checked my water pressure and it shot off his gauge! He said he's never seen such a high water pressure. He said he could fit a pressure reducer just after the stop cock.

My issue is that Ive just nailed up plaster board over where the water pipes come in the house (leaving a little gap for access to the stop cock itself) and I dont want to rip it down to fit the pressure reducer! I didnt ask the plumber when he was here, but:

- How much of the pipe will he need to get at to fit the reducing valve - 1 foot? 4 foot? (Im thinking how much plasterboard Ill need to remove)
- If I dont have a reducer fitted, is it realistically likely to bite me in the arse later?

Thanks

 

[Agile]

You dont say what the pressure actually is!

Most household appliances are rated to withstand at least 3 Bar.

The problem comes with failures which are far more likely with high supply pressures. Washing machine hoses for example.

Another risk is that any leak is going to discharge a lot of water.

If its copper pipe then access for 300 mm would usually be adequate.

Tony

 

[dllive]

Hi Agile,
I dont remember what the pressure actually is - all I remember is the plumber's pressure gauge needle jumped to the maximum - so it's in excess of whatever a plumber's pressure gauge maximum reading is.
By what you say it certainly seems sensible to have a reducer fitted.
cheers

 

[7777777]

depends what he considers is high my static water pressure is between5 and 6 bar,,, which as never been a problem,,, do you live near to a hospital or industrial estate???? what was the max on the gauge and was it accurate? ,,, i have two one is 15 bar and the other is 20 bar

 

[Dan Robinson]

I have guages that read 4, 6 and 10 bar.

I have customers tga would kill for three bar. I have 5 - 6 at home (4.5 dynamic)

 

[dllive]

Coincidentally I bumped into my plumber last night at a party. He said his gauge goes up to 15 bar and that my pressure was in excess of that! He said it maybe because Im below sea level.

I've decided to have the reducer fitted. 15 bar sounds an awful lot. What in your views is the best pressure (in bars) to have?

 

[muggles]

Standard PRVs will reduce to 3 bar, that should be sufficient. You'll need to expose about six inches of pipe

 

[rebuilder]

Coincidentally I bumped into my plumber last night at a party. He said his gauge goes up to 15 bar and that my pressure was in excess of that! He said it maybe because Im below sea level.

Below sea level? Where? I never thought inland parts of the country were below sea level. You would need to be at the bottom of a mine to make any influence the water pressure.

 

[dllive]

rebuilder: Yes, the plumber didnt seem convinced that was the reason. I am in a valley, so maybe thats it.

 

[rebuilder]

Each bar in pressure is approx 30 foot in height. If the average pressure of the water system at sea level is 5 bar, you would need to be 300 foot "below" sea level to get 15 bar. We did that at school.

 

[muggles]

Coincidentally I bumped into my plumber last night at a party. He said his gauge goes up to 15 bar and that my pressure was in excess of that! He said it maybe because Im below sea level.

Below sea level? Where? I never thought inland parts of the country were below sea level. You would need to be at the bottom of a mine to make any influence the water pressure.

Quite a lot of Somerset is below sea level

 

[Agile]

Quite a lot of Somerset is below sea level

The internet quotes the lowest part of the UK as being the Fenlands at just 4 m below aod.

Based on that I am not convinced that any part of the UK is lower than aod.

Tony

 

[Dan Robinson]

15 bar mains

You're doing well fella.

Get yourself a PRV fairly sharpish