Mains Water Supply Information And Regulations
Here we offer informations regarding the mains water supply from all the likely questions you may ask to providing a service if required.
Welcome to the mains water supply where we believe in giving you the best information by keeping your beaker wet and not drying you out with boring no sense writing. First of all we're going to state many common questions asked by professionals and by the public, then we're going to answer them and further along we will include some mains water supply regulations.
Just below are 20 common questions asked by the public and the professionals before we start to answer them.
1. What should the mains water pressure supply be to my house?
2. How to detect a mains water supply leak using leak detection?
3. What is mains water supply pipe?
4. Should there be a mains water filter on my supply?
5. Do I need a mains water supply pump if my water pressure is poor?
6. Where would I find the outside mains water supply stop tap?
7. What does the mains water access cover look like and who is responsible for this?
8. Can I have a mains water booster pump fitted?
9. Is it a legal requirement to have a mains water meter?
10. What is the depth of the mains water supply to my house and what is the diameter and colour?
11. How do you measure the flow rate of the mains water supply?
12. What type of isolation key do I need to turn the mains water supply off?
13. The mains water supply is not working, who do I call?
14. Why is my mains water supply noisy?
15. How do you test the quality of the mains water supply?
16. What are the regualtions to the mains water supply?
17. Who's responsible for the supply on my water to my house?
18. Where can I buy a mains water supply mains water kit?
19. What is the temperature to the mains water supply?
20. The mains water supply wont turn off, what should I do?
What is mains water supply pipe
The mains water supply pipe is water brings you water from the water stations, all the way to the outlet of demand.
What should the mains water pressure supply be to my house
Water pressure all depends on the area, where some areas will have greater mains water pressure than other and this can be due to a few factors such as the distance from the water tower or reservoir, how many people in the area and what time they use there water.
In some areas as the community build up and there is a constant use of water, the mains pipe may require an upgrade and this can quiet oftec be an issue to a area with poor water mains pressure.
In areas of high water pressure will most likeli be managed to stop pressure surgess and try to reduce burst pipes for example, at night when the demand is lower, the pressure that pushes the water to the area of demand will be reduced and at peak time, the pressure of the motors will be raised.
The legal requirements of water pressure to the boundary stop tap leading to your home is 1 bar which will allow the water to reach as high as 10 meters in your home. A way to find out that the issue isnt your water supply between the boundary stop tap and the highest point being within 10 meters of your home is to ask your naibour what there water pressure is because it should be the same as long as they or similar value in terms of height and so on.
Sometimes water pressure can be confused with water flow as the pressure is not the amount of water, it is the height it could reach to where the water flow is down to the diameter of the pipework allowing more water to flow through the pipework more freelie.
How do you measure the flow rate of the mains water supply
To measure the flow rate, there are many ways you can do this, one being from teh closes to the mains water supply as possible by using a litre jug or by using a supply that runs at a larger opening.
The idea is that you shouldnt get more flow rate than the mains water supply coming in with the diameter of the pipework most likeli to be 20ml in smaller houses and 25mm in larger homes.
In some cases, if you have poor water pressure coming through the water mains, this can effect the water flow and the best way to test this would be to turn as many taps on as possible in your home, measure the amount of water coming through the taps and add them all together. This is how you find out your litres per minute coming into your home.
Do I need a mains water supply booster pump if my water pressure is poor
If your wondering if you can have a booster pump to get a better water supply where the water pressure is below 12 litres per minute, then the answer is yes, the homeboost can make a difference if you have poor water pressure from 1 bar (10 meters) of pressure and can take your pressure up to 12 litres per minute giving you more pressure and more flow.
The home boost can be fitting immediately after your mains water supply as long as you have power going to it and not only that, the noise is the most concerning thing about it where the noise is only 45dB.
The home boost reacts on flow rather than pressure, however, the homeboost pump can reach up 10 1.6 bar depending on the size of the outlet, meaning the smaller the bore, the higher the pressure.
How to detect a mains water supply leak using leak detection
If your a plumber that does many of these jobs then the best option what be to buy listening device, however, if your reading this article due to the question you are asking, then the chances are that your currently dealing with a similar type of job and would like to know the best option to try and chase a leak.
The best way to trace a water mains leak is to either have a long screw driver or a long broom handle depending on the type of ground you are at.
Some leaks are very hard to find meaning you may need special tools to find the leaking being a listening tool, a damp detector tool or a heat seaking tool.
If your listening via a long screw driver which most of you will as long as the water leak is large enough, by placing your ear to the top end of the screw drive, and the point at the ground, this helps for any transfering noise to pass through the screw driver.
Should there be a mains water filter on my supply
If we're talking about the mains water supply from the road to the stopvalve in the house, you will find there is no filter where having a filter can be person preference.
Where would I find the outside mains water supply stop tap
The most likely place to find the mains water stop valve is outside the boundary to the property and in most cases, this is located in the pavement.
What does the mains water access cover look like and who is responsible for this
Most stop tap covers are either sqaure or round with the wording W or water and in somecases no writing at all.
The person/s or company responsible for making sure your stop valve is in good working order is the water board/company. In many cases, you will find your stop valve full of muck or unable to turn off, sometime when you do turn it off/on, due to the age, it can start to leak very slowly or very fast, to make sure that the stop valve is in good working order, it is the responsibilty of the water company.
The responsibilty for the water company starts at the water main which is the largest of pipes normally located under the road or the path, from teh branch connection of the water main is water you call the communication pipe which goes all the way to the stopvalve or meter and again, this is the responsibilty of the water company.
The only time your not responsible for fixing a pipe is that it's not on your property, however, here is where it gets complicated as different districts or counties may have different rules and regulations and your best asking the water company. Some companies may replace teh pipe up to 600mm into your property as long as a trench has already been dug out.
Is it a legal requirement to have a mains water meter
Different areas may have there own rules but as a rough guide, all new properties will have a water meter and if you dont have a water meter, you can have one installed but you cant have one taken away.
What is the depth of the mains water supply to my house and what is the diameter and colour
The depth of the water meter according to WRAS is 750mm minimum and 1350mm maximum, in most properties you will find the water mains at about 750mm as this is easier and more reasonable to expect.
What type of isolation key do I need to turn the mains water supply off
The size heads of the taps valves on the water mains are generally 1/2, 3/4, 1 and 11/4 inch and in most case, if you own a universal stop tap key, this shop do, however now and again, the very old service valve can tend to be on the larger side where the universal keys dont fit.
Most universal keys are of standard strengh and the arguement the water board have is that if you cant turn the valve with the key you have, then anything more, you could damage the valve you trying to turn off.
The mains water supply is not working, who do I call
Befoe calling anyone, you could do some basic checks such as ask one or two of your neighbors to check that there water is working as this could be an area issue where you will need to call the water board.
If both your local neighbors have water, the issue is most likely goig to be between the communications pipe and the service pipe meaning it could be at your stop valve outside your boundary and the stop valve leading into the property.
In some cases, you could have a burst pipe, a blockage or squeezed pipe and if so, it is always worth checking with your local emergency plumber.
Why is my mains water supply noisy
If you're mains water supply is noise, this could be due to high water pressure or the size of the bore the water passes through when it rapidly decrease causing a ripple effect in the way of noise and movement.
Another good example of water becoming noisy would be 15 or 22mm pipe with high pressure trying to force its way throug a 10mm bore where the flow rate goes much fast upon entry, this can also happen to valves that have faulty washes that when the water is off, the water then still passes at much a greater pressure.
How do you test the quality of the mains water supply
You shouldnt need to do a test on your mains water supply as your water company should do this for you, however, you can contact your mains water company and request the results of the water quality.
Your tap water shouldnt smell and should be clear and if this is not the case, then you should call your water supply to explain your having water issues.
If your not sure about the quality of your water then you can buy the watersafe all in one well water test kit which you can find online.
What are the regualtions to the mains water supply
The regulation are laid out by WRAS and can be very extensive, so if you require the full regulations then the WRAS book would be our advice but if your looking for the very basic approach then the image in the picture above should help you on your way.
Who's responsible for the supply on my water to my house
The waterboard is the responsible company for supplying water to your house up until the boundaries and then the rest is the owners of the property.
Where can I buy a mains water supply mains water kit
This waiting to be answers and if you know the answer then please share.
What is the temperature to the mains water supply
When you first turn your tap on, depending on how long the water has been sitting there, the water can start to come through the tap close to room temperature, meaning the longer you wait, the colder the water gets.
To give you a more of an understanding, the water temperatures can be put into 3 phases. The first phase of the water temperature coming through the tap would be the water stored in the pipe located within the premises from the ground upwards. The second phase of the temperature of the water would be the communial pipe shown within the image above and the last phase of the water temperature would be the water main outside the property which is a bigger diameter of pipework.
The idea is that if your using your water to wash your hands, fill the kettle up or for most things in the house, you dont require the water to be below room temperature. The only time you require to have your water below room temperature is if your getting a glass of water to drink and personally, I would just store water in the fridge, meaning your save water by trying to draw the water main outside the property through your tap making the cost of getting a drink of water being high.
The mains water supply wont turn off, what should I do
If your mains water supply wont turn off and as long as it's not causing any damage then calmly call an emergency plumber, however, if you need to turn the water off because of a leak which is causing damage to teh property, you can turn other taps on to take the pressure away from the water leaking.
In one of the worse scenarios of having a burst pipe and water flooding through out the house, in most cases by turning all taps on including the outside tap, the sink tap and bathroom taps or just every tap you can get your hands on, this can stop the water from coming through the burst pipe until the emergency plumber emergency plumber can turn up.