Browse Forums General Discussion Re: Plumbers: EXTREMELY LOW WATER PRESSURE AT WATER METER-He 2Feb 05, 2014 4:34 pm Owner Building at Jimboomba Woods in Logan City Qld. Blog : http://bandlnewhomebuild.blogspot.com H1 thread : viewtopic.php?f=38&t=68283 . Re: Plumbers: EXTREMELY LOW WATER PRESSURE AT WATER METER-He 3Feb 05, 2014 5:33 pm 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Plumbers: EXTREMELY LOW WATER PRESSURE AT WATER METER-He 10Feb 06, 2014 12:37 am ed @ ecoclassic From... http://www.pic.vic.gov.au/__data/assets ... rates2.pdf 1. MAXIMUM OUTLET PRESSURE WITHIN BUILDINGS The maximum static pressure at any outlet, other than a fire service outlet, within a building must not exceed 500 kPa. This applies to all new plumbing work. 2. WATER SUPPLY FLOW RATES It is a requirement of AS/NZS 3500.1 and AS/NZS 3500.4 that the maximum flow rate from an outlet for a shower, basin, kitchen sink or laundry trough must not exceed 9 L/min. Therefore it will take 270 litres/9 l/min to fill the bath = 30 minutes... Ed ED, A bath is not a shower, basin, kitchen sink or a laundry trough! You are not quoting the Australian Standards as per AS/NZS 3500.1:2003 SECTION 3 - SIZING OF WATER SERVICES. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Plumbers: EXTREMELY LOW WATER PRESSURE AT WATER METER-He 11Feb 06, 2014 12:50 am It has to be rectified to meet the mandated standards. What is the pressure like at let's say 2 am? The realistic minimum pressure required for the operation of all appliances is 400 kPa. EDITED: Deleted personal opinion as to the plumber's competence. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Plumbers: EXTREMELY LOW WATER PRESSURE AT WATER METER-He 12Feb 06, 2014 1:01 am oneness It has been discovered today after 8 months of to-ing and fro-ing between builder and plumber scratching their heads, doing tests and disconnecting pipes under sinks etc that the pressure at the mains source (before it goes through the water meter) is only 190 kpi (next door neighbours is 180kpi!!!) 8 months??? Unbelievable!!! This is yet another one for the bulging scrap book. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Plumbers: EXTREMELY LOW WATER PRESSURE AT WATER METER-He 13Feb 06, 2014 5:45 am oneness, You need to have the pressure tested close to the main service provider's pipe. The pressure will be higher there than at intervals further along the line. The house at the end of the line will have the lowest pressure. You could also simply ask the residents of the houses closest to the main service pipe what their pressure is like. There are two main possibilities. 1. The plumbers may have pressure reduced (to 500 kPa) a pipe branched off the mains. 2. The plumbers may have used a branch pipe that is too small in diameter. This is where a pressure test close to the main service pipe will tell the story. How far along the branch line is your house? 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Plumbers: EXTREMELY LOW WATER PRESSURE AT WATER METER-He 14Feb 06, 2014 6:28 am SaveH2O ED, A bath is not a shower, basin, kitchen sink or a laundry trough! You are not quoting the Australian Standards as per AS/NZS 3500.1:2003 SECTION 3 - SIZING OF WATER SERVICES. Thanks, I agree I could not see a reference to a bath, I would be interested to know the correct standard for the bath... and what was I quoting, if it's not the standard, what is the standard. Also, what the point is of specifying pressure and flow, in the standard , when a flow rate would be adequate. Thanks Ed "ECOECO" At 'EcoEco', we design windows, we design the best windows, we do it for you, so that when you’re happy we are happy. Tel. 1800 326 326 Re: Plumbers: EXTREMELY LOW WATER PRESSURE AT WATER METER-He 15Feb 06, 2014 7:01 am Hi Ed, Plumbing regulations are a mixed bag. They quote a minimum of 50 kPa at the most disadvantaged outlet but the reality is that a minimum of 400 kPa is the practical requirement. Houses use to have over 1,000 kPa at times in the past but it was reduced to 500 kPa at the water meter several years ago. This is sufficient to ensure an adequate dynamic head for all services. AS/NZS 3500.1:2003 3.2.2 Table 3.1 shows a minimum bath flow rate of 18 lpm. 3.3.2 also states "The minimum working head at the furthermost or most disadvantaged fixture or outlet shall not be less than 50 kPa (5 m head), at the flow rate specified in Table 3.1." Bureaucrats who write regulations and their practical interpretation are not always in sync. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Plumbers: EXTREMELY LOW WATER PRESSURE AT WATER METER-He 16Feb 06, 2014 7:41 am Unfortunately I missed the comment about plumbers incompetence lol However, I would like to know if you mean the initial plumber who installed line pipework etc or the plumber who installed all the plumbing in our home? The pressure throughout the house on the hot line is the same. However, the cold is sufficient for our needs. The cold apparently is a 20mm pipe and the hot is 15mm...Hence if the plumber had noticed the pressure was bad he firstly could have told us so that we may have been able to do something about it or secondly he could have installed 20mm pipe to increase the pressure do you think? Our HWS says minimum working pressure is 150 and still with a couple of houses left to come onboard I am wondering what it will drop to then!! Slab Poured 30/05/12 Lower Floor Plate High 20/08/12 Upper Floor & Wall Framing 30/08/12 Roof 14/09/12 Lock-Up 13/12/12 Yee haaaaa WE ARE IN & I HAVE A NEW IPHONE Re: Plumbers: EXTREMELY LOW WATER PRESSURE AT WATER METER-He 17Feb 06, 2014 8:31 am I have taken your opening post as saying that the water being supplied to your property at the meter is only 190 kPa. This is far too low and it identifies the problem. Hot water pipes are smaller so that less water is lost while waiting for the hot water to reach the fixture. Pipe sizes and lengths are all calculated to provide the required flow rates. There are nearly 500 new homes completed every day in Australia and hydraulic calculations are old hat. It is difficult to imagine that everyone's house plumbing is faulty. 30 houses would not usually be much of a drag on a supply pipe. If there was a miscalculation, experience and intuition should have been ringing the alarm bells at the design stage. If you wanted to drive 200 km or 500 km, you would know from experience how much fuel to put in your car. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Plumbers: EXTREMELY LOW WATER PRESSURE AT WATER METER-He 18Feb 06, 2014 10:16 am Hmmmmm still do not know what I should do?! Slab Poured 30/05/12 Lower Floor Plate High 20/08/12 Upper Floor & Wall Framing 30/08/12 Roof 14/09/12 Lock-Up 13/12/12 Yee haaaaa WE ARE IN & I HAVE A NEW IPHONE Re: Plumbers: EXTREMELY LOW WATER PRESSURE AT WATER METER-He 19Feb 06, 2014 11:25 am SaveH2O Hi Ed, Plumbing regulations are a mixed bag. They quote a minimum of 50 kPa at the most disadvantaged outlet but the reality is that a minimum of 400 kPa is the practical requirement. Houses use to have over 1,000 kPa at times in the past but it was reduced to 500 kPa at the water meter several years ago. This is sufficient to ensure an adequate dynamic head for all services. AS/NZS 3500.1:2003 3.2.2 Table 3.1 shows a minimum bath flow rate of 18 lpm. 3.3.2 also states "The minimum working head at the furthermost or most disadvantaged fixture or outlet shall not be less than 50 kPa (5 m head), at the flow rate specified in Table 3.1." Bureaucrats who write regulations and their practical interpretation are not always in sync. Thanks... good info... Ed "ECOECO" At 'EcoEco', we design windows, we design the best windows, we do it for you, so that when you’re happy we are happy. Tel. 1800 326 326 Re: Plumbers: EXTREMELY LOW WATER PRESSURE AT WATER METER-He 20Feb 06, 2014 11:26 am oneness Hmmmmm still do not know what I should do?! yes too many irrelevant answers so far. Your water service provider should provide water via a service guarantee, ie water of a given quality, and a given rate (minumum pressure. ). I say this because most services (electricity, phone, gas, etc) must meet certain minimum standards of supply. Else compensation is due. So your first job is to ascertain if such a service guarantee exists. I'd be incredulous if it doesnt. Do not imagine just because the pressure is low, thats how it is. Authorities/providers will try to get away with whatever is in situ if no one complains. If there is a minmum pressure that isnt being met before the meter (as you have claimed), then take you findings to the provider. If the provider is recalcitrant, threaten legal action (ie class action). Im sure your neighbours will be in on it. Do not pussyfoot with these people. In this day of endless layers of regulation and nanny laws in Austrlaia, you cannot tell me that new homes cannot be supplied with minimum water pressure? ITs simply a matter of having the infrastructure installed, this is what developers pay large sums of money to councils for , when subdivisions are done. Low water pressure at mains means someone is not doing their job. EDIT: at time of writing I wrote from the perspective of an owner not under warranty to a builder, but since you are under warranty , I endorse the following post by ed @ ecoclassic as your first action. With that sort of soil type if you ask for a design to include piers then I would also include void formers. That way you should reduce the chances of settlement and heave. 7 4871 First time building 2 storey home, is under construction (in Framing stage) in NSW. I have 3 toilets and need bidet spray in… 0 17625 |