I've accepted a quote of marginally over £1000 to install a new mains water supply. We've experienced decreasing water pressure over the years and it's time to do it. I think it will cause them more work than anticipated. I like the bit in the contract where it says, " The price includes all plant, labour, materials, excavations and reinstatements." The original pipe ends up in the corner of the kitchen behind these two drawers. > You can just about see the old 1965 stopcock. When we had a new kitchen fitted over a decade ago, they provided a new more accessible one. Both drawers can be removed so they can get at it. They may have to cut away a bit more of the cabinet, to get better access, but it's not a problem. The houses on our road are built on concrete rafts with 18" of clearance under the floorboards. The old lead water pipe just lays on the top of the raft between the front of the house and the corner of the kitchen We did have a hatch in a corner of the kitchen, but the carousel sits there now. So I made a new hatch. It's in here under my wife's vacuum cleaner store, (don't ask) I've been down there enough times in the past, crawling about fixing squeaky floorboards. I've explained it to the contractor who said, "If you can get down there, we'll be able to get someone too." The main work will be from the curtilage wall to the front of the house. That'll take some "reinstating."
That's quite interesting for me to see. A see we don't have any such system in our homes here... As we have 2 water tanks here in each h house. One is the an under ground storage tank. While the other is an overhead tank. Which we fill it up from the underground tank by a pump. So that's how we get running water everywhere in the home, by gravity flow. Government supplies water (which goes into the underground tank) for around an hour and a half to two hours, usually once in 3 days. So that's enough for a decent size family, plus the garden. This way even if the supply of water stops, be it for whatever reason, we usually still have enough water stored for 2 weeks to sometimes a month and a half, (depending on how big your tanks are). And no concept of a water meter either. We just pay a flat rate once in a year, which is part and parcel of the annual property tax. So use it or not, but you can't avoid it... Sometimes when water supply is hindered because of drought, we then have to buy water from the private water tankers, (bowsers).
Riley it’s nice to have a new main line installed. Water pressure is important. We are on a well and had all the lines in the house replaced with PVC piping and a pressure tank attached . A 1600 gallon holding tank plus 1200 gal tank. Well pump keeps the tanks full. We use UV lights and filter system to purify the water for the household. No chlorine or chemicals from city water. However, the garden water pipes does not thru the filter system set up for the household. Well water contains minerals , calcium and magnesium etc. good for plants. I never fertilize the garden with chemicals. Well water has its pluses and minuses nothing is perfect . Over time the water table can drop in summer due to drought. Since all the rain the past 2 years the drought has not affected our water table. We keep an extra holding tank full of water in case it’s needed for fire season we have now entered . Pressure is the utmost of important since volume ,distance and time is essential. There are no fire hydrants included with country living.
Today, I spent quite some time in the front garden getting it looking good. I've taken some more photos so if I'm dissatisfied with the "reinstatement," I've some ammunition.
That's quite a project. It seems like there's always another major repair for homeowners. I had an electrician come over to install a ceiling fan switch and set up separate breakers for kitchen appliances - a few hundred dollars which was kind of painful. He looked at the circuit breaker panel and told me it's been recalled - a severe fire hazard. This is from one web site - "If your home was built between 1950 and 1990, there’s a chance that it has a Federal Pacific electric panel with Stab-Lok breakers. After reports of electrical fires in the 1980s, an investigation revealed that 1 out of 4 Stab-Lok breakers couldn’t trip. Meaning, they couldn’t prevent overloading and electrical faults. A paper published in 2012 stated that FPE Stab-Lok breakers may be accountable for 2,800 fires and 13 deaths." Holy moly! Mine IS Federal Pacific. It doesn't look like it's just a scare tactic to rip off a senior citizen. (But could be?) . So.... I will have to cash in some CDs and have the curcuit breaker panel replaced. I did not see that coming! Anyway, may your water supply flos clear and refreshing!
There's some pretty strong electrical safety regulations in the UK. Since the beginning of 2001, your average DIYer "isn't allowed to do much more than put a plug on an appliance." Mind you, I wouldn't trust some people I know, to even do that.
That's probably not a bad idea. Still, it costs several hundred dollars just to have an electrician come to the house. As for plumbers, it cost me more to have a plumber hook up a toilet, than it cost me to see my oncologist. And the plumber did the job incorrectly. When the plumber installed my new soaking tub, he did it wrong twice. If I want it done wrong, I do it wrong, and for a lot less! (My curmudgeon side shining through).
The electrical safety regulations are thus, as here in the UK we're on 240v. On the subject of bathrooms, I installed a new suite twenty years ago. This was the toilet. Over the years, it was looking tired and we've changed the seat several times. None were really good fits, they tended to move about a bit. So last week I decided to change the whole toilet. I repainted the skirting boards and replaced the moldings between those and the laminate floor. I'd ordered a new toilet and fitted on Thursday. It took about an hour. I emptied the water in the old one with my wet n' dry vac. Put plastic bags over the orifices and carried it downstairs. I turned our, "non recyclable" wheely bin on its side, slid it in, then stood the bin up. Then smashed up the toilet with a lump hammer. I enjoyed that! The new Ideal Standard one was a doddle to fit with a new concertina soil pipe connector. Then just a case of applying new white silicone, "everywhere." It's a rimless model. The "U bend" holds far less water, part of the saving water initiative. I was quite pleased with the result. But then I'm of an age when back then if you wanted something done you had to do it yourself, as you hadn't the money to employ a tradesman, so you were forced to learn DIY. "Not bad for a kid of 84."
Great job Doghouse! I always preferred do-it-yourself too. I can't do as much now, but when I can, I do.
Nothing's easy is it? An example of "Sod's Law." Before the "Water Boys" arrived, I had a shower. Then found the shower wouldn't turn off. It'll be the solenoid. To get an engineer out to replace it, would cost about £100 and they might need to order a part. Easiest way, is to replace the shower myself. I've changed showers before, I've ordered the same model from Screwfix. I'll collect it tomorrow. It just means when my new supply is connected, the shower will still be running. So I'll be turning off the water from the stopcock when I don't need any water, until I've fitted the new shower tomorrow. It's easy enough, remove the dedicated breaker, two screws, three wires, one water connection. I've turned the physical shower control down to the minimum, so when it is running I won't be wasting much water. The engineers have arrived and told me that there is a government, "lead replacement scheme," so I could get half of my £1000 back. But digging down they found that the pipe was copper, so that won't be happening. I won't miss what I wasn't going to get anyway. They seem a nice couple of guys. I've shown them the hatch in the cupboard. The boss guy is about my build, the other rather big. We all had a laugh when I said he'd be able to get down under the floor, but there was no chance for the other one!
Job completed by 3.00pm They had to make more room for the 25mm plastic pipe, where it comes in behind the back of the bottom drawer. I'll stick some bubblewrap in the hole as insulation. It will be very rare that I will need to access the tap. One of the two guys was under the floor for some time dragging the pipe through. They were communicating to each other from each end of the pipe, relayed by me standing in the kitchen doorway, like a scene from "The Great Escape." > The pipe is connected to the feed from the water meter, so no need for an external stopcock. You can use the one on the water meter under its cover in the pavement. I've put some rocks at the end of the border. Drive's a bit messy, but I was going to jet-wash it this week anyway. That hole was nearly three feet deep. I had time to go to Screwfix to pick up my new shower, so that's in now and working. "From 5.00pm, my time was my own."
Jet washed the whole drive this afternoon. A right pain, but all evidence of the visit of The Water Boys has gone. A bit of pointing will be necessary to the York stone edge. I've blasted out some of the old pointing and a few weeds and a bit of moss. I moved the front brick pillar 26 years ago, so it would be easier to get my first 4 x 4 up the drive. I step on these when I get out my car when I reverse in, (as you should do). I've even managed to tidy up the "patch" which had, "cement over-spray" if you like. As it was only 24 hours old, I was able to "sculpt" the edges and give the surface a bit of texture like the rest of the drive, with my Karcher. Got to say that the drive got a better clean today, as on previous occasions with low pressure, my Karcher was "looking for water."
My new 25mm water supply had to be connected to the sixty year-old 15mm original copper pipe from the three year-old water meter in the pavement. Contractors are not allowed to connect direct to water meters. United Utilities can only do that themselves. So my £1080 installation, although it has increased my water pressure. it's not as good as we'd hoped. Here's a photo of the problem. It needs about 18 inches of 25mm pipe and a couple of connectors from the meter in the pavement to a point under the little wall beyond the brick pillar. They could probably access the meter from my side, as it's all been dug out once by my contractor. This is for what United Utilities want to charge me £1800.00 I've complained by recorded delivery letter to the chief executive. I've said I've not yet put this attempt at daylight robbery on social media, or made a video of the location and put it on my YouTube channel with "appropriate comments," I'm giving her a chance to put it right. ">
