Can Someone Explain A Basic Plumbing Layout

[thomp1983]

Hi all,

Starting to think about altering my plumbing to accommodate the new extension.

Our main water feed comes into the water meter and we have a combi boiler.

The water meter will be moved, the outlet of it I assume goes to the combi, is there a second pipe from the water meter that supplies the cold to all the taps/basins/baths etc. Or does that cold feed come from the boiler?

The hot water I assume is just a feed out from the boiler to each tap/basin/bath etc. Then stops at the last one or does it have a return to the combi?

How are the radiators generally plumbed, I know there's 2 pipes 1 to the trv the other to the lock shield, do these just run onto the next radiators in sequence until you get to the last one then stop or do they also return back to the combi from the last radiator?

Thanks
Chris

 

[BlueLoo]

Plumbing usually works on a supply/return circuit basis.

Cold supply/ return (Drain)
Hot supply/ return (Drain)
Heating supply/return

Users (taps, equipments, etc) tap into those circuits as required and can return as well.

Whilst really, plumbing is that simple, in reality, it gets very complex, very quickly as each system is unique and is dependant on many factors, some of which are not obvious.

The odd tweak, etc, is ok for a DIY'er but system design really needs a engineer. (I say engineer as i don't trust "Plumbers" that much....)

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

The water meter will be moved, the outlet of it I assume goes to the combi, is there a second pipe from the water meter that supplies the cold to all the taps/basins/baths etc. Or does that cold feed come from the boiler?

From the meter it will go to your combi and to your kitchen cold tap, it may also go on to other cold taps around the house, depending upon the system used.

The hot water I assume is just a feed out from the boiler to each tap/basin/bath etc. Then stops at the last one or does it have a return to the combi?

No it just goes to each tap in turn, ending at the last one usually, if a basic combi system.There are other systems though.

How are the radiators generally plumbed, I know there's 2 pipes 1 to the trv the other to the lock shield, do these just run onto the next radiators in sequence until you get to the last one then stop or do they also return back to the combi from the last radiator?

Modern systems use separate flow and return piping, with each rad connected between a flow main and a return main pipe. Older system might use a single pipe system where each radiator had the entire flow from the boiler going through every radiator. Turn one off and they all were turned off.