Mains water pressure causing problems

[duncank]

Hi,


I'm new here but thought I would join to ask a question about the water main running alongside my property.


I have a problem that started about 12 months ago, the property before then was perfect, we now have a humming noise, vibration and pressure within the house that was not there before, I have isolated the electrics (we do not have a gas connection) and the noise still continues, we had a service outage ( no water) recently and the noise and vibration stopped.


I am certain it isn't water hammer or anything to do with the system in the house, since if I switch off the water at the stop cock the noise continues.


I would appreciate any advice or comments from any one who has had the same symptoms.

If this is the wrong forum can someone please let me know and I will move this post.


Regards


Duncan

 

[terryplumb]

could be an underground pipe is leaking.do you have a water meter and is it outside your premises ?

 

[duncank]

Terryplumb,

We don't have a water meter, but there is a hydrant box on the main line, the line runs parallel with the property and is about 6ft away from the house.

I have suspected that it is either a washout or a leaking pipe but have no way of proving this to my water supplier, who has basically said there is nothing wrong.

I am a little confused as to the pressure in the pipe, I have measured it from my outside tap today and it is 6.5 bar, I have also spoken to my supplier about this as I think the pressure is much to high for a rural line ( 90mm Alkathene pipe) and although he has said it is gravity fed and self regulating I somehow doubt it, I also know that the pressure has varied from 4 to 7.5 bar according to the readings taken by my supplier when I asked them to look into the noise.

I am of the opinion that there is a leak of some kind on the system, and that the pressure has been upped to compensate for it, as additional information the supplier has been handing out pressure reducing valves like sweets to most of the properties on the main water supply pipe past my property.

Its very odd.

Cheers

Duncan

 

[terryplumb]

specifically ,what problems are you having with plumbing inside your property ? you may benefit from having a pressure reducing valve fitted especially if your historic pressure was less than it is now. do you know what it used to be ?

 

[duncank]

Terry,

We have a pressure reducing valve ( it was fitted when we first said there was a problem) unfortunately it is further down the line from where the pipe runs alongside the house and has made absolutely no difference to the problem.

The plumbing has been checked by a Plumber and also the Supplier has listened to the pipes with a (stupid) listening stick and said that they didn't think it was our plumbing or stopcock.

If my systems are all ok as seems to be the case, and nothing changes when I isolate the system via the stopcock I can only surmise that it is a problem with the water main,especially since the noise varies if works are being carried out downline or there is an outage.

Duncan

 

[terryplumb]

by the way do you have a stop cock on the boundary to your premises that isolates your supply ? you could turn it off and see if sounds stops. if it does I would suspect leak between the two stopcocks.

 

[duncank]

We do have a stopcock outside the property, I have just switched it off for 10 mins, we had no water to the taps but sadly the sound didn't stop, that is something I hadn't thought of, Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[terryplumb]

hmm ,looks like the only people who can resolve your problem is your water suppliers. you stated the mains is only 90mm diameter ,is there by any chance ,downstream from your property, any industrial /agricultural etc , high water demand operations ? could be a very high flow rate thru the pipe ( makes a kind of roaring noise ).

 

[Madrab]

Get a hold of your water key, run it down to and onto the outside mains stop tap. Place the key against your ear, can you hear the noise, emanating from the pipe??

 

[HERTS P&D]

Must be from the neighbours.

Andy

 

[AGAS]

(stupid) listening stick

thats how all water suppliers test for leaks

 

[AGAS]

stupid) listening stick and said that they didn't think it was our plumbing or stopcock.

did they say " they didn't think " . as you want to know yes or no , get them out again to give a definitive answer , or was that your interpretation of what they said

 

[duncank]

Hi,

They listened to my stop cock and pipes in the house and said it wasn't that, however they are also saying that it is not a problem with the mains pipe.

Given what I think is a high pressure in the main, would that be enough to cause the sound?

There is no agricultural or factory usage on the line and we are in fact, near the end of the line.

Cheers

Duncan

 

[Doggit]

6.5bar is pretty high, and that's got to be coming from the supply pipe (I know obvious statment) so even if you turn off the supply in the road, it could still be putting the vibration through to your pipes. Find yourself a listening stick, and try and isolate/find the noise yourself, and see if it's being transmitted into anything else, and see if the noise changes when the supply is off or on from the road.