Power flushing

[Exigeowner]

Do we have any plumber types on here ?

I am having trouble with water pressure hot and cold in the upstairs of my house, Its been going from bad to worse over last month or so.

We have a pump to boost the pressure and after having that checked by our electrician it seems to be doing what it should and boosting on demand.

That leaves me thinking are the copper pipes getting scaled up and reducing flow to almost nothing ?

I have come across the process of power flushing for heating systems and wondered if the same is possible to the pipes that flow to the taps ?

I live in quite a rural area and it seems a challenge to even get a plumber to come out to me !

THANKS

[MB2]

You could have scale reducing the flow in your water pipes, however the power flush is used for the central heating water which can become full of sludge (which is rust from the radiators) so I don't think a power flush will help you.

If you really think your pipes are so blocked with scale it is limiting flow I think you have two options -

1 Replace them
2 - install a softener which over time should remove the scale from the pipes

It might be possible to fill the hot water with acid to dissolve the scale but it would be quite an operation.

If you think this is your problem I would ask a plumber to cut a small section out of the hot pipe to examine in such a way that a new piece can be inserted - that way you can see if your pipes are clogged and if so can then consider the best cause of action.

[Exigeowner]

Good advise and thanks !

You could have scale reducing the flow in your water pipes, however the power flush is used for the central heating water which can become full of sludge (which is rust from the radiators) so I don't think a power flush will help you.

If you really think your pipes are so blocked with scale it is limiting flow I think you have two options -

1 Replace them
2 - install a softener which over time should remove the scale from the pipes

It might be possible to fill the hot water with acid to dissolve the scale but it would be quite an operation.

If you think this is your problem I would ask a plumber to cut a small section out of the hot pipe to examine in such a way that a new piece can be inserted - that way you can see if your pipes are clogged and if so can then consider the best cause of action.

[ralphy]

Two simple steps that are a good start: get your water supplier to check the pressure to your property before doing anything else. This was the solution on a previous house I owned.

Then check the main stop-cock, ideally with the supply turned off outside and then the valve removed to inspect the rubber seal or at the least closing then opening it fully again. Again this solved the problem on another property for me - and potentially saved a lot of unnecessary expenditure.

R

[MB2]

Then check the main stop-cock, ideally with the supply turned off outside and then the valve removed to inspect the rubber seal or at the least closing then opening it fully again. Again this solved the problem on another property for me - and potentially saved a lot of unnecessary expenditure.

R

Very good point - I was adressing the hot supply - if you have lost flow on the cold it won't be scale as that forms with heat. Reduced pressure from the street or closed stop cock could be an issue. Also if you have a half turn shut off valve make sure the bit inside is fully open (you can see it turn) as I had one of these seized resulting in a drastic reduction in flow. You could see that although the lever was fully open the internals were not.

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Plum...ve+PN25/p18591

[geoffcotton]

You may have a valve which appears to be turning but in actual fact the valve stem has snapped internally leaving the valve in a partly open position and thus reducing flow.

High pressure flushing has its risks and could rupture a weak joint.

Do we have any plumber types on here ?

I am having trouble with water pressure hot and cold in the upstairs of my house, Its been going from bad to worse over last month or so.

We have a pump to boost the pressure and after having that checked by our electrician it seems to be doing what it should and boosting on demand.

That leaves me thinking are the copper pipes getting scaled up and reducing flow to almost nothing ?

I have come across the process of power flushing for heating systems and wondered if the same is possible to the pipes that flow to the taps ?

I live in quite a rural area and it seems a challenge to even get a plumber to come out to me !

THANKS

[Nigel306]

Do we have any plumber types on here ?

I am having trouble with water pressure hot and cold in the upstairs of my house, Its been going from bad to worse over last month or so.

We have a pump to boost the pressure and after having that checked by our electrician it seems to be doing what it should and boosting on demand.

That leaves me thinking are the copper pipes getting scaled up and reducing flow to almost nothing ?

I have come across the process of power flushing for heating systems and wondered if the same is possible to the pipes that flow to the taps ?

I live in quite a rural area and it seems a challenge to even get a plumber to come out to me !

THANKS

Are you saying hot and cold are ok downstairs?
We need to determine how the hot and cold taps are fed, and where and what is the booster pump boosting exactly.
I could understand the upstairs hot flow if you have a header tank in loft, but not cold as that is normally direct mains fed.

[rdesouza]

we had a probem and realized it was lime scale build up in the pipes. Were about to pay for an expensive power flush whoich would have dont nothing. We changed the pipes and fixed now....

[Robti]

Open kitchen tap full,if happy with that then mains should be okay, what does booster pump supply exactly ?

[watkins101]

There's a difference between pressure and flow, if you have a low flow rate a pump won't make too much difference and it can't get enough water to run effectively. You can buy flow cups to measure flow but the easiest way is just to put a vessel underneath your first tap after the rising main (usually the kitchen sink) make sure the stop tap is wide open and see how many litres you get in a minute, if you don't have a big enough vessel or room under the tap do it for 20 seconds and times by three.

If you then do this for the other taps you should be able to work out if it's your incoming supply or something in your house.

You will find that you water suppler will guarantee a minimum flow rate to your meter so if it's low it may be worth checking this out.