To get the best water services for your home, you need the right mains supply, otherwise you may require a replacement water main.
The usual reason a water main is underperforming is because it is old and needs upgrading.
The pipe may be made of lead; it may be a common pipe shared by more than one property; and it may be undersized.
Old Mains Pipework
The biggest changes in mass plumbing in the UK came during the Victorian era. More towns received reservoir supplies and benefitted from sewage treatment. And more homes were plumbed in.
Unfortunately, for some older properties, the Victorian pipework remains as a legacy of a former period. While Victorian plumbing was innovative and new at the time, now it is hopelessly outdated.
Old mains supply pipes may simply be undersized. That is to say, their diameter is not of a modern standard and therefore restricts water pressure.
Combined with this may be the issue of sharing a supply pipe. This was more commonplace with terraced properties, but some may still have this system, where one property will have a stop tap controlling the water supply of its immediate neighbours.
This can affect several houses in a row. It may put further strain on water pressure when demand is high, and is also inconvenient should one of the properties require switching off its own supply – it might then mean switching off the supply for several houses at once.
Finally, there is the issue of lead pipes. This can go hand in hand with Victorian plumbing. Lead supply pipes pose a potential health risk through contamination of drinking water, and their age may mean they are more prone to deterioration and damage.
Plastic Pipework, the Modern Solution
Having a replacement water main addresses all these issues: you’ll have pipework that meets modern requirements in terms of diameter and durability; you’ll have your own, unshared supply pipe; and you won’t be at risk from lead poisoning.
