My water supply is somehow linked to neighbours water usage and it's affecting my shower (Shared main?)

[Shadweller]

Hello Everyone,

I hope someone can advise on this problem that is annoying me more and more.

I live in a 1900s mid terraced property.

My water supply is somehow linked to my neighbours water usage and this is now really annoying me. I can hear the water 'being run' through the water pipes in my house whenever next door run their water. It is most noticeable if I am in my kitchen or bathroom. I know this is the case because I can see the steam rising from their drains in the cold weather, and I can hear them running the water if I'm in my back yard. I can also see them watering their plants etc.

If it was just the noise of water being run through my pipes I would not be bothered in the least, but the reason that I am bothered is because it is very severlely affecting my shower every time I try to use it! Every time they run their water I loose water pressure to my shower and my water temperature goes freezing cold. If I turn my shower off when this happens I can hear the sound of their water being run through the pipes behind my shower wall. When this noise stops, and I turn my shower back on, it is absolutely fine again.

The shower is electric. I'm aware that showers are affected if someone uses the water within the same property, but surely they should NOT be affected by next doors water usage.

I've put up with it for some time, hoping to be able to shower when they aren't using their water. But this is proving impossible, and is really getting on my nerves now.

Does anyone please have any experience with anything similar and any suggestions as to possible solutions to sorting the problem out?

I own the property by the way.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Shared main maybe turn your mains water stop tap off eg the internal one and does next door still have water ?

 

[Shadweller]

Yeah I'm guessing it could be a shared main somehow. The stopcock is very stiff to turn off, I would need to get a plumber out just to do that.

I'm assuming the water main should not be shared with next door, and somehow the installation has been done wrong?? Is there any way to get my own supply that is not shared, should United Utilities sort that out, or would it be down to me as the homeowner?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

That’s how they did it in the old days

Need to pay for your own main to be installed

 

[Shadweller]

OK thanks. Would it be United Utilities that would do that job, or any decent plumber?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

If you go on there website they should have a list of approved plumbers

 

[Shadweller]

OK thanks.

 

[gpbeck]

OK thanks.

If it’s a lead pipe many water boards will connect a properly laid new pipe up for free.

 

[Ric2013]

Worth checking someone hasn't done something stupid like turned the shared outdoor underground stopcock partly off (or indeed your internal one). I have a shared supply with my neighbour and no problems with my 8.5kW shower at all. In fact, the shower will probably function at working pressures down to 1 bar (my shared supply never really drops below 2 bar) and so if you aren't even getting that, it's possible you are getting less pressure than your water board's minimum flow and pressure.

Before spending a lot of money on a new main, I'd be asking what flow and pressure UU would expect to provide as a minimum and see if there is an issue on UU's main somewhere. I'd also be looking into whether your shower is working correctly (and what minimums the manufacturer requires) or whether a pressure sensor has become oversensitive.

Finally, I'd be asking if your neighbours have recently fitted a combi boiler or unvented cylinder or indeed if they are now pumping off the mains - I'm not certain what the legal position is, but I'd suggest that when two people are happily on a shared supply with traditional systems which involve water storage and hence reduced peak demand on the main, the person installing newer systems that make greater use of the shared supply should not be doing this to the detriment of the neighbour that is still making minimal peak demand.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

If it’s a lead pipe many water boards will connect a properly laid new pipe up for free.

Only if the lead ppm in the water is above a certain point

 

[Shadweller]

.

 

[Shadweller]

Worth checking someone hasn't done something stupid like turned the shared outdoor underground stopcock partly off (or indeed your internal one). I have a shared supply with my neighbour and no problems with my 8.5kW shower at all. In fact, the shower will probably function at working pressures down to 1 bar (my shared supply never really drops below 2 bar) and so if you aren't even getting that, it's possible you are getting less pressure than your water board's minimum flow and pressure.

Before spending a lot of money on a new main, I'd be asking what flow and pressure UU would expect to provide as a minimum and see if there is an issue on UU's main somewhere. I'd also be looking into whether your shower is working correctly (and what minimums the manufacturer requires) or whether a pressure sensor has become oversensitive.

Finally, I'd be asking if your neighbours have recently fitted a combi boiler or unvented cylinder or indeed if they are now pumping off the mains - I'm not certain what the legal position is, but I'd suggest that when two people are happily on a shared supply with traditional systems which involve water storage and hence reduced peak demand on the main, the person installing newer systems that make greater use of the shared supply should not be doing this to the detriment of the neighbour that is still making minimal peak demand.

THanks for that Ric, some interesting points there, but the issue is definitely only when next door are running their water, it's not a constant thing.

I'm not sure exactly how that affects what you have said, but there seems to be a number of things to consider.

 

[WC1]

I'm not certain what the legal position is, but I'd suggest that when two people are happily on a shared supply with traditional

Pretty sure pumping off shared main is a no-no from water regs and would cause this sort of significant pressure/flow drop.

 

[Ric2013]

THanks for that Ric, some interesting points there, but the issue is definitely only when next door are running their water, it's not a constant thing.

I'm not sure exactly how that affects what you have said, but there seems to be a number of things to consider.

Affects it a lot. A partly open stopcock or fault on the main may allow sufficient flow to give you a decent working pressure when there is only one tap/shower etc in use, but not when more than one is in use. It's the difference between the terms working pressure and standing pressure, which you'd be well advised to look up on the internet.

 

[gpbeck]

Only if the lead ppm in the water is above a certain point

Severn Trent just need to see that the pipe is lead.