N
Nat
Hi all,
Not that long ago I did a job for a builder who I do a bit of work for. The job was a commercial premises in the middle of Brighton. Not sure what the premises used to be but it was a refurb to make the place into a kind of treatment rooms/spa type business. The shop is on 4 floors which had an existing half inch lead main into the building then sporadic 15 mm copper and half inch lead here and there. The plans proposed 6 basins, a kitchen sink, a toilet and 2 showers (which I was told could be used simultaneously). I advised the customer that a 22mm main would need to be run throughout the building from basement through to first and second floor, then 15mm to feed 2 basins at the top of the building. He asked why and I advised that you would get pressure drop off if someone was having a shower and someone else jumped in the other shower/flushed the toilet/used the basin (baring in mind this is a commercial premises).
I also told him that he would need to get the water supplier to upgrade the main from the stopcock in the road into the building where I would pick up on it (only about 1200mm of pipe). So I completed the rest of the installation in 22mm branching off in 15mm to feed the appliances.
When the install is complete the customer (not the builder) comes back to me and says that the water supplier wants a ridiculous amount of money to replace the 1200mm from the stopcock in the pavement outside into the building so I say 'well let's see how it works as is'. We test it and the pressure and the flow rates are good and there is no drop off. He asks me why this is considering there is still a small amount of 15mm coming into the building and I tell him it is because 95% of the rest of the pipework is in 22mm. I am no professor of fluid dynamics but I know it's all about the volume of the pipework and that there is less frictional resistance from the larger pipe bore. I know even from my own house which is all piped up in 15mm when I am having a shower and the wife opens the kitchen tap there is a considerable loss of pressure.
Anyway, to get to the point, he know thinks I have convinced him to have unnecessary work done. I have already been paid by the builder but he is holding money back from them and this is damaging my reputation.
In this situation would you have done the same? Please help I need an answer from as many people as possible.
Thanks!
Not that long ago I did a job for a builder who I do a bit of work for. The job was a commercial premises in the middle of Brighton. Not sure what the premises used to be but it was a refurb to make the place into a kind of treatment rooms/spa type business. The shop is on 4 floors which had an existing half inch lead main into the building then sporadic 15 mm copper and half inch lead here and there. The plans proposed 6 basins, a kitchen sink, a toilet and 2 showers (which I was told could be used simultaneously). I advised the customer that a 22mm main would need to be run throughout the building from basement through to first and second floor, then 15mm to feed 2 basins at the top of the building. He asked why and I advised that you would get pressure drop off if someone was having a shower and someone else jumped in the other shower/flushed the toilet/used the basin (baring in mind this is a commercial premises).
I also told him that he would need to get the water supplier to upgrade the main from the stopcock in the road into the building where I would pick up on it (only about 1200mm of pipe). So I completed the rest of the installation in 22mm branching off in 15mm to feed the appliances.
When the install is complete the customer (not the builder) comes back to me and says that the water supplier wants a ridiculous amount of money to replace the 1200mm from the stopcock in the pavement outside into the building so I say 'well let's see how it works as is'. We test it and the pressure and the flow rates are good and there is no drop off. He asks me why this is considering there is still a small amount of 15mm coming into the building and I tell him it is because 95% of the rest of the pipework is in 22mm. I am no professor of fluid dynamics but I know it's all about the volume of the pipework and that there is less frictional resistance from the larger pipe bore. I know even from my own house which is all piped up in 15mm when I am having a shower and the wife opens the kitchen tap there is a considerable loss of pressure.
Anyway, to get to the point, he know thinks I have convinced him to have unnecessary work done. I have already been paid by the builder but he is holding money back from them and this is damaging my reputation.
In this situation would you have done the same? Please help I need an answer from as many people as possible.
Thanks!
