Hi

I currently have town water supplied via a meter which seems to be fed by the usual 1/2 inch blue tube.

I now have the opportunity to tap into a much larger supply pipe which is being installed for a new house being built nearby, the greater capacity being needed for a new pool etc being installed at the new property.

Bearing in mind my property is all plumbed with the 1/2 inch size will there be any benefit for me?

Will a new larger bore meter need to be fitted?

The new piping will mean that the water enters the system at a different point, am I asking for trouble with this and will it have any effect on the electric pump built into existing system.

My own view is that bearing in mind I am now tapping into a larger source much nearer my property i.e. a few meters away rather than the existing source which is a couple of hundred meters away that I should have much better pressure providing that a larger meter is fitted. Am I deluding myself?

Comments appreciated

TBWG

PS I have had advice from water office, boss lady etc, but I always fear that they are just telling me what they think I want to hear, after all I am the one that has to live with the consequences and cost if it all goes t**s up.

I'd try to keep the old one and add a new one...tell them you are planning on building another house soon or some other creative story.

You would think that the bigger supply from a shorter distance would be the better bet (especially if the existing supply is through a 1/2 inch pipe for a couple hundred metres which would cause quite a bit of pressure drop in itself) but you really can't be sure unless you see a schematic of the system all the way back until the two lines share a common point....and you know the expected usage by all your neighbors (etc.) on both lines all the way back to the common point. If the swimming pool guy has a massive supply all the way to the pool them in theory at least he could drop the pressure quite alot....but it all depends on the exact geometry of the lines.

If it was me I'd try to run some water from the new line and ask everyone I could on the new line to turn their water usage up full bore and then compare it with what you've got now....then decide.....if they wouldn't let me keep both lines which is what I would really push for.

Chownah

I'd try to keep the old one and add a new one...tell them you are planning on building another house soon or some other creative story.

You would think that the bigger supply from a shorter distance would be the better bet (especially if the existing supply is through a 1/2 inch pipe for a couple hundred metres which would cause quite a bit of pressure drop in itself) but you really can't be sure unless you see a schematic of the system all the way back until the two lines share a common point....and you know the expected usage by all your neighbors (etc.) on both lines all the way back to the common point. If the swimming pool guy has a massive supply all the way to the pool them in theory at least he could drop the pressure quite alot....but it all depends on the exact geometry of the lines.

If it was me I'd try to run some water from the new line and ask everyone I could on the new line to turn their water usage up full bore and then compare it with what you've got now....then decide.....if they wouldn't let me keep both lines which is what I would really push for.

Chownah

Hi Chownah

Thanks for input. The supply will be used by new neighbor and myself only, his pool is quite small and once filled should not have much impact on supply, he is having a very large house built but there is only so much water the 3 occupants can use.

However, I hear what you say about keeping the 2 supplies and that sounds prudent advice.

TBWG

If your water is being supplied from an electric pump anyways, I see absolutely no advantage in a larger supply line.

We store water in our own tanks and it all comes into the house through our water pump. Our village has water for maybe six hours a day so the tanks are a necessity. My wife waters her garden and trees when the village water is working.

My water supply comes off a 4 inch main that supplies the village and it is through a 1/2 connection to the meter.

The supply pipe from the meter up to the storage tanks is 3/4 inch and it is OK a lot of the time. However last year I bought a 1 inch meter from a place in Bangkok and now the pressure is much better.

The main problem is that my system is 1/2 inch from the supply, 1 inch through the meter and 3/4 inch elsewhere.

A 1/2 inch meter does not actually mean 1/2 inch all the way through and the meter slows the water rate down more than a 3/4 or 1 inch meter.

My system works for me.