On Jan 9, 5:54*pm, "Phil L" wrote:
wrote:
Hi, i'm converting a house into 2 X 2 bed flats and am trying to make
my mind up if to add another water supply pipe
for the second flat or use the exisitng supply pipe and split it
internally. The current property is not metered and if I split it
internally it would save over £2600 as I wouldn't have to pay three
valleys water to lay a new supply pipe.

There's a lead replacement scheme in operation, have a look into this as
it's normally free.

Are there any drawbacks from not laying a new supply pipe? If I were
to split the existing supply pipe internally could I lay a new pipe at
a later date without major upheaval of the properties internal
plumbing? thanks for any feedback

The obvious drawback is that you only have one pipe feeding two properties,
if the upstairs person is in the shower and the downstairs person decides to
put his washing machine on, it's a problem, but not a major one, the major
one is when upstairs gets a leak while downstairs is in Spain - he can't
gain entry to turn off the water, and likewise, when upstairs springs a leak
while he is out of the country, the downstairs chappy can turn all the water
off, but each time he turns it back on, it pours through his ceilings.

They really need their own mains, or at the very least, access to a stop tap
each, that is to say, you can branch off the existing main and put a stop
tap in the cavity in a box, accessible from outside, but this would only
stop the water to the upstairs flat, the downstairs flat would still use the
existing ST and this would also be the 'master' ST - turn this off and
there's no water in the entire building, because the upstairs ST comes off
this IYSWIM......the drawback with this is obvioulsy frost and potential
leaks - you would have to make a seriously chunky insulative cover for the
whole thing that fits snugly

--
Phil L
RSRL Tipster Of The Year 2008

thanks for the reply, think I will have to fork out for a seperate
supply pipe