Does your water pressure drop between 7am-9am?

[bil]

Hi all

Please let me know if you are experiencing this problem? I live on Dunstans road and have been waking up at 6.30am in order to have a decent shower as the pressure drops considerably after 7am during weekdays. During school holidays the water pressure is fine and I can wake up one hour later (which is the time I would like to get up everyday). I eventually called Thames Water and after approximately 5 visits from varying engineers nothing was done, much to my frustration. My neighbour also has the same problem and looking at a few past threads, other people have been affected.

My neighbour also told me that there is large underground reservoir closeby and during peak usage Thames water can't pump the water up the hill to our houses! seriously!

Looking online it is between brenchley gardens/Mamora/Kelvington area....so close..

Anyway it would be really helpful to know which roads are affected to have an idea of how widescale the problem is. I am keen to sort this out. We experience constant disruption (at least once a month) between Dunstans road, Court lane and LL whenever the roads are dug up by water, gas and whoever else wants to dig it up.

I have never done anything like this before and I will do some research into the process but I think I will need to arrange a petition and also get support from James Barber or Tessa Jowell

Thanks

[trizza]

Same issue on St Aidan's...although we tend to be up before 6.30am so it does not cause us many problems. Just demand I suppose.

[Roy of the Rye]

We live on Dunstans Rd and experienced the same problem. Once again, Thames Water said that nothing could be done. It became so unbearable that eventually we invested in a small breakout water tank with pump in the cellar which works with our combination boiler. Morning showers are no longer a problem.

What still gets me though is that we live in a maisonette with one water main entering the premises, yet both we and our upstairs neighbours still have to pay full water rates.

[Oily Telly Tyke]

Same on top end of Goodrich. Rang Thames water and they said other people are having problems and they would look into it ....this was months ago. Rang back still happens. If they can't cope what am I paying for? I havent had a "proper" shower in months. GRrrrrr. O

[eucalyptus]

Do you have children of school age using the other bathroom in the house, perchance?

[bil]

eucalyptus Wrote:

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> Do you have children of school age using the other

> bathroom in the house, perchance?

No, we don't have children (i.e. 2 of us in our house), our neighbours on one side have children and on the other don't (couple) on ground/first floor maisonette and one in basement flat.

from 7am ish, the water pressure drops so water literally drips out of the shower and sometimes the toilet doesn't fill sufficiently.

However during school holidays the water pressure is the same as per 6.30am or evening. But obviously during school holidays not only are children not getting up to go to school but some parents/one parent will also stay at home to look after children so that can reduce number of people using the water considerably.

I think it is related to the collective number of people in the local area using the water at the same time; not the number of people in each house

[loobylou]

I also have problems with the water pressure....the electric shower is just about OK but will go very hot or cold suddenly (with no other water being used in the house), but the (combi)boiler won't fire up for a bath. But it's all fine at the weekend when we all get up later. I live in Crystal Palace Rd - Lordship Lane end

[Gilles Dauve]

I normally get up around 2pm or later each day and haven't experience many problems with the taps. Can't speak for the shower though but it's always very hot. Very hot. Really hot actually. I would definitely be up for sending a petition to Tessa Jowell about my water being to hot but I suppose that's a separate issue.

[spanglysteve]

Those who are experiencing pressure problems, are you on the top floor? I know my upstairs neighbour has similar problems but our pressure (on lower ground floor) is generally very high, but drops off slightly in the morning (though still sufficient).

[bil]

spanglysteve Wrote:

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> Those who are experiencing pressure problems, are

> you on the top floor? I know my upstairs neighbour

> has similar problems but our pressure (on lower

> ground floor) is generally very high, but drops

> off slightly in the morning (though still

> sufficient).

what road do you live on?

Thank you Roy of Rye we are considering putting a new boiler with pump at some point in the future.

our shower is on the top floor (1st floor)...but during non-peak hours the pressure is good

...the problem is that we want to shower at 7.15 or 7.30 am before work and have half an hour more sleep but instead have to wake up at 6.30 to allow two of us to shower. Plus we pay water rates by direct debit every month, have to endure the convenience of Thames Water repeatedly digging our road and surrounding roads.

Our morning routine is dictated by this water pressure change....(we also experience change in temperature from hot to cold and back again when the water drips from the shower during this peak time).

the kitchen sink supply is fine- our kitchen is in the basement.

So far: St Aidans & Dunstans & Top end of Crystal Palace road seem to be affected

is there support to pursue this further?

[spanglysteve]

bil Wrote:

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>

> what road do you live on?

We're on Underhill Road between st aidens and Friern

[Sheepdog]

I'm on Underhill road and we have this problem too, as does my neighbour.

[trizza]

When I lived in a block of flats in SE1 Thames Water told us they routinely turned the mains pressure down in order to reduce leaks etc. They said they only have an obligation to pump at 1bar pressure (at the point it enters your property) which is pretty low...

I suppose one option would be to reconfigure your plumbing to have a megaflow cylinder or similar (to pump hot water at high pressure), but it's not cheap and you need the space.

[embellina]

Also a problem on Hillcourt Road (the end of Goodrich, nr Dunstans and Underhill). It's not so bad for me as I don't start work till 10am, so shower at about 8am. But if I need to get up earlier the shower alternates between freezing and scalding. Fun times

[Carrot]

I live on Camberwell grove and water pressure is awful. There was about a three week period in Winter when I had virtually no water at all and had to go and stay with a friend- Thames water kept on claiming it was not a problem. I am on the top floor flat and so when water pressure goes of have absolutely no water but the bottom flats also have problems. No water again today.

[VALFR59]

Hello,

Please to hear that we are not alone!but we observed that morning problem only since few days.

We live in Beauval Road (so not far from Dustans road I think, as Beauval road is perpendicular of Woodward road)

Not a lot of pressure as well during the morning...our bathroom is on 1er Floor. and we forgot to use the second bathroom when somebody take a shower in the first floor because no hot water for both in the same time.

Val?rie

[Oily Telly Tyke]

I posted about this topic earlier and for the second time this month my post disappeared! I have rung Thames Water and they said "tough"...i rang the water council and they said if there's a few of you they will approach Thames water on our behalf to try to get it fixed. Anyone interested...? please say yes, i cant take another cold dribble shower! Ol

[Bunny19]

Yep, certainly 2 or 3 times a week on Dunstans I have nothing more than a trickle between those times. Thames Water told me to get a megaflow system as there was nothing that they were prepared to do about it.

[trizza]

I thought that TW had a statutory obligation to ensure a pressure of 1bar at the point it enters your property i.e. just before your driveway, porch etc. I think we probably have this on St Aidan's as our combi boiler fires ok.

But if you have pressure of less than 1 bar constantly then I am suprised that TW just refuse to do anything about it...

[Bunny19]

Trizza, you are quite correct in you post about a 1 bar requirement, but by the time the flow hits my kitchen sink at that time of day it's greatly reduced on the same level.

[trizza]

Ok - but Bunny19 - does it even hit 1bar where it is supposed to (i.e. at border of your property) at that time of day?

Can you get them to check? Depending on where your kitchen is, a plumber may be able to hazard an educated guess as to the likely pressure at the border of your property.

It seems to me that you need to find out because that's all that Thames Water will care about. If it is 1bar or above then there is nothing you can force them to do as they are complying with relevant requirements...

I think the only other thing you could do (apart from Megaflow option etc.) would be to have a larger pipe fitted to the mains supply, but that will cost you and i really am not sure what impact it would have.

[Oily Telly Tyke]

Yea 1 bar of pressure and they can wash their hands of the problem. Like i said http://www.ccwater.org.uk/ are willing to look into pressure problems if more than one person is willing to say they are suffering with a lack of service from Thames Water.

[Bunny19]

Yep hits 1 bar at intake off the road, decreases to less than a third of a bar once in in the kitchen at that time. I'll fight it with you all the way, but I've had no luck in the last 5 years, and believe me I've been on their case for most of it. 20 letters, 4 visits and still sweet FA.

[peterstorm1985]

Just out of interest Bunny19, have you had an explanation from anyone as to why you are losing so much pressure between the intake point and your kitchen?

[Bunny19]

Hi Peter, yes two plumbers and TW have looked at it, the best explanation they have given is that the basement flat beneath my maisonette has the priority feed, even though the water enters at my level.