Water pressure

[Batch]

Hmmm tricky one then. You could get the water board to try and monitor the water into the property. If it was permanently down you'd think "leak", but intermittent is a bit puzzling. Unless the newsagents is a secret marijuana factory and that's when the sprinklers come on.

Stopcock sounds dodgy but presumably that only affects your property, so wouldn't explain the newsagents having the same problem?

[sonicyouth]

My parents have a similar problem at their house but that's down to the fact the farm nearby is on the same water mains and uses a lot of water at certain periods of the day, the landlord resolved it by installing a proper tank in the attic.

I originally thought it might be because of the businesses nearby here, next door is a hairdressers so presumably they use a lot of water but when we had a problem before, they were totally uneffected by it; as were our neighbours on the other side. It seems as though it's just this property which is a worry as I doubt it'll be sorted anytime soon, i.e. before my girlfriend graduates

[herthab]

Fill some buckets and stop being such a fucking lightweight!

[joteddyred]

Why don't you hold back the next month's rent until the landlord sorts out all these issues that you've had to put up with?  I expect they'll soon spring into action then?!

[oxford_fan]

re: the boiler, aren't there some pretty hefty requirements on rental properties for annual boiler servicing these days?

i'd ask the agent for a copy of the certificate immediately, and if its out of date book a service there and then because it could solve this problem and potentially lots of (more serious) others.

when i worked for a property firm they were shit hot on getting me to keep the gas certificates up to date, out of fear of legal repercussions. if it is as i think it is, it should work in your favour.

[oxford_fan]

CP12, that's the one. from british gas' website:

Let us help take care of all your
Gas Safety checks (CP12)

"As you're aware, you're legally required to have all gas appliances in the properties you let checked every 12 months and to hold a Gas Safety Record."

ask to see the current CP12. if they haven't got it, rape them.


hmmm... granting a CP12 only seems to require an inspection of the boiler, and not necessarily a service. if there is a difference. basically i know fuckall.

[pumbaa]

Whilst OF is absolutely right, it doesn't sound like a boiler problem, very much one of water supply through the mains. Although if you haven't got one, certainly ask the Estate Agent for the CP12, it is a legal requirement for any rental property to have the boiler checked annually.

Quite what you do about the lack of water pressure is unclear as I guess this is the responsibility of the water supply company (Severn Trent in your case?). Might be worth a call, but I've no idea if they charge for this sort of thing, and I doubt they'll be more helpful than your Estate Agent.

One thing I will advise though is keep a written log of all these problems you are having, present them to the General Manager of the Agency and withhold payment of a month's rent until they are resolved to your satisfaction. That should get their attention. Oh, and seek advice through Consumer Direct if needs be.

[trogladite]

Is there one feed to the property or do yourselves and the shop downstairs have your own seperate  systems?
 It certainly sounds like one feed to the property and if they're running a hosepipe, dishwasher and flushing the toilet? Then you, being upstairs and at the end of the line aren't going to get a lot in the way of pressure.
Why not test this yourself.  Turn on a tap. Go downstairs, ask the shop to turn on all their water outlets, toilet flush taps washing machine and pop back to your flat and see if the pressure is still the same.

[Gelbfüßler]

Are you South Staffs or Severn Trent? Definitely phone your supplier and explain the situation. If it's diagnosed as a problem within the building, it's the landlord's responsibility to sort it out.

http://www.south-staffs-water.co.uk/your_home/water_pressure.asp

http://www.stwater.co.uk/server.php?show=nav.6294#SlowUpstairs

^^ some useful links. Sounds like a common feed for both floors and the plumbing wasn't designed for what it's taking. Smaller bore pipes = larger friction losses.

[sonicyouth]

Cheers all. Am away for a week from tomorrow so will look at it again when I come back.

p.s. the pressure is usually bad in the evenings when the shop downstairs is closed, so we're the only ones using that supply

[Gelbfüßler]

Could well be the water company doing repairs/maintenance etc on the mains on the network then. Being highest up, you will be affected more by pressure fluctuations. 1 bar is only 10m head.