Plumbing Help - The pipe mess

[mics_triton]

Hi Guys

Can anybody help with question .... I have included a photo of the pipes in our new house ... the water come in and one goes to a outside tap and the other pipe supply's the water upstairs . The water pressure is poor . Can I remove that thing in the middle of the picture ( I think it's a water hammer ????? ) ..... is this required on the COLD water ???

Cheers

Mic

[ozwinner]

This is why only licenced plumbers should do the plumbing.

The valve is a pressure relief valve that should go into a hot water service.

The one on the left looks like a one way valve.

I cant stop looking at the plumbing, Im mesmerised.... :o

Al :eek:

[DanP]

I wonder if that could have been made any more complicated :confused:

[ozwinner]

I have set it as my desk top wallpaper.:cool:

Al :eek:

[Shedhand]

A new house?? I'd ask for refund.:rolleyes:

[ozwinner]

The pipe that dissaperes down behind the white painted pipe should be the dump from the hotwater service, when the HWS gets too hot it should release water into it..

The open nipple that points towards the ground is the blow off valve.
God only knows why its set up like it is??

Al

[Auld Bassoon]

Hi Guys

Can anybody help with question .... I have included a photo of the pipes in our new house ... the water come in and one goes to a outside tap and the other pipe supply's the water upstairs . The water pressure is poor . Can I remove that thing in the middle of the picture ( I think it's a water hammer ????? ) ..... is this required on the COLD water ???

Cheers

Mic

Mate, I'm not even a plumber's apprentice, but that lot looks like a dog's breakfast - after the dog has processed it :eek:

[Auld Bassoon]

I have set it as my desk top wallpaper.:cool:

Al :eek:

Is that a form of self flagellation mate :eek: :D :D :D

[mics_triton]

sorry guys.... it's a house built in the 1980's . It our new house in Rockhampton . The water pressure is great at the front of the house ... and poor at the back of the house and up stairs . I believe it's due to the bobsleigh track styled plumbing

cheers
Mic

[ozwinner]

Where does the pipe going behind the painted pipe go??

Al :confused:

[mics_triton]

Where does the pipe going behind the painted pipe go??


Answer : It goes to the outside tap .... for the yard .

cheers
mic

[ozwinner]

Is the white 1/2" pipe the supply into the house?

Al :confused:

[mics_triton]

The waterpipe which is half painted white (coming down the wall), then burnt on the bottom is the supply in to this whole mess

Thanks for all your help

Mic

[ozwinner]

First up, Im not a plumber.
But Ive spent 35 years in the building trade as a brickie, so Im not qualified as a plumber.
But then either was the guy who did your mess.

If it is all cold get rid of the whole lot.
There is no need for the presseure release valve unless it is on the HWS.

You need 2 "T's" to get it all working.
That stop tap, it only stops it from going upstairs, it wont stop it from going into the other pipe.

The one way valve may be needed by the water authority, but they are usualy incorperated into the water meter.

Have fun..:p

Al :)

[JDarvall]

I'm no plumber either...or a bricky ? but I reakon (big guess)...

that, that little twist of pipes may not be responsible for the poor pressure,... I mean, it looks ugly and catches the eye, but ultimately it should work fine shouldn't it ?

Is the water pressure poor to both the outside and upstairs taps ? Cause then the problem may origionate from further upstream, I'd say....from where you say 'water in' .

If I was in your shoes, I'd make a few experiments.....First thing I'd do is, turn the mains off (in the backyard is it ? It is at my place) then take a shifter to that tap shown in the picture......remove it, and screw on a common brass one that has a spout. (5-10 bucks at corner hardwares)...then after turning back on the mains, open your new tap, with a bucket under the spout, and check out how fast that water comes out.......

if the pressures slow, like upstairs, or outside, then the problems probably not in that tangled mess of pipes.

if the pressures fast, then good, you've found the problem... it is that tangled mess of pipes. I'd just cut it all out and just setup a single T only, that takes it upstairs and outside. And be gone with all those pressure release things.......THATs what I'd do anyway :D Goodluck with it ay.

[journeyman Mick]

I'm no plumber either, just a carpenter who's spent a bit of time on building sites and also designed and installed the plumbing and drainage on a couple of 24M boats (8 x bathrooms, 2 x galleys each + holding tanks, sumps with auto pumps, salt water for toilet flush etc etc), these were commercial vessels in survey, but you don't need to use a licensed plumber and we couldn't get any to do the jobs the way we wanted. Anyway, like Al says, you don't need that mess in the middle.

From left to right you've got a one way valve, a pressure limiter/strainer with an over pressure valve above it. The pressure limiter will be doing what its name suggests and if the strainer is full of crap then that will reduce your pressure as well. Maybe there was a hot water system there at one stage and the DIY man from hell decided to remove it and reconnect stuff. You don't need any of it. I'd turn off the tap and remove all the crap then fit a male to female elbow to the tap, shorten the pipe that goes upstairs and use a compression fitting to attach it to the new elbow. Simple, quick and no brazing needed.

Mick

[pharmaboy2]

I would agree Mick, pounds to peanuts, thats where the hotwater system used to be, and the "plumbing person" didnt know what it all did, so just left it there LOL! Great laugh though- a picture like that!

AFAIK if its not behind finished walls you can use compression fittings, another choice is also kwikfit - push on connectors easy as to use, and approved for behind wall use - you can also unconnect and reconnect.

http://www.kembla.com.au/plumbfit_kkf.html

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I'd lay odds that the pressure relief valve was left behind so one could purge the upper lines, after turning off the tap, without using a bucket. :rolleyes:

I reckon the simplest fix'd be to just remove everything between the tap and the upstairs feed... but that's just an opinion and not qualified advice. (Which is nothing new around here. ;) )

[Shedhand]

From my SIL the Master Plumber.

He must have his hotwater cylinder upstairs and the limiting valve is limiting all of the supply to upstairs, he needs to pull the limiting valve and filter setup out from there and install it close as possible to the cylinder on the branchline to the cylinder only ,then this should free up the cold pressure to his other fixtures.

[JDarvall]

From my SIL the Master Plumber.

He must have his hotwater cylinder upstairs and the limiting valve is limiting all of the supply to upstairs, he needs to pull the limiting valve and filter setup out from there and install it close as possible to the cylinder on the branchline to the cylinder only ,then this should free up the cold pressure to his other fixtures.

There ya go. Problem solved. Goodonya mate. :)

[mics_triton]

From my SIL the Master Plumber.

He must have his hotwater cylinder upstairs and the limiting valve is limiting all of the supply to upstairs, he needs to pull the limiting valve and filter setup out from there and install it close as possible to the cylinder on the branchline to the cylinder only ,then this should free up the cold pressure to his other fixtures.

Well the house has a solar hot water system on the roof .... but gets it's water supply before this mess ..... Does the water hammer stop the pipe from rattling or some thing like that ???????????

cheers
Mick

[Shedhand]

Yes, water hammer stops pipes from banging, particularly when washing machines and dishwashers are operating. Can you post a full schematic of your system and I'll ask my SIL to give you some advice.;)