Supply issues

Our water supply is high quality but occasionally you may notice some issues. This could be caused by a number of factors and here we explain what they may be and what you can do to remedy them.

No water

Sometimes we have to shut off water supplies in an area, usually for just a few hours, for planned maintenance work or emergencies. For planned works, if we need to cut off water for more than four hours, we will inform you in writing at least 48 hours in advance. For unexpected situations we may not always be able to tell you about interrupting your supply before it happens but will do our best to keep you informed.

Low pressure

We have a statutory requirement to supply all our customers with a minimum water pressure of 10 metres head (approximately 1 bar) at the boundary of their property which will normally enable mains water to fill a storage tank at second floor roof level.

The minimum flow at the cold water tap in a ground floor kitchen should not be less than nine litres per minute. This is equivalent to filling a one-gallon bucket in 30 seconds with all other taps and appliances turned off.

Pressure and flow rates in your home can be affected by a number of factors including:

The height of the property above the water main, and its height relevant to the local service reservoir
The condition, size and length of the service pipe
Whether the property shares a service pipe with other properties
Peak demand conditions

If you think that your water pressure is too low, please let us know and we will investigate for free during working hours. If the cause is our responsibility, we will take appropriate action. If not, we will still let you know what you need to do.