Domestic Water Supplies

All domestic water supplies to the home arrives from a local water supply company. They will make sure that the water is pure enough to drink and does not contain any foreign objects or bacteria. There is of course a charge for this, so that is why it is usually well managed. The water goes through many processes before we get to drink or bathe in it, this includes filtration, chlorination, and the addition of something called fluoride. The pipes that moves our water supply is buried at such a depth depth to make sure that they are not disturbed by freezing or vibrations. A long time ago before new health and safety regulations were introduced, these pipes were pretty much all made from asbestos cement and cast iron. These days they are made from a plastic called PVC. You might possibly see blue pipes made of this when new mains are being laid. Bromley Plumbers use PVC pipes. The supply pipework runs under the ground at a minimum depth of 750mm which as stated gives protection from the frost. The pipes then stop just before the property and is fitted with something called a stop valve. This pipe is 15mm in diameter but is normally 25mm. A Bromley Plumber knows pipework sizes. Access to this stop valve is by a chamber or tube which has a removable cover on top and is marked so it is easy to locate. From there, the pipework comes into the property, through a service pipe of which the maintenance is the responsibility of the homeowner. The pipe is made from a material called medium density polyethylene (MDPE) and should be in a sleeve as it runs under the property and is insulated for protection from damage as it rises up. It connects to a water metering system inside or outside to monitor and record water use for billing.

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