Water Main Cost per M?

Jerry

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Devon
We currently have miserable water pressure to the farm.

The mains and meter is approx 800m from the house/yards, luckily across two fields we own.

It is currently black alkathene, I think it is 20mm, that has been there for many years.

This has to feed the main house, 7 barn conversions(13 beds in total), small caravan site and the yards.

The height gain from meter to farm is approx 10m

I'm toying with the idea of putting in a larger pipe from the meter to the distribution point that the current mains feeds to help increase flow.

Would 32mm pipe be big enough or 50mm, and how much roughly per meter to install?
 

Speedstar

Member
Location
Scottish Borders
We currently have miserable water pressure to the farm.

The mains and meter is approx 800m from the house/yards, luckily across two fields we own.

It is currently black alkathene, I think it is 20mm, that has been there for many years.

This has to feed the main house, 7 barn conversions(13 beds in total), small caravan site and the yards.

The height gain from meter to farm is approx 10m

I'm toying with the idea of putting in a larger pipe from the meter to the distribution point that the current mains feeds to help increase flow.

Would 32mm pipe be big enough or 50mm, and how much roughly per meter to install?
32mm will more than likely be the biggest they will let you put in , you may get a grant for renewing your supply
 

teslacoils

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Are you wanting a bigger supply to service many properties? They may say that's not allowed.

I've just about got 2km of 62mm pipe connected. It was not cheap.

What you need is for the actual main to be extended. Bill won't be pretty. There are rules about how many premises you can supply per meter.
 

upnortheast

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Northumberland
Suspect if you go to the water company for an upgrade they will want each property on its own meter, which will be by their main, so 8 pipes the 800 yards from main to yard
Nothing to stop you putting a 50mm pipe from your side of the meter to the yard, which should improve the situation.
Just don`t tell the water company
Think 50mm pipe is circa £2.00 a meter + fittings + cost of digging a trench. Moling it in may be an option as long as there are not too many obstructions
 

Jerry

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Devon
Thanks.

should have said the water company know there are multiple properties and they all have their own meters.

I get a single bill for all the water and pay it then charge each property fur their consumption per their own meter.

I also get a £25 rebate per meter
As I’ve told south west water and they treat me as a reseller.
 

How much

Member
Location
North East
do you own the 7 conversion properties or have they been sold ?

If they have been sold there deeds may or should at least allow for them paying a % of the water pipe replacement cost just as it would allow for up keep of the shared road to the properties.
 

Jerry

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Devon
do you own the 7 conversion properties or have they been sold ?

If they have been sold there deeds may or should at least allow for them paying a % of the water pipe replacement cost just as it would allow for up keep of the shared road to the properties.

All owned by us and rented out on assured tenancies so it’s down to me.
 
I’d say the trenching will cost more than the pipe. I’d put in the biggest you can, one day you can always upgrade the meter from 25 to say 32 in to your new bigger bore pipe.

i think my guy charges about 90p a metre to chain trench down about a meter. Then you need a digger to back fill but that’s easy enough to do.
 

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
As i understand it is your pipe as it is after the metre, so is nothing to do with water company.
if you are supplying 7 properties off a 20 mm pipe no wonder it is low pressure.
for houses 2 inch or 63mm should be fine but if livestock is involved i would go larger.
no big job with a back acter probably 2 days and although cheaper per meter a trencher will probably cost more to get in.
20mm to the individual properties should be fine
 

egbert

Member
Livestock Farmer
Unless it's simply and deffo just a pipe size problem, I'd have to look at exploring private supply - for at least the farm consumption.
Spending money to help you buy their water faster sounds like it's going down the wrong track, and the risk of a major leak should a beast knock off a fitting unseen could pay for a lot of your own infrastructure.

Just thinking out loud
 

Hard Graft

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
British Isles
We are In a simular with 650m run from the meter it 32mm ( 400m) and 3/4 (250m ) with 2 big houses and large farm yard 340 head off beef cattle housed all year. I was going to go to 50mm but a bore hole is coming in at 6000 plus’s pipe and cable so about 9000 all in going to try this but will also put in 3 phase
 

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