Question for a plumber...

[TREMAiNE]

We go on holiday tomorrow with someone house sitting for us, so mass panic and stress right now as we've been having some issues.

Last night, I noticed the water pressure was lower than usual.
Around 20:00 I received a text from our provider saying due to some ongoing urgent works in the area, pressures would fluctuate throughout the day. Fair enough.

I've been home all day and the pressure has been pretty poor, worse than last night but I could at least shower.

The girlfriend has just gone to dye her hair in the bath and the pressure is so unbelievably low, it's like a trickle. And, bizarrely, even when fully off, the bath tap doesn't stop trickling.

I've called our provider who have reiterated the works ongoing and that we'll get fluctuating pressure although haven't said how normal it is that my pressure is so poor that you couldn't fill a glass of water.

Anyway, the question I have is, could the works ongoing be the reason the upstairs tap will now not turn off, or has someone broken at coincidentally the same time that we have no pressure?

Getting late in the day for an urgent plummer to come out... we go away at 3am and it wouldn't be fair to leave it to our house sitter but similarly I don't want to pay for an urgent callout if it's all just because of works.

[Fastpedeller]

If the taps in question have 1/4 turn ceramic valves they could pass water if the pressure is too low - They tend to have a minimum pressure requirement, and instruction (or looking online) will confirm for your taps. Not worth calling anyone to 'look' and confirm the pressure/flow is low and then give you an invoice! The water company have already confirmed.
I had a customer in a house with low pressure - when she turned the bath tap on water came out of the basin tap (in off position) because of resultant flow/pressure drop.

Edited by Fastpedeller on Monday 7th October 16:57

[TREMAiNE]

Thank you.
The lack of pressure is annoying but I'm less panicky about how water is constantly coming out of an "off" tap.
Hopefully the works get sorted quickly.

I feel sorry for our house sitter. She won't be able to wash if it stays like this.

[OutInTheShed]

Fastpedeller said:

If the taps in question have 1/4 turn ceramic valves they could pass water if the pressure is too low - They tend to have a minimum pressure requirement, and instruction (or looking online) will confirm for your taps. Not worth calling anyone to 'look' and confirm the pressure/flow is low and then give you an invoice! The water company have already confirmed.
I had a customer in a house with low pressure - when she turned the bath tap on water came out of the basin tap (in off position) because of resultant flow/pressure drop.

Edited by Fastpedeller on Monday 7th October 16:57

Yes, I've seen this!

[Scarletpimpofnel]

Fastpedeller said:

If the taps in question have 1/4 turn ceramic valves they could pass water if the pressure is too low - They tend to have a minimum pressure requirement, and instruction (or looking online) will confirm for your taps. Not worth calling anyone to 'look' and confirm the pressure/flow is low and then give you an invoice! The water company have already confirmed.
I had a customer in a house with low pressure - when she turned the bath tap on water came out of the basin tap (in off position) because of resultant flow/pressure drop.

Edited by Fastpedeller on Monday 7th October 16:57

Useful thing to know to save much head scratching in the future. TY