Simple service became problem for whole street!

[Clint 1979]

Hi all,

Serviced a customers combi boiler this evening pretty straight forward, until checking op pressure! 16 mbar standing at boiler and 8.9 operating?!? Checked at meter, 17 standing and 10 operating?!?
Fired up the rings on the range on low flame, ran the hot tap and pulled two of the flames out!
Called it in and the guys turned up to swap the governor, checked the neighbours supply and same there, checked the other side and same again......tried across the road and the woman wouldn't let them in, shortly after the police were crawling over the house, raided ha entertaining!
still checking and half way up the street.....shutting meters off as they go! Going to come back in the morning and blow the main through???

Its been like it for a couple of years in this street apparently so the customer tells me, begs the question if anyone has had a boiler service at all and if so how could that be missed?!?!

I would stick some cards through the doors but its taters out there tonight and I would probably get lynched!!!

Has anybody else come across similar scenarios??

I feel bad that all these people are without heat for the night but at least it's getting sorted......some of the other houses were as low as 14mbar standing!!

 

[Reg Man]

All that rain over the weekend has probably flooded the gas main?

 

[solutions]

Had this recently although not on that scale the southern gas guy who responded said they are still running summer pressures in the main to cut down on the volume of gas lost through leaky main sections. He said its short sighted as the money being spent on these unplanned callouts and work is astronomical. They really ought to be forced in to pouring more of there earnings back in to infrastructute upgrades and getting more of it done in less time. Apparently they have upgraded the pipework from the main to a local school 3 times as the pressure was just too low at the meter. Now they have a stupid situation where the size if supply up to the school boiler room is the same as the size of the main in the street and the pressure is barely acceptable. He warned me of severall areas local to me where if I service I will likely find the pressure too low.

 

[Clint 1979]

Where's the logic? That's just bonkers......

Not sure what is happening with this one, spoke to customer an hour ago and was told the pressure to the houses at start of street is fine but rest is to low, still waiting for an update as the 0800 - 0900 ETA has long passed and got a few cold angry homeowners now......will have to borrow the wife's car when I go back as my van might get mobbed!!
The neighbours are already looking for a witch hunt and my names been mentioned for calling it in, same old story trying to educate them that it was in their best interests and I didn't do it for the sake of it!

 

[Halesowen1]

Doubt you will be getting many calls from that street again.

 

[Nostrum]

Where's the logic? That's just bonkers......

Not sure what is happening with this one, spoke to customer an hour ago and was told the pressure to the houses at start of street is fine but rest is to low, still waiting for an update as the 0800 - 0900 ETA has long passed and got a few cold angry homeowners now......will have to borrow the wife's car when I go back as my van might get mobbed!!
The neighbours are already looking for a witch hunt and my names been mentioned for calling it in, same old story trying to educate them that it was in their best interests and I didn't do it for the sake of it!

Maybe time to find a new type of clientele!

 

[bewsh]

Ye, I've had that before, went to a breakdown for no h/w. standing pressure at meter was 18mb, working was 4mb. Called wales & west, the gas main had been flooded.

 

[Clint 1979]

Update...

Suppliers been round and turned all the gas back on and advised residents to use only one appliance at a time until they get round to digging their gardens and drives up (they have already dug up two gardens) to renew the mains supply!
The houses that are getting the pressure issues are built on a slight hill, they think the ground has taken on a lot of water over the last couple of years due to heavy rainfall and poor drainage, and compacted the earth to the point it has squashed/choked the supply pipes?!?

My customer has got a newly paved drive so he's well pleased!! But he totally understands and is happy it's been found sooner rather than later.

 

[lame plumber]

did one 2 years back on a load of flats 3 days before xmas, on way out smelt gas in boiler house area, called it in, the mains had ruptured, so they dug the road that night left all the meters off, it rained , pipework flooded , meters damaged and they just got supply back on xmas eve evening, my name was mud all round I reckon the wales and west boyos actually did a great job getting it fixed myself

 

[djobe]

What a drama you've had

 

[newcastle phill]

Your nowt but trouble

 

[Pssst]

The low pressure agenda is being driven by OFGEM who have told distribution networks to cut Methane losses from networks . Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. Lower pressure= less leakage=happy ofgem=£££ saved and earned..