New Build - Advice

bifl

Hi,
I'm meeting the plumber in the next few weeks to discuss the plumbing on a new build. I'm wondering what are things sensible to ask and the best way to go about things.
At the moment I'm thinking

- pressured system in spec, have a garage going up would that be the preferred spot ?
- What's the best way to go about a pressurized system.
- grey water loop.
- manifold system similar to the UFH

If folks have thoughts on the above and other suggestions I'd appreciate it.

Cheers,
Bifl

Dardania

Make sure the pipework is adequately sized, particularly to showers - you don't want to run into flow rate problems even with a well pressurised system. Also, try to eliminate the possibility of someone turning a sink tap on somewhere impacting on the shower flow.
Insulation of hot water pipework
Consider gravity feeding some outlets like the WCs rather than pressurising them - better in a power cut situation, and depending upon pump location, it'll be quieter if you flush the bog at night. Can be considered in context of your grey water system if you go down that road.
Will the garage be heated if you're putting pump there? Is that where you will gather the grey water to (and pump up to the attic?)
Drain down points for the plumbing (for whatever reasons) might be handy to have if you make mods in future.
Consider hand held bidet type taps in the WCs (and so, ensure the distance from the bog to the sink is within sitting reaching distance)

digitaldr

I'm in the same situation - had a pressurised system in the old house and was plumbed to everything with pump in the hotpress. Very noisy especially at night and too much pressure in the washbasin taps. Ended up fitting a wifi socket to the pump so could turn it off with the phone.

How complicated/expensive would it be just to have a separate pressurised system for the showers? Alternatively I was thinking of going for mira pumped digital showers.

Dardania

digitaldr wrote: »

I'm in the same situation - had a pressurised system in the old house and was plumbed to everything with pump in the hotpress. Very noisy especially at night and too much pressure in the washbasin taps. Ended up fitting a wifi socket to the pump so could turn it off with the phone.

How complicated/expensive would it be just to have a separate pressurised system for the showers? Alternatively I was thinking of going for mira pumped digital showers.

There could be a couple of reasons why your old setup was not good. Pump might have been affixed directly to floor& using rigid pipework, so causing reverberations. Rubber feet and flexi hoses help mitigate noise. The taps could have been Irish gravity feed type taps without flow restrictors - more modern, suitable for European dwellings type taps should have been fitted.

In a new build situation, very easy to have separation for just the showers. Use a twin impeller pump on the output from hot cylinder and cold tank to supply to the showers, and let everything else use gravity feeds. In a retrofit situation, could be difficult to install, depending on how the pipework was installed.
In a new build situation, my preferred approach would be to pressurise the cold water feed from the tank to the hot water cylinder and the cold taps / shower. And just locate the pump in a sensible location. And also, for the WCs, have them supplied directly from the tank.

digitaldr

Thanks for that - very helpful advice. Is actually not a new build but may as well be as I think it's going to be a replumb as we're adding 2 ensuites and moving the existing bathroom.