Water | Marsh Flatts Farm Self Build Diary

Week 31, Day 1:

Very good progress with the cedar cladding on the east elevation – barely visible in the overview shot so see the better picture below
The first major work on the Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) system – installing the external vents
A delivery of pink FireLine plasterboard ready for that to start being installed tomorrow
More electrical first-fix – more of the network cables and the first of the DALI lighting control cables
More plumbing first-fix – pressure testing the hot- and cold-water pipework and labelling the “rainwater” pipes (more info on those at the bottom of this post)

Week 31, Day 1

Majority of the cedar cladding now complete on the east elevation

FireLine plasterboard for Plant Room

Rainwater pipe labels

While there is not actually a rainwater harvesting system installed at the moment, the pipework to those systems which would be allowed to use it (the WCs, the washing machine and the outside taps) has been run separately from the potable cold water pipework. Right now, the “rainwater” supply is taken from the cold water main outside the house and runs inside through a separate pipe. In the event that it proves viable to install a rainwater harvesting system in the future the connections would be changed outside, with no need for any re-piping inside.

Since there are effectively two separate cold water pipework systems inside the house, it is important to identify the “rainwater” pipework, so that someone doesn’t later connect a drinking water tap to it without realizing that it’s not drinking water – and the pipes need to be identified even when they’re hidden, e.g. above the plasterboard in a ceiling void, so they need to be identified now.

The Water Regulations Advisory Scheme Information Note 9-02-05 provides guidance on pipe marking and various commercial labels are available. The ones the plumbers used are rather pleasing and leave no room for doubt as to what’s inside the pipe.

Week 18, Day 4:

Much better weather today – bright, sunny and almost feeling warm in the sunshine by the afternoon
Not much evidence of progress on the south side because most of the SIPS activity was on the north side
In addition to the progress with the Structural Insulated Panels, the two 32mm water supply pipes were routed into the utility room
- Two because there’s one for the regular mains water (blue MDPE) and a separate pipe for harvested rainwater (black MDPE with a green stripe)
- Initially these will be connected together (i.e. everything fed from the mains supply) but it’s possible a rainwater harvesting system will be installed when the outbuildings are rebuilt later

Week 18, Day 4

First water pipe installed and preparation for second pipe

Both 32mm water pipes coming through the floor

Both pipes will have water meters installed a little above the top of the floor slab. The thicker pipes on the right are the “brine” pipes for the Ground Source Heat Pump.