The International Fire Safety Standards coalition (IFSS), a collaboration of over 80 fire safety leadership organisations of which IWFM is a founding member, has published the first version of its Common Principles. The document sets out to provide fire safety guidance which is universally applicable across all stages of the building life
Permission granted for major new warehouse development of 113,000 sq ft at a site in Darlaston, adjacent to the M6 near Wednesbury in the West Midlands St Francis Group, a leading UK-based property development and investment group and an expert in brownfield development has announced that it has received planning
Jeremy Siegel of Bjarke Ingels Group urges us to seize the initiative and create transformative projects from scratch by harnessing community support. The coronavirus pandemic is, for many, prompting a re-evaluation of how and where we live and work. From the domestic level to city-wide, and from the regional to
MMC projects employ a set of relatively new skills in UK construction. In this blog, we examine the need for greater skills in estimating for MMC, and for a range of documented evidence of the benefits, to support the delivery of these new methods and the products used. “What is
The proposal of a major employment development could support the creation of approximately 4,000 jobs. The proposed development would be an extension of the existing West Moor Park commercial development that is currently home to the likes of Ikea, Next, Fellowes Manufacturing and Anglo Beef Processors, among others. The proposal
Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) is calling on early career professionals and students with drive, ambition and determination to join a new Built Environment Future Leaders’ Forum. This ground breaking initiative will promote the development of new skills, competencies and opportunities in the sector to inspire the future workforce of
Heritage office furniture designer and manufacturer, Bisley, has launched a new flexible furniture collection, conceived and created during the coronavirus pandemic and influenced by the evolving requirements of the 2020 workplace. Bisley produces over 15,000 items per week at their Newport factory, exporting to over 50 countries, with clients including
Arthur McKay, a leading building support services provider in the UK and an Atalian Servest company, appoints David Prendergast and Justin Wolvin as Regional Directors to strengthen the team and expand sales development opportunities. David will steer both the Arthur McKay mechanical and electrical projects as well as subsidiary company
Following continued success in securing new project and research work, OFR Consultants – the UK’s leading independent fire engineering consultancy – has promoted more than one third of its workforce in the past three months. Whilst Manchester-based fire engineer Ruoxi Shi has won the national SFPE (Society of Fire Protection
These days, the low quality of municipal water supply is no surprise to anyone. Some people complain of debris and dirty water, while others are struggling with water shortages. As a result, most homeowners invest in residential wells. Alongside being an incredible resource, it can supply excellent water with minimal
The International Fire Safety Standards coalition (IFSS), a collaboration of over 80 fire safety leadership organisations of which IWFM is a founding member, has published the first version of its Common Principles. The document sets out to provide fire safety guidance which is universally applicable across all stages of the building life cycle and can be used by governments, statutory bodies, communities and individuals across the world. Currently, many different fire safety frameworks apply globally, meaning there is no single authoritative way to work. For the first time at an international level, the industry-led IFSS will bring greater consistency and reassurance by setting landmark minimum levels of fire safety and professionalism across the world. The Common Principles are to be presented to the United Nations (UN) with a view to them being accepted as a UN standard. Next year also marks the start of the UN’s Decade of Action for Fire Safety.
Permission granted for major new warehouse development of 113,000 sq ft at a site in Darlaston, adjacent to the M6 near Wednesbury in the West Midlands St Francis Group, a leading UK-based property development and investment group and an expert in brownfield development has announced that it has received planning permission for a 113,000 sq ft warehouse development at a site in Darlaston, near Wednesbury in the West Midlands. The 7-acre scheme – to be marketed as Parallel 113 is situated off the A4038 Darlaston Road and sits at the heart of the UK’s leading supply chain centres within easy access of junctions 9 and 10 of the M6 together with being in close proximity to the M5, M54 and M42 motorways. The development is to be developed speculatively with site clearance work staring in January and the unit will be ready for occupation in the Spring of 2022. It will be developed to a high quality, grade A standard and incorporate 107,350 sq ft warehouse/logistics accommodation together with 5,650 sq ft of first floor office accommodation. It will feature 12.5m clear internal working height, 10 dock level doors, 2 level access, 50m depth secure fenced yard together with 101 car parking spaces and 98 HGV trailer parking spaces. Speaking about the announcement and development – St Francis Development Director Gareth Williams said: “This is a significant commitment to Walsall, the Black Country Enterprise Zone and to the greater Birmingham area. It shows our faith in the continued occupier story of increasing demand seen against dwindling stock and we expect to be delivering another high-quality scheme very soon”. Savills and JLL are jointly appointed to market the site.
Jeremy Siegel of Bjarke Ingels Group urges us to seize the initiative and create transformative projects from scratch by harnessing community support. The coronavirus pandemic is, for many, prompting a re-evaluation of how and where we live and work. From the domestic level to city-wide, and from the regional to the national, built environment issues that were problematic before the pandemic are now all the more acute. It follows that both commercial clients and the public sector will increasingly require imaginative responses from architects. Practices that are proactive, agile and bold will be well placed to provide the imaginative responses that our fraught present day demands. At next month’s RIBA Guerrilla Tactics: Reinventing Practice, Jeremy Alain Siegel, an Associate at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), will be explaining how his practice has employed the tools of design to win over funders, planners, communities and elected city officials alike with daring ideas. It has done so with a combination of boundless enthusiasm, lateral thinking and appealing communications: bound together in a great proposal that captures the imagination. What is all the more impressive is that some of its grandest proposals were not responses to tenders or competitions but were entirely self-generated: ideas prompted by a local problem which they took out into the world and made happen. “We are designers: we understand how different things come together,” Siegel points out. “This allows us to bring a certain amount of useful naivety, in that we can challenge presumptions about what can or cannot be done.” BIG’s most instructive project from this point of view is its reimagining of the iconic Brooklyn Queens Expressway as the half-mile long BQ-Park. The project’s beginnings were entirely self initiated, in a speculative fashion, by BIG’s local Brooklyn office. The scheme they drew up was so powerful a proposal that it gained momentum within the community and eventually convinced the Mayor to shelve the city’s original remedial scheme in favour of BIG’s vision. The City of New York was proposing to fix the ageing expressway structure dating from the 1950s, which was corroding and would eventually collapse, by building a temporary highway through the well-loved waterfront park above it. This was a project very local to BIG’s office. Siegel explains that they were convinced there must be a better solution. They started putting together some pro bono proposals over two or three weeks, then brought in some engineer and landscape friends and the project grew larger and more bold in scope. “The community group that had formed to fight the plan learned about us,” Siegel recounts. “They set up a meeting to discuss putting together a pro bono proposal: we were able to show them we already had 150 pages of one!” BIG’s proposal provided a platform for adding significant new parkland, and was eventually accepted by the City as both more feasible and less costly than the original reconstruction plan, while delivering far more benefits to the community. Siegel’s talk of being a “possibilist” and of a designer’s “naivety” is backed up by keen awareness of local politics and community interests. “You have to make your vision resilient politically by being broad, not just courting narrow interest groups,” he counsels. “Instead you have to identify multiple funding streams, multiple stakeholders and present ideas in ways that they, as stakeholders or funders, can see themselves involved.” While BQ-Park is, like many of BIG’s projects, a huge infrastructure scheme, there are lessons here for small practices. Siegel says these “guerrilla projects” are carried out by quite small teams. Architects should not underestimate the power of an audacious proposal to generate attention and cut through bureaucracy. “If you have given a community an appealing idea, they will be advocating for the project when you cannot. They can work for your proposal while you’re elsewhere. That is also why we make videos to articulate a project: a standalone thing that is out in the world, being shared and making an argument for your work.” Having the good idea is only half of the battle; the rest is communication. Siegel suggests architects might need to invest more thought on written and verbal communication when it comes to design, and not just believe they can “‘draw themselves out of a problem”. “We always try to explain things in terms people understand. If you want to connect with real people, you should be able to meet anyone and talk to them in a language they can understand.” The project presentations for BQ-Park and other schemes (viewable on the Bjarke Ingels website) are sterling examples of how to marry text and image, with pertinent leading questions placed in comic book style speech bubbles. “In presenting a vision, always bring it back to the anchoring point – the catalyst,” Siegel advises. “You don’t want to lose people.” Tickets are now available for Jeremy Siegel’s talk, The power of a BIG proposal, at the RIBA’s Guerrilla Tactics 2020 online conference. Learn more insights from other speakers at the conference in our recent features, Is design work moving to the countryside? and Five smart project management boosts. Thanks to Jeremy Alain Siegel, Associate, BIG. RIBA Core Curriculum: Business, clients and services. As part of the flexible RIBA CPD programme, Professional Features count as microlearning. See further information on the updated RIBA CPD Core Curriculum and on fulfilling your CPD requirements as an RIBA Chartered Member.
MMC projects employ a set of relatively new skills in UK construction. In this blog, we examine the need for greater skills in estimating for MMC, and for a range of documented evidence of the benefits, to support the delivery of these new methods and the products used. “What is undeniable is that MMC projects are quicker, but this is not demonstrated sufficiently, because there is minimal benchmark data available.” Ian Dacre, Chartered Quantity Surveyor. Where does MMC fit in the UK today? The UK building industry is increasingly employing Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), evidenced by the growing number of build projects for residential, industrial, and public sector/commercial property. This growth is driven by the need to build more homes to address the housing crisis, for garden offices and emergency buildings generated by the Covid situation, and for more and extended public and private sector industrial/commercial buildings. Within the industry there are passionate advocates of modern offsite construction, using materials such as Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs); however, much work needs to be done to convince others, including at the time of writing, most architects, quantity surveyors and contractors, to shift, when it benefits the project, from traditional methods. About Ian Dacre One area where greater knowledge is needed is in the skill of estimating for MMC. Ian Dacre, a Partner at Rider Levett Bucknall in Bristol, a Chartered Quantity Surveyor with over 25 years’ experience and an Assessor for the RICS, talked to Hemsec about the complexities, and the need for greater skill in estimating. Ian has been involved with Constructing Excellence (CE) for several years and has undertaken research in · Defining Value · Supply Chain Integration · Knowledge Management · Performance Management with CE and the University of the West of England. What are the challenges of assessing the overall value of MMC projects? “There is limited data available; although there are many publications which discuss the pros and cons of MMC,” explains Ian, “there is nothing to date published on the commercial aspects. “So, it is a challenge, but there are some principles we can follow, so that we can start to create a bank of knowledge relating to the cost, value and performance of MMC projects: Value: In terms of assessing value, there are two aspects: capital value whole life value Whilst they are totally different; they should nonetheless be viewed as one, because it is critical to understand the full cost both of constructing and maintaining a building, if we are looking at the benefit of the whole project. It is impossible to do so by taking the capital value alone. Cost: We need to ask ourselves; how do we benchmark a quotation or programme-saving offered from an MMC provider? Performance: We must use the MMC providers’ information as there is no historic data available at present. “In conclusion, we need the experts – the MMC providers – to supply the information. Once it becomes widely available in the marketplace and everyone can access it, this will enable us to benchmark projects – it will be a major step forward.” How can an assessor accurately estimate the total costs? For example, the impact of greater construction speed? “There are tools available. Programme management can demonstrate the time efficiency savings, but at the moment, we also need to factor lead in times. One of the problems we have is that sites cannot manage the speed of MMC,” says Ian. It would appear that sites are not set up for how quickly materials arrive and are installed; this leads to sites not being ready, tradespeople not being in place and other delays. This is where education in process is needed, so that programme management works properly. “Whole Life Cost (WLC) models can generate the occupancy costs over a period of time, but again, as with any kind of research data, we need several MMC projects to be built and monitored over time to see the overall effects,” Ian asserts. What data is needed and how does the industry get it? “Unfortunately, the amount of current data is minimal and is not widely available. Generally, most is based on a historic project people are familiar with but which is not documented. “Cost data for capital expenditure is not readily available in the marketplace when compared to other materials and structural solutions, which have been used and documented for many years. “There are many reports, papers and magazine articles that bestow the benefits of MMC and possibly things to watch out for, but nothing as yet on cost and whole life value. “It is possible to obtain information on lead-in times, delivery times and erection times from MMC suppliers, but it is difficult to get accurate cost information,” Ian says. What are the ‘hidden costs’ in estimating for traditional methods that get overlooked when comparing them with MMC? “The hidden costs include waste, and redoing things on site, both of which stem from a lack of understanding. One could also argue that there are possible inefficiencies due to the external environment in which people are working, such as weather. These are not really hidden, but are inherent in the programme where the main construction process takes place outdoors.” Hemsec team members have seen costs being added where firms have used unnecessary materials, because they don’t understand the way SIPs work. For example, people use them for cladding inside a wall, roof or ceiling made from different materials, not realising that the SIP itself is structural and is a full supporting wall with insulation built in. “What is undeniable is that MMC projects are quicker, but this is not demonstrated sufficiently, because there is minimal benchmark data available,” says Ian. How do we persuade professionals such as architects and QS to recognise this when comparing with MMC? “When it comes to the perceived lack of understanding; when someone does not understand something or it has not been demonstrated sufficiently or proven, a risk factor may be applied (both
The proposal of a major employment development could support the creation of approximately 4,000 jobs. The proposed development would be an extension of the existing West Moor Park commercial development that is currently home to the likes of Ikea, Next, Fellowes Manufacturing and Anglo Beef Processors, among others. The proposal masterplan – designed by architects’ practice Bowman Riley – includes flexibility for a range of employment units and would also feature extensive landscaping and planting, trails for exercise and outside seating areas. Development of the site would also complement public investment in the A630 West Moor Link dualling scheme, with works on this infrastructure well underway. This Council-led scheme has been supported by the Sheffield City Region Growth Funding and is intended to “enable investment in new developments that create new jobs and homes”. “West Moor Park East will provide a major boost to the local economy, especially in the current uncertain times the whole country faces. Over recent months there has been a big take up of other commercial space that has resulted in an undersupply of space in the Doncaster area,” said Jonathan Moses, a director of Blue Anchor Leisure. “We strongly believe that these plans will help Doncaster, and the wider City Region, to ‘build back better’ and create a more sustainable, greener, resilient and prosperous borough that is the aim of all politicians. There is very strong interest from major developers and occupiers because of the tremendous location and transport links that West Moor Park East offers, and the fact that the proposals can be delivered quickly, subject to planning permission from the council. “It’s an opportunity we feel should be grasped to create a sustainable new business park and extend the already successful West Moor Park. Creating new industrial and employment space here will allow existing local businesses to grow and attract major inward investment into Doncaster.” Commercial enquiries are being handled by Doncaster headquartered Barnsdales. A public consultation on the plans was carried out last summer, with feedback from the local community said to have been encouraging.
Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) is calling on early career professionals and students with drive, ambition and determination to join a new Built Environment Future Leaders’ Forum. This ground breaking initiative will promote the development of new skills, competencies and opportunities in the sector to inspire the future workforce of the construction industry in a way that will benefit the sector for years to come. CSIC is looking for early career professionals and students who are already active in the industry and have a passion about our built environment, to work together to build the mindset, skills and agility needed in a rapidly changing landscape. The forum’s aim is to ensure the voice of the future workforce is heard, so that the industry can better understand how to attract new talent, and that others are inspired to follow a career in the sector. Lisa Deane, Lead Future Skills Manager at CISC, said: “There is both a skills shortage in the sector and there are new types of skills needed with changing ways of delivering our built environment. The Built Environment Future Leaders’ Forum is a way to ensure we understand how to attract and support the development of existing and new skills in the sector, and how we optimise routes of entry into the industry for them.” “This is a really exciting opportunity for those in their early careers, who are passionate about the built environment with an interest in better and innovative ways to shape our built world. It’s a chance to be an influencer and ambassador in your field in a way that hasn’t been possible before – the sector needs your input.” The Forum will be a group of up to 12 people aged 16-30 who are studying or training in a built environment subject or field, or those that are already on a career path in the sector. The group will share ideas and make emerging expertise and views heard throughout industry. Members will meet regularly, feed into the CSIC future skills strategy and programmes, and take part in engaging industry with new opportunities. CSIC is firmly committed to diversity and equality and aims to have a broad spectrum of forum members with different points of view and experiences from across the sector. For more information about applying to be a member of the Built Environment Future Leaders’ Forum, or chair or co-chair of the group, take a look at the application pack https://www.cs-ic.org/library/future-leaders-forum-application-pack/ The deadline for applications for this year’s group is 16 November 2020.
Heritage office furniture designer and manufacturer, Bisley, has launched a new flexible furniture collection, conceived and created during the coronavirus pandemic and influenced by the evolving requirements of the 2020 workplace. Bisley produces over 15,000 items per week at their Newport factory, exporting to over 50 countries, with clients including Direct Line, BBC and PwC. In early 2020 at the start of the pandemic, as office workers everywhere were told to work from home, Bisley’s newly appointed CEO Richard Costin asked four of Bisley’s in-house designers to propose ideas for products that would work well in a flexible home office scenario. The result is the newly launched Belong collection, an office furniture portfolio designed with home working firmly in mind, from its fully customisable nature, to the simplicity of assembly. “It was immediately obvious that we needed to pivot from our planned 2020 workflow and innovate, fast. We have entered a new era where our industry has to adapt to a different way of working. I asked our design team to think, if they had free rein over new products within our steel and wood factories – that we could sell to our dealers, our on-line shop and to the domestic home worker, what would they be? They came back with some wonderful ideas, and the result of that is the Belong Collection. It’s times like this that we have the opportunity to thrive; our team has really worked hard and used their fantastic talents and skills to come up with something really beautiful for Bisley,” said Costin. The Belong range comprises multiple collections, as well as individual pieces and accessories, all designed by Bisley’s experienced in-house team, and suitable for a variety of spaces. The collection includes the Hideaway wall desk, a space-saving, wall mounted desk that folds down to provide a practical worksurface, as well as somewhere to store your desk accessories; and the Outline range – a sleek, steel-framed collection of desking and storage that has a strong, minimalist style. Chris Fowler, Director of International Projects at Bisley, said of the new collection: “It goes without saying that 2020 has been an unusual year. New product launches can sometimes be years in the making, but Bisley has decades of design expertise in developing office furniture solutions and we channelled all of that history, knowledge and expertise into developing and producing the Belong range in three months. “From initial sketches and renders, our team worked closely with the factory floor to develop prototypes, which were then developed and perfected over the course of the summer. The role of our wood processing plant was an additional strength to our bow. With Belong, we weren’t tied to any particular material – referring back to the brief from our Board, we could use our imagination and select the most suitable mix of materials for each element of the range. Being self-sufficient was a real advantage, compressing both development and supply chain timelines. “Its realisation is a particularly proud moment for us as it is the first time in a long time that the full process, from inception through to launch, has been conducted by an in-house design and production team.” The launch of the Belong range comes after a transformative year for Bisley that saw more than a 300% spike in e-commerce sales as office workers looked to quickly set up home offices. Bisley’s sales largely comprise of significant corporate contracts, including the recent completion of BBC Cymru Wales’ new Cardiff city centre HQ, for which Bisley supplied furniture solutions that accommodated the various different needs of all media departments. “After being appointed Bisley’s CEO in February to be met with a global pandemic the very next month, it’s fair to say that this year has been something of a wild ride. During lockdown we evaluated our business, our selling channels, how the economy would react and how business and the working environment might change,” said Richard Costin, Bisley CEO. “From this, and in addition to our new Belong collection, we have committed to increasing our online selling capabilities and have started to work with Amazon to develop a new online function that will be implemented across the world. I strongly believe that with these tactical and strategic objectives, and most importantly, to have the Bisley people that are so talented and committed, we will go from strength to strength.”
Arthur McKay, a leading building support services provider in the UK and an Atalian Servest company, appoints David Prendergast and Justin Wolvin as Regional Directors to strengthen the team and expand sales development opportunities. David will steer both the Arthur McKay mechanical and electrical projects as well as subsidiary company Thermotech Solution’s fire protection teams. David is responsible for expanding Arthur McKay’s footprint in the North of England and will be leading the company’s new Stockport office. David was previously Managing Director at Thermotech Solutions where he developed the business to become one of the UK’s leading fire protection companies. This led to the acquisition by Atalian Servest to form part of Arthur McKay in 2018. He brings more than 20 years’ experience in the fire protection industry. “I’m delighted to be joining the Arthur McKay team and taking on the role of Regional Director. It’s been a pleasure working with the business during my time at Thermotech and we’ve had an exceptional journey together over the last couple of years. The fact that I have already worked very closely with Arthur McKay means I have a thorough understanding of the company’s position in the market,” commented on his appointment, David Prendergast. In his new role as Regional Director, Justin will drive the company’s sales development and will be responsible for rolling out the company’s new products and services, and pioneering growth in the Central England area. Justin will lead the Nottingham and Leeds offices. “It was a natural step for me to start delivering the projects I have developed over the last few years in a more client facing role. I’m so positive about the developments Arthur McKay has made, and about improving our offering to provide a truly end-to-end service solution for our existing customers, and new customers in different sectors,” said Justin Wolvin. Justin has almost 30 years’ experience in the electrical sector. He has been with Arthur McKay for over five years and was previously Development Director where he built up a solid sales pipeline for special projects he ran primarily in the prison and courts sectors. Before joining the company Justin worked for an electrical contractor for more than 20 years. “David and Justin are integral to the development of Arthur McKay. They both have extensive industry experience and knowledge of the business to start from an advantageous position. Their appointments are critical as we ramp up our expansion plans in the north. I’m pleased to welcome David to the Arthur McKay team, and Justin to his new position,” added Arthur McKay’s Managing Director, Steve Wallbanks.
Following continued success in securing new project and research work, OFR Consultants – the UK’s leading independent fire engineering consultancy – has promoted more than one third of its workforce in the past three months. Whilst Manchester-based fire engineer Ruoxi Shi has won the national SFPE (Society of Fire Protection Engineers) UK Chapter award for Up and Coming Fire Engineer 2020. The 80-strong OFR team operates from UK offices in Manchester, London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bath, Oxford and Leeds and with a turnover exceeding £8M. 22 of those colleagues have now been promoted; four of the promotions have led to eligibility to join the OFR share ownership scheme which continues the long term promises of the business to ensure that leadership and decision making comes from within the team. Speaking about her national award win which recognised, amongst many things, her ‘commitment to becoming an advocate for the fire engineering profession by encouraging others to join the industry after university’, Ruoxi said: “I am thrilled to have been awarded the SFPE UK Chapter’s Up and Coming fire Engineer 2020 accolade – this is a huge testament to my dedication in promoting Fire Engineering as a career as well as promoting STEM careers for women like myself who are from an ethnical minority background.” Some of the promoted colleagues joined OFR as graduates less than five years ago, and their outstanding technical contribution to the business has accelerated their part ownership of the business; director Sam Liptrott, explained: “Investing in and empowering our people is core to our success. We put a heavy financial and pastoral emphasis on giving everyone opportunities and I’m delighted that, even with the challenges of 2020, this has been upheld with the promotion of these inspiring 22 colleagues. “Our long-term plan has, and always will be, to ensure that shared ownership is viable at all levels. Not just a profit share, but genuine ownership. We recognise contribution from all our team members – from established managers to graduates – and this fits our consistent message of being a technical delivery-focussed business.” OFR Consultants was established just five years ago, has quickly developed into an internationally renowned fire engineering consultancy working on some of the most pioneering global projects – from the Google campus in London to the Rothera Research Station in Antarctica. The recent promotions include three new design directors, one associate director, four principle fire engineers, six senior fire engineers, six fire engineers, one finance director and one people and process development co-ordinator. Sam concluded: “Ruoxi’s outstanding award win and the promotions demonstrate our incredible growth as a business since we launched in 2015. To go from an initial team of just two to almost 80 people, shows not only the demand that is out there in the construction market for our specialist skills, but also how we have developed our reputation as the pre-eminent fire engineering consultancy through our work on some of the most exciting projects, both here in the UK and overseas. “Our initial vision was to create a business whereby we continually invest in team talent and I am proud that we have consistently maintained our commitment to that by providing great career opportunities, continued support and training as well as the opportunity to own part of the business as it grows. I congratulate each and every one of our recent promotions and thank them personally for the tenacity and dedication they show on a daily basis. “I look forward to announcing more progression within our superb team at OFR very soon.” For more information about OFR, please visit OFR’s website at www.ofrconsultants.com
These days, the low quality of municipal water supply is no surprise to anyone. Some people complain of debris and dirty water, while others are struggling with water shortages. As a result, most homeowners invest in residential wells. Alongside being an incredible resource, it can supply excellent water with minimal requirements. You no longer have to get municipal water because wells ensure sufficient water supply without hefty water bills. However, some people fail to acknowledge that water well needs servicing and routine maintenance. Are you using well water for the past few years? Sooner or later, you will encounter various water problems of low pressure, especially if you are not taking care of it. You might come across slow dripping water from showers or leaking faucets due to the water pressure fluctuations. After all, well systems rely on a functioning relationship between the pump, pressure tank, and switch. If anything fails, the entire system faces disruption. If you are experiencing similar problems, let us help you out. Here are a few tips for handling low water pressure if you have a water well system. Inspect Pressure Regulators Unlike everything else, water pressure needs to be optimal. If it is low, your dishwasher and washing will struggle, whereas your pipes can be at a threat of damage. Thus, regularly test your home’s water pressure and address the low-pressure problem immediately. Firstly, turn off the water supply of the entire house and use a pressure gauge. Remove the hose from your main water line and attach the pressure gauge to test the water flow. If the reading is below 45psi, check the nearby valves. If any valve gets mounted on the water main, consider adjusting or replacing it to avoid disrupting the water supply. If this doesn’t solve the well pressure tank troubleshooting problem, use a pressure booster pump. It provides a permanent solution as it transfers the fluids from the surface level to the top, letting the water pass through pipes. Unclog the Pipes Despite an efficient plumbing system, people complain of low water pressure. But what if the problem is not in your design? Sometimes, pipes and gate valves get clogged with debris, dirt, and waste material, halting the water supply. Therefore, either call plumbers for inspection and unclogging or give a shot to it yourself. Before anything else, determine if the faulty fixtures or sediments are causing the trouble. Once you are sure, locate the pipes with clogs and detach them from the pump. You can use powerful cleaners to remove the deposits and then restore the line thoroughly. However, if the clogging is extreme or the pipe is rusty, replace them with new pipes with a larger diameter. Besides, use a plunger to blast air pressure into the faucet – a perfect solution for local clogs. Service Your Pressure Tank Whether you have a new pressure tank or an old one, routine maintenance is crucial for smooth functioning. Most pressure tanks build up cavitation and sediments that affect the house’s water pressure. Alongside halting supply, it damages the pipes, reducing their efficiency. Therefore, once in six months, plan a small servicing spree for your tank. Start by unplugging the power of the pumping system and turn on the faucets to drain all water. Use cleaning solutions to remove all the sediments and check air pressure. If the pressure is below 2psi, add some more air before you pour the water back. Adequate air pressure ensures the smooth functioning of water well systems. Replace Gate Valves Are you familiar with gate valves? These are the gates inside the pipes that let the fluids pass through. They require little space with the pipe axis to open and restrict the water flow. However, gate valves have metal seats, which can cause leakages. Similarly, it tends to seize up after some time. Thus, if you have an old gate valve – it might be the reason for inadequate water pressure. At times, these valves also get stuck, meaning they won’t open or close. After all, the metal casing is prone to getting rusty, especially when it comes to water contact. Although you can clean these valves and remove all the debris, there is no guarantee that it would work fine. Hence, replace these gate valves every six months if you have excessive usage to close doors for water disruptions. Low Volume of Aquifer Believe it or not, but some problems of low water pressure are due to the condition of groundwater itself. Every water well system draws water from aquifers and supplies it to the water tank. If there are any underground rock formations, they can affect the groundwater from flowing freely. Although determining groundwater volume is next to impossible, you can always make precise judgments using a pressure pump. If pumping is taking longer than usual, you know where the problem lies. It usually happens when homeowners are withdrawing water for ages. After all, groundwater depletion is a reality that everyone will encounter at some point in time. Are you wondering how to fix it? Either drill the well further into the ground until it reaches particular water well. Otherwise, drill another well at a distant location. Final Word Every homeowner who owns a well also has a pressure tank to ensure adequate supply, yet faces low water pressure. After all, these are also machines that need regular servicing and repairing. If you encounter low water pressure, visually examine the tank’s condition. If it is rusty from every nook and corner, consider it a sign to get a new one. If your tank is not decades old, check pipes and gate valves to understand the root cause of this problem.
