Dedicated wholesome water tap

[plumb_know]

Hello again everyone,


had a customer yesterday that has bought a water softener, but didn't know he needed one tap that was fed from unsoftened water. To get his kitchen tap fed with drinking water isn't going to be practical as all fitted units with integrated appliance and above kitchen is bathroom with tiled floor so can't take it above and bring it down in corner of room. Even running along the top of kitchen will look untidy and it would have to go round oven extractor fan so not ideal. I have suggested taking back the softener and fitting scaleout, but he would prefer to fit the softener if he can.


He suggested installing a tap just before the unit in the utility room/downstairs toilet as they drink bottled water anyway and then they just won't drink from kitchen tap.


I have had a look through the regs and found one part saying one convenient dedicated wholesome water supply is needed and in domestic properties it is the kitchen sink. And another part of regs just stating one wholesome water tap is required in property.


I would prefer to fit a scaleout but was just wondering your opinions/experience if I was to supply another tap in house with wholesome water would this be against regs? Or does the kitchen sink always have to be supplied with wholesome water?


Advise appreciated

 

[SJB]

For the amount of ball ache involved in piping a separate tap feed all over the kitchen personally I'd just fit a salamander or such like on the main and job done.

 

[plumb_know]

What salamander?
As I said I suggested putting monarch scale out that doesn't need dedicated water supply to kitchen tap, but he said he wanted softener really.

Thanks

 

[Ermintrude]

Can't u run under plynth?

 

[plumb_know]

Tiled kitchen floor again

 

[plumb_know]

Sorry just realised what you said, yes could take it behind plinth overlooked that thanks, ermintrude.

thanks

 

[Ray Stafford]

No, you can't get round regs based on the customers lifestyle. I bet that they don't cook vegetables in perrier, and at some point the house may be sold.

It would be like me saying to building control - "don't worry that my mezzanine floor is only held up on 2x4, I'll make sure that we only store lagging on it."

The customer has a choice to make. He can have his softener at the cost to disruption of his kitchen, or he can find an alternative to a softener. Regs don't go away because its inconvenient to him. If he insists that you fit something contrary to water regs, then as a professional plumber, you have to walk away IMHO.

 

[Roger Welton]

Harvey do a kit that runs with 3mm pipe and a accumulator

https://www.softenersupplies.com/products/751-3mm-drinking-water-kit

 

[plumb_know]

Ray called WRAS today they said their are no regs that you need a unsoftened water tap, just advised by the world health organisation. So having all taps on softened water would not be breaking any regulations, this is according to WRAS.

 

[Plumbstar Tom]

Never confident whenever I have spoken to WRAS, their manner is always an unconfidnet one

Check this out on Part G

1.5 However, where it complies with all requirements for wholesome water other than
its sodium content, it will be considered to be
wholesome softened water. Whilst wholesome
softened water may be considered suitable for
most purposes it should not be provided in place
of wholesome water to any place where drinking
water is drawn off or to any sink provided in an
area where food is prepared.

 

[SimonG]

Behind the plinth would be my route, same as ermi.

 

[Ermintrude]

Sorry just realised what you said, yes could take it behind plinth overlooked that thanks, ermintrude.

thanks

Jesus princess that's where I spend 50% of my time. Use copper and make clip rails .

Fasten clips to a 2x1 and then expanding glue them to floor .

 

[SimonG]

Jesus princess that's where I spend 50% of my time. Use copper and make clip rails .

Fasten clips to a 2x1 and then expanding glue them to floor .

I always pictured you being bigger Ermi

 

[Frelon]

Install a water filter tap at the sink (or use triflow tap). Simply tee off to feed this tap from the hard water feed to the softener using 1/4" plastic tubing.

Water softener installers do it all the time. The customer then has filtered hard water available "on tap"!

Harvey solution is great if softener is some way from kitchen sink.

 

[kris]

So guy if your wifes ever looking for you in the kitchen theres a chance your behind the plinth??

 

[SimonG]

Why cant I get gullivers travels out of my head

 

[Ermintrude]

Haven't got a plinth !

 

[kris]

Guy im still waiting for your shout on facebook, your a hard man to track down lol,

 

[Centralheatking]

Wras guidelines book is bigger than the bible - really I know
I have read both books actually - a wholesome water supply
is defined in my opinion as a unadultered water supply
as provided by the utility - OK wriggle about this if
you want maybe get it wrong - hurt people - then get
into heavy duty problems centralheatking

Never confident whenever I have spoken to WRAS, their manner is always an unconfidnet one

Check this out on Part G

1.5 However, where it complies with all requirements for wholesome water other than
its sodium content, it will be considered to be
wholesome softened water. Whilst wholesome
softened water may be considered suitable for
most purposes it should not be provided in place
of wholesome water to any place where drinking
water is drawn off or to any sink provided in an
area where food is prepared.

 

[R.Oak]

Seen a whole house plumbed with a softener with the only unsoftened water being an outside tap T'd in before the softener. It was installed by a water softener company and they did it to get over regs.

 

[plumb_know]

Thanks for advice, but no where was I trying to get around or ignore regulations, just trying to get a definitive answer to what the regs actually were as they seem vague and to contradict themselves in water regs.
Have advised customer to run supply to kitchen tap or install a system like monarch scale-out as I don't want chance of any problems in future.

Thanks for all your advice

 

[Frelon]

In your original post you did not explain clearly why the customer had called you in.
Did he want you to install it, or was it already installed and just asking your opinion on hard water supply for drinking?