Plumbing

[Billy_Bones]

We have low water pressure and we've been told that the pipes are 'furred up' with lime scale, as this is a hard water area. I am told that we need to replace most of the pipes in the house, which will destroy all of the decoration.

Please can someone tell me which pipes are most likely to be affected and what the minimum number of pipes I need to replace will be? For example, do the cold water pipes fur up, or is it just the hot water ones?

Thanks in advance

[Pea Pod]

Billy don`t know if this is much help but wont hurt to have a look http://www.scalewizard.co.uk/howitworks.htm

[hitchawk]

Hi there Billy_Bones,
is water still able to pass through the pipes, or are they completely blocked? If blocked, then i'm afraid then there's no alternative than to replace pipes. If, on the other hand......
What has happened, over the years,is that deposits will have settled on the insides of your pipes, (this happens with our arteries!") It happens faster with hot water. However,your pipes aren't clogged up with fatty deposits but with soluable minerals,(ie,sodium and calcium carbonates, the stuff you find furring up kettles)
By isolating your water supply from the mains for a short while,and flushing it with a weak acid solution,(try pouring some vinegar((acetic acid)) into an old furry kettle) you could revive your system. There are some propriartory solutions availabe,ask at your local plumbers merchants.HOWEVER,you should check after this, that a thorough cleansing might leave your boiler weakened