House Plumbing Question

[Sir BoD]

I am getting a professional out to have a look but I'm inquisitive to hear what some of you think on here.

I have a combi boiler that feeds all water and I've checked that the cold water storage tank is a completely redundant rusted wreck in the loft..

In the kitchen, just to the side of where the taps are, there are an additional two pipes that run vertically up the kitchen wall through to the bedroom above and then into the loft. Due to the amount of lagging in the loft, it's difficult to see where this piping runs to.

Now I want to reconfigure my kitchen and would like to put cupboards where these pipes are blocked in but would be better if they were removed.

Is there a chance that these pipes used to feed the cold water tank in the past?

 

[Gramaisc]

One of them might be - I don't see any reason for two.

Can you see where they go at the bottom?

 

[Perrier]

I had some piping removed that ran to where the old radiator was underneath the worktops.
When i had a new combi boiler a few years ago , they removed the piping and removed the old radiator and i had a new one in another location.

im sure whether yours are used or not , they can certainly be moved anyway.

 

[YorkshirePud]

One of them might be - I don't see any reason for two.

Can you see where they go at the bottom?

Are they hot or cold - run the hot and cold taps upstairs and then feel the pipes. You still need two pipes somewhere to get hot and cold water upstairs.

 

[Gramaisc]

Are they hot or cold - run the hot and cold taps upstairs and then feel the pipes. You still need two pipes somewhere to get hot and cold water upstairs.

One could be hot water coming down to the kitchen tap.

 

[Sir BoD]

One could be hot water coming down to the kitchen tap.

That's exactly it Gram, but that's quite disappointing. The boiler is situated in my kitchen on an internal wall across from the piping - I can see several pipes running into it from the kitchen ceiling.

So I reckon that both pipes run up the kitchen wall; then either both (or just the original cold water feed) continues up into the loft. The other hot water feed probably runs under the bedroom floorboards back down into the boiler in the kitchen. Where the boiler is currently situated, I can't see how else this piping can be moved without the need to be boxed in and so restricting my redesigning of my kitchen anyway. Shame, but thanks for the input.

 

[Gramaisc]

Especially if you have solid floors downstairs, running most stuff in the ceiling gap is an easy option.


Could you not mutilate a cupboard to contain and hide the box?

 

[Sir BoD]

Especially if you have solid floors downstairs, running most stuff in the ceiling gap is an easy option.


Could you not mutilate a cupboard to contain and hide the box?

I probably could and will need to do if I'm to rearrange the layout. I know many houses are like it, but this house has been nothing but an awkward and expensive pain to make better. Absolutely nothing is straightforward and my naivety has definitely cost me (financially and sanity wise) following moving in.

 

[Gramaisc]

Houses are rarely straightforward, they are essentially a load of random bodges piled up on one another.

If you want a straightforward house, you should go for one of those German prefabs made in a factory.


Before you 'hide' anything, consider what you will need to do if you ever need access to it. Hiding stuff is the bane of my life, I'm quite happy to be able to see things - and access them.