Student accom advice! Full plumb

[ParisPlumber]

Hey guys!
I’m a domestic plumber in general but been given an opportunity design student accom. So, I have a question:

There are 5 floors. Top 3 of them will be student accom (others basement and ground). I will be putting a water booster on ground floor to help with pressure (I’ve spoken to Stuart Turner on pumps). There are 22 student rooms all with en suits and washing machines each floorEverything is electric from shower to instant water basin heaters. So, there 22 toilets, basins, electric showers etc

what size pipe would you recommend to go from the water booster...35mm or go bigger and be 50mm? My plan was to feed off to the flats at 28mm and reduce to 15mm when necessary.

does anyone have experience with student accom and what do you recommend?

Cheers

 

[oz-plumber]

You may well be capable of doing the works, but when it comes to designing, that's another story.

Get whoever offered you the job to employ a consultant to design the system for you.

What you have been asked to do is way out of any domestic plumbers league and expectations.

First call would be to the water board to see what pressure and pipe size is available at the property.

 

[Scott_D]

How many LPM will be used by each flat if everything is used.
You will need a large break tank.
Would need some serious electrical supply to power 22 showers

 

[gmartine]

Sorry bud, this is beyond your abilities or you wouldn't be asking about pipe size instead of knowing by calculation.

By all means do the install but suggest you leave the design or they'll have good reason to get back to you if and when your system doesn't perform.

 

[Brambles]

Probably a good opportunity in the current market if you wish to diversify.

You need to be fully conversant with both Building Control and the Educational Establishments Design Criteria for Student Accommodation - most large educational establishments have criteria over and above those required by Building Control before they will use / manage newly built or newly refurbished student accommodation.

Whilst you may be able to instal a building services system without a design, there will need to be a design (which also details ventilation and fire stopping) in place before Building Control with sign off the works.

With respect to the electric power showers, again there will need to be a document demonstrating that this is the most energy efficient approach with respect to currently available technology. In my view that is unlikely to be the case.

A final point : If you are working on an hourly / daily rate directly for the Client on a free issue material basis - be absolutely sure that any final payments are not dependent upon sign off of the works by Building Control. A lot of small trades ( not just heating and plumbing ) in Oxford have come unstuck on this issue.

Always better to be aware of the rules before you start the works.

 

[Murdoch]

Hey guys!
I’m a domestic plumber in general but been given an opportunity design student accom. So, I have a question:

Everything is electric from shower to instant water basin heaters. So, there 22 toilets, basins, electric showers etc

Cheers

Wow - do you have a dialogue with the electrical contractors bidding for this work , as I would have expected the design load to have been all calculated and covered before this went out to tender.......