Ignite Plumbing & Heating
Victorian Terrace Plumbing in Norwich — A Complete Homeowner Guide
Bought a Victorian terrace in Norwich? Here's everything you need to know about its plumbing before you start any work.
What era is your terrace?
Norwich's Victorian terraces span 1840–1910. Earlier properties (pre-1880) are more likely to have lead supply pipes and no internal drainage. Later properties may have copper or galvanised steel.
The gravity-fed system
Most Victorian terraces originally had (and many still have) a gravity-fed system: cold water tank in the loft feeding a hot water cylinder in an airing cupboard on the first floor landing. This system works well but limits shower pressure.
Upgrading shower pressure in a Victorian terrace
Victorian gravity-fed systems have low water pressure — rarely enough for a good shower. The solution is a pump on the hot water circuit or a mains-pressure shower unit. We advise on which approach suits your system.
Lead pipes — are they a problem?
If your terrace was built before 1970 and hasn't had its supply pipe replaced, you may still have lead pipework from the mains to the stop tap. This should be replaced — contact Anglian Water about the external section and call us for the internal run.
The shared downpipe
Norwich mid-terraces typically share a single rainwater downpipe between two properties. Blockage or damage to the section on your neighbour's wall is a common source of damp. Know where the joint is and discuss shared responsibility with your neighbour.