Any way to increase hot water pressure

[AndyOgden]

Hi
Ive just installed new bath and basin taps, and now find the hot water pressure and flow are both very low. It was never great before, but with the new taps

I thought I had a airlock at first but Ive cleared though with the mains cold water, and when I put the old taps back its back to normal

The hot water tank and bath room and on the same floor, and the piping is 22mm (it tees off to 15mm pipe down to the kitchen also fine)

if its any help :
the taps are as seen in the pic here
http://www.wickes.co.uk/bin/venda?e...vt=broaruba&layout=main&temp=brochurebathroom

Ive no info on them though.

With the old taps it takes about 6 sec to fill a litre jug
new taps take about 16 secs

the hot water pressure isnt enough to hold the little shower plunger thing open

now is there anything I can do to increase the pressure/flow in the bathroom.....any idea why Iam having this problem

thanks for any help
Andy

 

[ArtfulBodger]

The ad doesn't specifically say so, but I would guess that the taps are designed for high pressure water systems. So, if you don't want to change the taps to low pressure equivelants then you're best option is to fit a pump to supply just this one tap.

Personally, I would take the taps back

 

[AndyOgden]

Thanks, Ive not heard of high and low pressure taps, is it likely that wickes would do a low pressure version of the same taps, or would it be a case of choosing new ones all together.

is there a way to tell the difference by looking ?

we were thinking of installing a mixer shower at some point, could I use a pump to boost the water to both bath room taps and the shower ?

would a normal shower pump be ok for this or would I need something stronger ?

also Im I right that with a mixer shower you cant use mains cold ?, or is it the pump that cant take the mains?

ta
Andy

 

[kevplumb]

you cant pump the mains supply

 

[brumylad]

Check the position of the cold water storage cistern (black plastic or steel tank). Usually located in the attic or above the hot water cylinder.

make sure the gate valve is fully open (turn anti-clockwise)

You could try and install this pump if you can find a supplier
http://www.grundfos.com/web/homeuk....fa180256e0f00563537/$FILE/UPA 15-90 05 03.pdf

 

[chappers]

you've already worked out your problem yourself by changing the taps back to the original ones, you need taps capable of operating at low pressure.
Its the pump that can't run on mains cold, but you could by all means pump your hot providing you are running a hot storage system and not a combi

 

[AndyOgden]

Thanks for all the replies

Looks like we'll go the way of the pump, if I could just to confirm that the following is correct.

System we have is :
Cold water tank up in the roof, feeding down into the hot tank upstairs

Hot tank has a small sort of header tank (where the cold enters) on top of the main body (from where the hots drawn from)

Boiler is down in the kitchen

Now this is a normal hot storage system, suitable for adding a pump to the hot out of the main body of the tank.......correct?

If so I can install a pump under the bath to pump the hot from the tank to the bath, basin and shower

and I'd tee into the cold which supplys the hot tank (from the cold tank in the roof) and pump that for the shower

I shoudn't connect the mains cold to the mixer shower ? ......because .....of back flow into the hot side ?

assuming Im right with all that Ive been looking at 1.5 bar shower pump in screwfix (was going to liink it, but sites off again) would that be suitable ?

anything eles I should know/check before I start cutting

cheers
Andy

 

[brumylad]

oh dear. sounds like your copper hot water cylinder is a combination cylinder, I would be suprised if this was capable of delivering enough hot water for a power shower lasting more than a few minutes. It depends on the size of the cylinder.

You have two options. If you can spare £2000 go for an unvented (mains pressure hot water).

If you want to spend about £600 (plus all the time and trouble) then perhaps change the existing copper cylinder for a larger one,
pump the hot water supply to the taps in the house by one pump,
plus a shower pump.

The hot water supply to a pumped shower should be a dedicated separate supply from the copper cylinder using an essex flange or similar. The cold water supply to the shower should be a dedicated pipe from the cold water cistern in the attic.

and I'd tee into the cold which supplys the hot tank (from the cold tank in the roof) and pump that for the shower

NO, this cold supply pipe also takes up expansion of the hot water in the copper cylinder when it gets hot, so chances are you would be pumping hot water not cold. Take the cold supply direct from the tank in the loft.

Before you start work try to get the pump supplier's to specify a system for you or failing that get an experienced local plumber to draw up a specification. It will be easy money for him and money well spent by you.

 

[AndyOgden]

thanks for that.....kinda throws a spanner in the works but better than my making a mess of it.

maybe this'll convince 'her' that these taps are more trouble than there worth.....maybe

you say the tank wouldn't hold enough for a very long shower.....surly theres at least a bath full in there ? (or is it that the flow out so slow that the incoming is heated up in time to keep the tank full'ish)

if there is enough for a bath, could I just pump the hot out to the bath, basin......and go with a cold feed electric shower ?


Andy

 

[brumylad]

I think the later is the simplest way to go, and the cheapest