Low pressure at shower

[fixitflav]

I know I will have to fit a pump, just thought there may be something I could do at the water cylinder end to maybe help. Plus, not sure where the pump would go. Probably in the airing cupboard, but just means pipes would be coming down from the loft to go back up again

On the hot side, better to tee off the pipe in the loft, rather than in the airing cupboard with an inverted U.

Are you sure it's the best shower head for low pressure? Maybe a replacement would give more flow. I have a gravity fed shower, about 1.3m between shower head and CWST water level. It won't take your skin off, but it gives a perfectly acceptable shower.

 

[scottpetrie]

There is no hot in the loft, Im in a bungalow. The only hot pipe going to loft is the one going to shower. Whoever fitted the cylinder must have done it that way.
When I remove the shower heads (there is a normal one and a rainfall), the water flow is still poor

 

[fixitflav]

There is no hot in the loft, Im in a bungalow. The only hot pipe going to loft is the one going to shower. Whoever fitted the cylinder must have done it that way.
When I remove the shower heads (there is a normal one and a rainfall), the water flow is still poor

Isn't there a vent pipe from the HW cylinder over the CWST (in the loft)? I tee'd into that for a shower I installed many years ago, and where I live now it was like it when I moved in.

What head difference do you have?

 

[scottpetrie]

Yeh theres a vent pipe but is that not just the same though, a pipe coming from the cylinder going up to the loft?
The bathroom is almost directly below the water tank, and cant be moved up any higher. Its basically sitting on beams on top of the ceiling beams

 

[fixitflav]

Yeh theres a vent pipe but is that not just the same though, a pipe coming from the cylinder going up to the loft?

Yes, it doesn't affect the available head, but it should avoid the risk of an airlock.

The bathroom is almost directly below the water tank, and cant be moved up any higher.

I suppose you mean the water tank can't be lifted any higher. If you have anything like a reasonable head, say > 1m, and 22mm pipes, you should be able to get an adequate shower. If flow is low with the shower head off, maybe there's a valve part closed, or a pipe blockage.

 

[scottpetrie]

Ill have to have another proper look but when I fitted the new bathroom, the water was even poor with no shower fitted, just pipes coming out the wall. When I turn shower fully cold its better, but when I switch it back to fully hot, the water barely comes out the shower head if I hold it upside down, where as the cold goes up a good few inches.

 

[fixitflav]

Ill have to have another proper look but when I fitted the new bathroom, the water was even poor with no shower fitted, just pipes coming out the wall. When I turn shower fully cold its better, but when I switch it back to fully hot, the water barely comes out the shower head if I hold it upside down, where as the cold goes up a good few inches.

That suggests to me a restriction on the hot side. The static pressure is the same for hot and cold, with clear pipes there's a bit more resistance on the hot, as it has to go through the cylinder, but I wouldn't expect that much difference.

 

[scottpetrie]

Okay. The hot taps in the rest of the house all seem fine. Could it be anything to do with the fact that the pipe is routed up the way through the loft then down again? Ill have a look and check the pipes and valves.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

That suggests to me a restriction on the hot side. The static pressure is the same for hot and cold, with clear pipes there's a bit more resistance on the hot, as it has to go through the cylinder, but I wouldn't expect that much difference.

We don't have a problem with our hot supply, but I do notice we often get air bubble sometimes blow out the hot taps - I assume the air forms in the top of our cylinder, due to the heating in the cylinder - the top of which rises above the taps. My theory is that the OP is getting similar bubbles forming, which because of the pipe layout, the bubbles remain in the hot pipe from the cylinder.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Have you checked the filters in the shower inlet ports?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Okay. The hot taps in the rest of the house all seem fine. Could it be anything to do with the fact that the pipe is routed up the way through the loft then down again? Ill have a look and check the pipes and valves.

Yes - air from the heated water in the cylinder, collecting in the pipe and limiting the flow to the shower.

 

[scottpetrie]

Not recently but I will do. Like I say, the pressure was poor before the new shower was fitted

 

[scottpetrie]

So basically, apart from ripping out tiles and the wall in the bathroom where the shower is, and re-routing the pipes, Id be better getting a pump fitted?

 

[scottpetrie]

Just been up to loft, all valves are fully open, and yes, the hot water pipe to shower is teed off of the vent going into the cold tank

 

[fixitflav]

Just been up to loft, all valves are fully open, and yes, the hot water pipe to shower is teed off of the vent going into the cold tank

How about the valve into the HW cylinder? (might be in the airing cupboard)
So you haven't got an inverted U with risk of airlock? Curiouser and curiouser!
You haven't told us yet what the actual level difference is between the tank water level and the shower outlet.