Improve water pressure by raising cold water tank?

[mutley123]

We have a cold water tank in the loft, sat on the rafters. Water pressure upstairs isn't great as the head is probably les than 6 feet.

I'd like to improve the water pressure in the upstairs bathroom, and fit a shower without having to install a pump.

Could I increase water pressure by raising up the water tank on to a platform so it sits just below the apex of the roof rather than on the rafters? Anything I'd have to watch out for if I did that?

Thanks

Steve

 

[big-all]

yes it will help but maybe not enough
leave a few more inches for maintainance rather than just enough

 

[TicklyT]

Every Metre you raise the CWST above the outlet it feeds will give an extra 0.1 Bar of pressure. Whether you consider that increase is adequate is your decision, but in the past I have installed a shower that delivered plenty of water with just 1 Metre / 0.1 Bar head available. There is brassware available designed to work at such low pressures, but sometimes you have to search hard to find it. My shower wouldn't pin you against the wall with a jet like a firehose, but you did get very wet very quickly.

A 'coffin' tank may be a better fit tight under the rafters than a regular rectangular tank.

Leave yourself enough access space to maintain / replace the float valve if (when) it fails.

A tank full of water is a considerable weight (1 kilo per Litre of water, plus the 'dry' weight of the tank and fittings), so the staging it stands on needs to be substantial.

Avoid using any chipboard or MDF in the staging - they quickly turn into soggy weetabix if they get damp.

A tank high up in a cold loft will be prone to freezing in winter. consider removing loft insulation directly below the tank, boxing in the sides of the staging, and continuing the loft insulation up the sides and over the tank to bring it back inside the heated part of the house.