Gravity shower pressure query

djbobbins · Joined: 04 Jul 2007 Posts: 13 Location: United Kingdom

Hi

Wonder if anyone can help me with a query regarding my shower.

We moved into a 1970s house a couple of months ago. There is an upstairs shower room, with a Mira shower fed from the hot water cylinder. I\\\'m led to believe the shower dates back to the late 90s. The header tank in the loft is of a decent size (3 foot across and a couple of foot deep at a guess) and has been built up on a plinth - giving about 2 metres of head between the shower head and the base of the header tank.

The hot water pressure at the upstairs taps is fine - but the shower is pathetic - so much so that if I take the nozzle out of the holder on the wall and point it upwards, the water just dribbles out of the jet holes.

I thought this might be to do with limescale on the shower head so I cleaned it but it has actually made the situation worse. The water in the area is quite hard and I wondered it the innards of the shower might be encumbered with limescale affecting the flow rate?

Any thoughts / suggestions much appreciated.

Cheers

Grimly Feendiish · Joined: 04 Jul 2007 Posts: 8 Location: United Kingdom

Buy a new shower. B&Q have them on special offer at the moment. Better still, a power shower. But be sure to get a CORGI registered plumber to install it for you.

Hope this helps!

Grimly

gas4you · Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 3:25 pm

Could just need a service kit and cleaning of the cartidge.

NEVER buy anything from B&Q you won't get good service.Go to a local plumbes merchant.

You don't need to have a CORGI in to fit a shower

not unless you are planning another holocaust

JohnD · Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 6:40 pm

Grimly Feendiish wrote:

Buy a new shower. B&Q have them on special offer at the moment. Better still, a power shower. But be sure to get a CORGI registered plumber to install it for you.

Hope this helps!

Grimly

How many shares do you have in Kingfisher? You're always recommending B&Q boilers and stuff.

djbobbins · Joined: 04 Jul 2007 Posts: 13 Location: United Kingdom

so what's the craic with a service kit? I am feeling a plumber's bill coming on...

JPC · Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 7:08 pm

is the shower pressure crap even when you lower the head to the height of the bath taps. is the bath tap pressure ok ?
have u taken off the hose/head and seen if any blockages ?
have u checked from where the shower if fed ?
i assume the cold is also tank fed ?
r u saying there is 2m from water level to shower height ?
is it fed from the bath taps or a mixer on the wall ?

ah yes.....dont buy from b and q (although they do have there uses) and just to repeat.....corgi is only gas stuff and there safety -not an indication of quality work either !!!

djbobbins · Joined: 04 Jul 2007 Posts: 13 Location: United Kingdom

Many questions, answers in order:

shower pressure / flow is still dreadful when showerhead is reduced to tap height and pressure on the taps is fine

have taken off showerhead and no blockage (water flow out of hose still dreadful with head off)

not checked where shower is fed from

there is at least 2m of head to the exit point on the cold water header tank in the loft - so probably 2.5m to the surface of the water

It is a Mira Excel fed from a mixer on the wall, not from bath taps

Thanks for showing interest!

Onetap · Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:01 pm

Grimly Feendiish wrote:

B&Q have them on special offer at the moment. Better still, a power shower. But be sure to get a CORGI registered plumber to install it for you.

Hope this helps!

Grimly

Why?

CORGI does gas, nothing but gas. Showers use water. Many Corgis are clueless about anything but gas and they aren't too good on the gas either.

Be sure that you get a competent non-Corgi plumber.

Onetap · Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:07 pm

Check the isolating valves from the tank to shower valve are fully open.

Get the installation and maintenance manual from the manufacturer's website. Check whether there are strainers/filters on the shower inlet and, if so, descale them.

Get a service kit, dismantle, descale and re-assemble the shower valve (or pay someone to do it for you). You probably need to do that every year or 2 anyway.

Check the shower hose isn't perished and restricted. Some cheap ones have a narrow, restrictive bore when new.

That should sort it.

Onetap · Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:13 pm

gas4you wrote:

Not a laughing matter.
Really.
I apologise for him.

In the great mosaic of victory, I lay this priceless jewel, my only son.

On a headstone in a cemetery in Holland.

djbobbins · Joined: 04 Jul 2007 Posts: 13 Location: United Kingdom

Cheers

Have had a look around, found the manual and it's definitely got inlet filters on both hot and cold.

Will get a service kit and see how I get on.

Hose is not perished and has got a decent sized bore (well, 10mm or so, not 5-6mm like some I've seen in shops, as you say.)

(P.S. - to all above who mentioned Corgi, even I know Corgi registration isn't needed for water work; much better to go by recommendation. Unfortunately moving to a new area makes that a bit tricky...)

Rob · Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 2:18 am

deleted! **

djbobbins · Joined: 04 Jul 2007 Posts: 13 Location: United Kingdom

Success!

Changed the inlet filters and shower is vastly (and I mean vastly) improved.

Bit concerned that the isolation valves on both the hot and cold water feeds to the shower didn't isolate properly but at least I can get clean now.

Once I'd drained the header tank down (owing to duff valves) dismantling the shower, changing filters and reassembling took under 10 minutes.

top banana...

Buzzark · Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:43 pm

If you're changing the valves, fit full bore lever valves.
You won't be restricting the flow then through the valve and when we were gravity fed this did help a bit.