Cold water tank running out and horrendous noise.

[hmiller80]

Hi, i have recently had a shower fitted with a pump.
Since i have had this fitted i have had no end of problems, the main one being the shower cutting out half way through washing my hair and when i use the hot water it sounds like i have the QE2 backing up in my bathroom.
I have been told to replace the ball valve on the cold water tank in the loft and possibly the tank as it may be too small to cope with the new addition of my shower to the house hold.
When running a bath, it also will only fill half up then runs to a trickle and almost stops.
It is now making the fog horn noise when i use the washing machine aswell.
I am going to replace the ball valve anyway as they are cheap, but i dont know which one to get. Does anyone know?

In screwfix there are the ones with the ball float that look like the ones in your toilet cistern and there is a pegler ball valve which looks like a tap. They come in 15mm and 22mm and in red, yellow and blue!!!
Now i can confused which one to get!!!

As for the Pump, it now sounds like an old steam train. I think air may have got into it and it sounds knackered!!

 

[JohnD]

you want the sort that looks like the ball valve you find in an old WC cistern.

It needs to be a high pressure one. Half-inch fitting. "Part 2" type. I can't see one in Screwfix.

If you go to a plumbers merchant he should sell you the correct type if you explain what it is for.

If you are buying it in a DIY shed, verify that the water outlet is in the TOP of the valve and has a plastic bridge to direct the flow downwards. this is to prevent dirty water getting back into the valve or pipe.

The plastic float is sold separately but you can probably screw on the old float if the old valve is fairly modern.

With a brass arm you can bend it a little so that the water level in the tank is a coupe of inches below the overflow connection.

A new or rewashered valve is always quieter than an old one.

If you like you can buy a ball valve repair kit and renew the washer and cone on your old one, it is not difficult. But I strongly recommend buying a new one and fitting that first (it is easier and quicker) then you can repair the old one and keep it as a spare for next time.

If the old and new one are similar you may find you can leave the old "stem" in place on the tank and just swap the working parts. This is less likely to work if the old one is very old.

You will have to turn off the water supply while you do it or water will squirt out. If you turn on the water for a moment after removing the old valve it will wash away any dirt or sediment that might be in the pipe.

edited:
see item 14 in http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=37170

You mention that the water runs out. Measure the cold tank or see if it has a label on it saying how many gallons it holds.

a shower pump delivers a great deal of water very fast. Run it into a bucket and see how many litres per minute it delivers.

 

[hmiller80]

you want the sort that looks like the ball valve you find in an old WC cistern.

It needs to be a high pressure one. Half-inch fitting. "Part 2" type. I can't see one in Screwfix.

If you go to a plumbers merchant he should sell you the correct type if you explain what it is for.........

Brilliant, thank you for your help.

I now know which one to purchase, i will buy the whole lot and then its all new.
The house is about 30 years old, so it wont hurt to replace things!!

As for the shower, the plot thickens...
I have had a couple of plumbers in and both have said that the guy who fitted the shower, fitted it incorrectly!!!!!!
Apprently, now the pump is knackered due to air going through and it running 'dry'.

I will do what you said, to see how big the tank is and how much water the shower is pumping through.

Many thanks

 

[easyflow]

If you are running out of water whilst using the shower, the cold storage tank is too small, increase the size of the cold storage tank or attatch a bylaw 30 kit to the existing tank making sure the outlet operates from you existing tank and the cold water feed is fed to the new bylaw 30 tank thus no danger of stagnant water and a better supply for your needs.