Boosting hot water pressure in my house -basins,bath,shower?

[ashtons99]

I have a conventional balanced flu boiler and hot water cylinder in airing cupboard with cold water tank in loft and mixer shower cold header tank in loft.

I have bathroom with bath and mixer shower over bath and mixer shower in shower enclosure in en suite.

My basins are fed by cold rising main with bath and showers being gravity fed hot and cold.

I am keen to increase the hot water pressure to allow me to have a decent shower and use some more modern style taps. The cold water pressure seems fine but the hot is letting me down.

Ive searched back through the forums but cant find my particular query.

Obiously a pump is the answer but what sort and where would it go into the system to achieve my aim.

Would it pump hot and cold or just hot.

I have about 4foot of head between shower and cold feed tank.

As much help as possible would be appreciated.

 

[ashtons99]

some one out there must have a clue

 

[seco services]

if you want to pump your shower you'll need to pump both hot/cold to give balanced pressures.

 

[ashtons99]

thanks, i am loking for a system that will pump all my hot outlets or specifically my bath and the 2 showers. Is there anyway i can do that, it sounds quite complicated, if all 3 are tank fed hot and cold is it just a matter of installing a pump somewhere in the outputs from the hot and cold tanks

 

[Goldspoon]

I bet that the reason for lack of replies so far is that it takes some explaining (lots of typing). Go to www.salamander.com and click on downloads tab and then fitting instructions - all you need to know is in there

http://www.salamanderpumps.co.uk/Download/instructions.pdf
.

 

[ashtons99]

thanks very much, i will have a look on there

 

[The Baker]

One of these is a DO It Your Selfable alternative to a pump.

Long term it maybe suprisingly similar in cost when considering the life of a pump although others will be more able to give "it might scale up" advice depending on the hardness of the water where you live.

Tim

http://www.albionwaterheaters.com/Mainsflow.htm

 

[ashtons99]

Thanks Baker - How much are these things - It looks quite complex with the various inlets/outlets and piping options.

 

[The Baker]

The price will depend on the size of the cylinder that matches water usage.

If you contact the firms technical help line they will help you make a choice regarduing the capacity of the cylinder,

The will be advantages
like no longer having a cold water storage tank in the loft and hot waterthat comes out of the tap at a similar rate to thecold wter flow, and there will be disadvantages.

Fitting is not as bad as it may first appear.

Should you decide to go down the mains flow route get contractors model that comes complete with all its bits.

These cylinders are more or less the same as just replacing your existing cylinder.

When I say similar costs I am thinking of the cost over the life span of a heat store cylinder when compared to a pump that may not last five years so in reality a pump could actualy be more than twice the price you originaly thought when looked at long term. plus your Wife will probably deduct browny points from your score card when she hears the pump in action .

Dont allow any one to mistakenly sell you an unvented cylinder as to fit one of those requires a G£ certificate and building contol compliance,The heat store I am suggesting is a DIY do-able progect.

I suggest you down load this and have a read. But dont be swayed by my well intentioned suggestion, only you can decide, and as with most decisions we make in our lives there wil come a time when you may wish you,d done things differently.

http://www.albionwaterheaters.com/Handbook pdf's/Mainsflow guide.pdf

One thing I have not mentioned but is important is that you see how long it takes tofil a one litre jug at your bath cold tap. As you will need a minimum water flow to make a heat store a practicle solution.

Tim

 

[niceyboy]

hi - couldn't you just reduce the cold pressure to balance your pressures out or is your hot water pressure too low generally?

Just wondering because I have a similar problem, mains fed cold upstairs and a tank fed hot - looking at pressure reducer valve possibility

 

[Rico99]

Niceboy / ashtons,

You want to be fitting a Pressure Equalizing Valve, not REDUCING, on the supply pipes to shower.

It must be fitted on pipes only supplying the shower. You cannot use it any earlier in supply if the continue onto anything.

Rico

 

[niceyboy]

I'd thought about an equalising valve for my shower mixer but I've also changed three sets of standard hot and cold taps for single mixer type taps and am now a bit concerned about the imbalance between hot and cold pressure causing cold water to be pushed back up the hot pipes when the mixer's mixing!

Not exactly sure what the pressure difference is but hot pressure must be about .25 bar as header tanks is 2-3 metres above the tap and mains is significantly more. All the cold taps in the house look like they're teed off the rising main

 

[Rico99]

That all depends on where the mixing takes part in the tap.

Also more modern taps tend to have non return devices already built in.

If youre still worried then fit non retun valves onto the hot supply as near to the taps as possible.

Rico