Hansgrohe ecosmart

[bennettp23]

Hi,

We have an unvented system which will only give about 12l per minute hot water from the upstairs mixer tap. Think I'm stuck with this.

Installing a new shower (looking for a good quality concealed solution) but obviously our flow rate is not the best. Therefore thinking of the hansgrohe ecosmart or Grohe Ecojoy rain heads coming from the ceiling (with the associated concealed HG or G mixers) they are 9l and 9.5l/min respectively. Does anyone have any experience of them?

https://www.ergonomicdesigns.co.uk/...00-chrome-ecosmart-shower-head---ceiling.html

https://www.grohe.co.uk/en_gb/rainshower-310-mono-head-showers-head-shower-1-spray-26562000.html

Thanks for any help!

Paul

 

[Madrab]

To test your unvented output properly you need to test a full flow cold water tap (outside tap) and see how much that will deliver. An unvented should deliver as much as can be put in. Has the unvented been serviced and has the inlet filter been flushed?

Using your mixer tap upstairs may not be showing you what the cylinder might be able to deliver

 

[bennettp23]

Hi Madrab.

Been and got a pressure gauge:

Outside tap is 2.2 bar and 16l/min

Upstairs mixer in main bathroom is running Hot: 10l/min Cold 14l/min Both on at a 'shower' temp = 12l/min

Managed to be able to test the current shower (see pics) output with the old mixer: pressure = 1.5 bar flow = 12l/min at shower temp.

Don't know if the unvented cylinder has been serviced. We have the annual service from BG but not sure if they do that?

Can I check the filter myself as there does seem to be a difference between the hot and cold output upstairs (but not much) but getting it to 14lmin is still better than 12!.

Also, looks to me like I have 15mm coming into the house but all the piping to and from the cylinder and to upstairs taps is 22mm...... so limited by the 15mm overall.

Thanks!

Paul.

 

[Madrab]

Your flow at the shower will be restricted to the output that the mixer of the shower will deliver, if that makes sense. Mixer showers will always reduce the flow a little as the ratio of hot to cold will dictate that, output temp dependent.

If you are testing pressure you need more than one outlet open at a time as the dynamic pressure reading is the working pressure you want to know. Unfortunately your mains supply may be a bit of a bottleneck as far as flow is concerned.

I wouldn't recommend you play with any part of your unvented system, even if it is just the inlet filter as you have to de-pressurise and drain etc I would leave it to your service engineer.

 

[bennettp23]

OK so if I open the kitchen tap (which is on the same 'leg' as the outside tap) at the same time the pressure drops from 1.9 (dropped since earlier I guess due to usage of other people) to 1.4.

I'm guessing thats bad?

I don't understand why there is a difference in flow between the hot and cold at the bath. The PRV is on the mains feed to the UVC and both feeds to the bath are 22m and balanced from after the PRV.

 

[Madrab]

I wouldn't say it's bad but it's not the best as there will be an even larger differential if more are opened.

Ideally to run an unvented properly you want 2.5 > 3 bar dynamic with a flow rate of >20L/min.

That being said, 10L/Min hot should be plenty to deliver a proper shower, it won't be skin tingling or anything like that with your pressure as it is but you shouldn't be dancing in the shower to try and catch the water drops either

When you say the bath, do you mean the mixer you mentioned? It may be the tap and you would really need to check that by taking the mixer out of the equation but running an open pipe from each supply to check the flow properly.