Increasing tap water pressure

[CrazeUK]

Hi guys.

So i am doing some more DIY on the bain of my life .. that flat.

Currently the hot water for the Kitchen Sink, the Bathroom basin and the bath tub comes from a copper tank system, with 2 x 3kw emersion heaters.
The tank is raised of the ground by about a meter.

In the side of the tank is the outlet for the hot water with a red tap that seems to have seized which i am scared i will snap.

The flow at the bathtub and bathroom basin is fine from both hot and cold water.

The cold from the kitchen sink is great, the hot from the sink is medicore.

So how do i increase this?

I figure my options are:
1. Add some form of pressure activated pump.
2. Get an In-Line Instantaneous Electric Water Heaters (pricey).

Also the main question... can i fix it (My self)?

 

[Newboy]

The cold water at the kitchen sink will be mains pressure cold and the hot will be low pressure tank fed - hence the difference in flow & pressure.

First check if there are any restrictions in the hot supply pipework - 1/4 turn isolators & flexible tap connectors are prime for reducing flow rate.

Next, is the kitchen tap suitable for low pressure systems?

Finally, the simplest solution is a single impellor pump on the hot feed to the kitchen.

Forget instant water heaters - they will either need a significant capacity electric cable direct from the consumer unit or, a small capacity unvented under-counter heater will take up most of the under-sink space available

 

[awph]

If you put a pump on the hot supply to the kitchen sink just be aware that there are times,e.g. when someone has just run a bath,when you could run the pump dry,due to the small amount of cold water stored and the possibility that the main supply to the tank may not keep up with the demands of the pump.I'm also not aware of any pump manufacturers that will warranty a pump fitted to a fortic cylinder.

To do any work on the hot water just turn off the mains,open all hot taps and let them run dry.If you're going to change the gate valve replace it with a lever valve,unlike gate valves they actually work.

 

[CrazeUK]

Hi Guys.
Thanks for both your responses.

The single impeller pump thing is what i considered something like the Salamander (Although i think that has two). Apparently they have sensors in them that sense the drop in the pressure when you turn the tap on, which activates the pump, is that correct?

I know there is an electricity supply to the tank which i presume i can attach the pump to.

As for running the pump dry. Luckily the main use of the hot water is only for the bathroom basin, and the kitchen sink. The bathroom has an electric shower.

You say they wont warranty a pump attached directly to a cylinder, I presume that isn't normal use for these types of pumps?

Are there any other options?
Also do you guys have any pumps you recommend?
Do i need to look for particular flow rates or features?

 

[awph]

Salamander are fine,they make twin and single impeller pumps.The warranty issue is due to the amount of stored cold water not meeting their minimum requirements.

 

[Classic40]

Depending how much pressure you want to add I would look at the Grundfos UPA15-90.

It's an inline pump which claims to add between 0.5 and 0.75 bar.

 

[CrazeUK]

Okay so here is the tank:



I measured the height of that middle pipe its 127cm, the Sink tap end is 111cm off the ground.

I worked out it takes 58 seconds to fill a 2 litre bottle of water.

So anyone know what i need to be increasing by?

 

[AdrianUK]

The 'head' of that system (for the kitchen tap) is the height of the top of the water level in the upper tank less 111cm. The height of the hot water feed coming out of the tank (127cm) is irrelevant.

 

[CrazeUK]

The 'head' of that system (for the kitchen tap) is the height of the top of the water level in the upper tank less 111cm. The height of the hot water feed coming out of the tank (127cm) is irrelevant.

Oh i see, so i am guessing around 50-70cm is the head.

I dont know much about the tank, just that it has a lid on the top that is loose, and it is cold water in the top.

Do you think given it has head (good or bad?) the issue is something else?