Poor hot water system.

[cdbe]

My brother lives in Scotland in a former farmhouse.

Old floor standing heat only boiler that appears to run well. There's a copper cylinder in a cupboard next to it, I think at about worktop height

Two bathrooms, both with electric showers, downstairs has a bath. We used the first floor bathroom when we stayed and the shower wouldn't heat when the dishwasher was running so presumably poor pressure? The hot to the upstairs basin was (badly) pumped - would the rest of it be? I think they bought one of those Argos bath tap showers for downstairs but it didn't work so maybe the ground floor is just gravity?

Before we visited and used the upstairs shower he said the mains pressure was good so I suggested an unvented might be the answer. Now I'm thinking an unvented with an accumulator?

I know he needs to check flow and pressure first, but assume poor, will this work? I think they're happy to invest in something that works properly.

 

[ericmark]

Question one has to be where does the water come from? I know here in Wales may homes have a well and a pump.

 

[cdbe]

A mains plastic supply pipe that runs over (or rather under) fields from a nearby farm.

 

[Madrab]

1st thing first, they need to find out what the mains dynamic pressure and flow is from the mains at peak hours, as it enters the property. Without knowing that then any advice would just be a guess.

If pressure and flow are poor then yes either correctly designed stored hot and cold suitably pumped. Mains pump may be an option or alternatively yes an accumulator (poss pumped) but that is space and finance hungry and doesn't deal with the HW. It would also be of benefit understanding if the mains is shared with the farmhouse as that could have a direct impact on what may be available.

Where in Scotland are they?

 

[cdbe]

Thanks. I'll get them to check pressure and flow and establish the source of the supply pipe. It's Cruden Bay, near Peterhead.

 

[Madrab]

Cruden Bay, near Peterhead

Lovely part of the world, fab beach and a great links course.

 

[fixitflav]

Old floor standing heat only boiler that appears to run well. There's a copper cylinder in a cupboard next to it, I think at about worktop height

Is there a cold water storage tank (CWST)? Most likely in the loft.
Is the system fully pumped on the primary side, or gravity to the HW cylinder? Are there any motorised valves?

The hot to the upstairs basin was (badly) pumped - would the rest of it be?

The pump would be on the secondary side. Whether the rest is pumped depends on where the pump is.
A sketch of the system would be useful