poor water pressure

[hothothot]

The cold water supply to my flat is very poor - about 0.5 bars. I have spoken to Thames Water who say they are required by law to supply good pressure to the 3rd floor only. But I'm on the 6th floor of a large Victorian building. They say that I may install a pump straight off the cold water supply as long as the pump does not exceed 12 liters per minute otherwise I will need a break tank. What they can't seem to tell me is how many liters per minute I require for my property. Can anyone in this forum tell me?

The other issue is where do I put the home booster pump/tank? Should I install the pump in the basement which I co-own with 10 other freeholders who probably won't give me consent or in my flat where there is very little space. Again, my instinct tells me I should ideally have the pump working at ground level for greater efficiency. But as I may not get permission, is it okay for me to put the pump in my property on the 6th floor?

Lastly, can anyone recommend a reliable brand of booster pump? The one I had in mind was the Draper 24L Booster Pump 50L/Min Max Flow 240v.

 

[Agile]

You seem to be very mixed up about what you want or need!

The best solution would be for ALL the owners to contribute to a combined system.

A good spec is the Grunfoss home booster which has a potable break tank and a pump so it gives up to 3 Bar at say 20 litres/min. Costs up to £1000 plus installation.

You would need new water supply pipes from basement to each flat.

Any other attempted solution is unlikely to produce a professional result.

Any mains water supply installation should by law be carried out ( or inspected and cert issued ) by someone qualified in accordance with the Water Regulations 1999.

Tony

 

[hothothot]

Many of the freeholders who own flats in the building live abroad and don't want to spend money on a problem which doesn't affect them. I own the only flat on the top floor and therefore am singled out.

Given the circumstances, I may have to compromise on efficiency. Will the Grufoss Home Booster be adequate if installed in my property on the top floor?

 

[Agile]

It will be fine there and give a better performanance than 95% of homes in the UK !

But its nearly the size of two washing machines on top of each other and will make a little noise when in use.

Tony

 

[hothothot]

Thanks for the advice. I've just rung Grunfos who've explained in great detail the benefits of their integrated tank and pump which I'm going to purchase shortly.

Is this something you have installed before and can I have your work number to contact you for a quote?

 

[hothothot]

By the way, I have the spec as 1000mm high, 600mm wide. No idea of the depth. Is this the same machine you were referring to? Product code is MB240200.

 

[Agile]

The depth is also 600 mm. But some extra clearance will be required for the connections. See the installation instructions for guidance.

I have had a guided tour of that product at the Grundfos offices and I was very impressed by it and I have heard from several satisfied users. So far I have not had the pleasure of installing one but if you wanted to discuss that with me you should email me from the contact details in my profile on here or just do a Google on my name !

Tony Glazier

 

[hothothot]

A local plumber popped round to survey the situation. He said that the Grunfoss intergrated pump/tank is not designed to go in the roof and should ideally be situated in the basement which is 6 floors down. This however, is not an option.

The plumber pointed out that the studio flat which is in the attic is very small and suitable for only 1 or 2 persons. As such, he says there isn't much need to have a tank to collect reserve water. Therefore, he said it is possible to fit only a gravity fed pump without a break tank on condition I had special consent from Thames water.

Thames have already informed me that by law I can have a pump without a tank as long as it pumps no more than 12 litres per minute on top of the current pressure that they already provide. If consent is given to exceed 12 litres, approximately how many litres per minute should be pumped up (in addition to the current pressure supplied by Thames) and what brand of pump could you recommend?

 

[simond]

I would recommend fitting a Mainsboost Charger system in the basement.

This is a big accumulator(s) with a 12 l/m pump in front of it. It does not use a break tank so the issues of water stagnation and chlorination do not arise.

The noise of the pump you propose, which will run with every water draw off, may well cause you another problem in a victorian conversion. It would be a shame to go to the expense of the Homebooster or similar only for another leaseholder to get an injunction to stop you using it. There may also be problems with backflow from other flats if you 'suck' water from the riser.

 

[hothothot]

I've just spoken to the company who produce/supply the MainsBoost Charger. They say that it will solve my problem.

I also gave Grunfos another call and they say reassured me that their product is specifically designed for home usage although they don't recommend putting it in the loft because of vibrations.

The MainsBoost Charger generates a noise level of 38dba at 1 meter where as the Grunfos Homebooster is 64dba.

Before I make my decision, does anyone know of any other alternative quality systems which will permanently sort out my water pressure problems?