Shower pump and low hot water pressure

[richie4236]

We recently moved to a new house which has a few issues with CH and hot water. The boiler was the original 1991 model which was installed when the house was build. The previous owner hadn't maintained it well, so we replaced it immediately and had the pipes flushed. All now works okay. We decided not to switch to a combi boiler, so still have the original tanks. Heating now works okay, but we're stuck with very low hot pressure. The header tank is as high as it can go in the loft, so I don't think we can improve things there.
I don't really want to spend a massive amount of money (as we've just moved house), and it was suggested to us that we could install a pump on the shower to raise the pressure. I know this comes at the cost of draining the tank quickly, but I can live with that. Pressure downstairs isn't an issue, and I don't really care if the bath take 30 minutes to fill. Only really bothered about the shower.
We've had a couple of plumbers come into to take a look, and both have made lots of noises about needing to make major changes. One said we had been sold the wrong boiler, while the other wanted to replace all the tanks and pipework. Both wanted to charge us over £1200, which seems like an amazing amount of money, and I suspect I'm being taken for a ride.
So, my question is, what's really involved in increasing the hot water pressure? Can we just add a pump, or do we really need to spend thousands of pounds to do it? Thanks.

 

[Aquaheat]

Why would you expect that you are being taken for a ride. You have had two plumbers out who have had the benefit of seeing the layout of your system and pipework and have both come to similar opinions that changes are required for the system to be as you have requested it to be. These guys opinions are going to be a lot more beneficial to you than us guys hee that cannot have a wander around your house and view the entire system.

If you are still worried get another 2 opinions from pepole that have been recommended to you from friends or neighbours and then take your choice from there.

£1200 to have all your ageing pipework rescued and reconfigured to give you the powerful shower you would like and possibly (without being able to see the job) installed so that it is correct and for the engineer to assume responsibility for the system and ensure that everything is correct and how you would want and then to guarantee it for the next 12 months with free call backs should there be issue with his work or design is quite good value for money really.

There would be a reason that they have not suggested the pump which would be an easier job and still make a good profit. Perhaps the way your system is set up a pump just wouldn't work or that the position and noise may be an issue to you?

As mentioned get a couple of quotes and take it from there.

Jon.

 

[flameport]

Pressure downstairs isn't an issue, and I don't really care if the bath take 30 minutes to fill.
.......
Can we just add a pump, or do we really need to spend thousands of pounds to do it? Thanks.

A pump might be an option.

However if your bath really takes 30 minutes to fill there is something fundamentally wrong somewhere, and just adding a pump will not fix that.

 

[Madrab]

If you think you are being taken for a ride then ask for a breakdown of the work required, get a description of what is wrong with the system as it stands and what is being suggested as required to correct it.

Armed with that information it may be possible to gauge if the recommendations are suitable.

 

[richie4236]

Why would you expect that you are being taken for a ride. You have had two plumbers out who have had the benefit of seeing the layout of your system and pipework and have both come to similar opinions that changes are required for the system to be as you have requested it to be. These guys opinions are going to be a lot more beneficial to you than us guys hee that cannot have a wander around your house and view the entire system.

The thing is, if they had both said the same thing I'd more inclined to believe them, but they didn't. One of them didn't even see the system before starting to tell us how much it would cost to fix. One said it's the (brand new) boiler, while the other didn't really explain what was wrong before telling us we'd have to change the entire hot water system. I'm old enough and ugly enough to have a good sense of when I'm being sold BS by someone, and sadly I've been ripped off before in very similar circumstances.

I'll get more people in to look, obviously, but I was asking here because it's always good to be armed with more information.

 

[richie4236]

Pressure downstairs isn't an issue, and I don't really care if the bath take 30 minutes to fill.
.......
Can we just add a pump, or do we really need to spend thousands of pounds to do it? Thanks.

A pump might be an option.

However if your bath really takes 30 minutes to fill there is something fundamentally wrong somewhere, and just adding a pump will not fix that.

Actually, I don't know that it does take 30 minutes to fill. That as just a flippant throw-away comment, sorry. There's nothing wrong with the water pressure for the bath or sink. It's just that the shower in infuriatingly slow.

 

[flameport]

One said it's the (brand new) boiler, while the other didn't really explain what was wrong before telling us we'd have to change the entire hot water system.

The first one is wrong - hot water pressure & flow has nothing to do with the boiler. They could be right if you had a combi boiler, but as you don't, they are wrong.