Twin pump not sending water to upstairs bath and taps.

[Tones1966]

Hi,
We have a bungelow with a loft room and en suite bath, basin and WC. We rarely use the upstairs and recently discovered that we have no hot water flow at all to the upstairs bath or basin. I traced some pipes and found a twin pump in our cupboard which feeds our downstairs bath, basin, shower, which we have no issues with whatsoever.
We also have no problems with cold water pressure upstairs. However, we have absolutely no hot water at all upstairs........unless I turn on the downstairs shower which activates the pump and sends hot water to the loft at high pressure! So we go from nothing to loads, but only if we turn on downstairs shower!

The upstairs hot pressure was good originaly and we have not done anything that I can think of to change things.

Any suggestions would be greatly received! Many thanks

 

[terryplumb]

Where is the hot water cylinder situated,and where is the cold water storage cistern that feeds it located ?

 

[Tones1966]

Thanks Terry, the cylinder is in the downstairs airing cupboard and the storage is in the loft eves, raised by about six inches from the floor.

 

[Dereekoo]

And if you turn on the cold and hot tap upstairs do you get hot water

 

[Madrab]

Sounds like there isn't enough flow through the pump to activate it when the HW is turned on upstairs. Over time things have furred up a little and/or the flow switch isn't as sensitive and it now won't activate the pump.

CW sounds like it's mains. Where, in relation to the height of the cold water cistern, is the hot tap located? What kind of pump is it, is it universal? i.e. presume the hot tap is above the cistern?

 

[Tones1966]

We only get cold water. Absolutely no water at all from the hot taps!
But if I run the downstairs shower, we suddenly get full pressure hour water to upstairs hot taps!

 

[Tones1966]

Sounds like there isn't enough flow through the pump to activate it when the HW is turned on upstairs. Over time things have furred up a little and/or the flow switch isn't as sensitive and it now won't activate the pump.

CW sounds like it's mains. Where, in relation to the height of the cold water cistern, is the hot tap located? What kind of pump is it, is it universal? i.e. presume the hot tap is above the cistern?

Thanks. Cold water is fine, it's just hot water up stairs.

 

[Madrab]

but if I run the downstairs shower, we suddenly get full pressure hour water to upstairs hot taps!

Yes it will, the shower downstairs activates the pump flow switch therefore running the pump and will send water to the tap upstairs.

 

[terryplumb]

Is cold water upstairs from mains supply ,or is it pumped by the twin impellor pump ?

 

[Tones1966]

Is cold water upstairs from mains supply ,or is it pumped by the twin impellor pump ?

Not 100% sure but I see the twin pump outlets both going up into the ceiling with branches into the downstairs bathroom, so I'm guessing yes!
I could try emptying the eves out of the wife's shoes and bags so I can trace the pipes, but that would take me a few weeks

 

[terryplumb]

Turn off the mains cold water stopcock,if upstairs cold taps don't work they are obviously fed direct from the mains .

 

[Tones1966]

Is cold water upstairs from mains supply ,or is it pumped by the twin impellor pump ?

Not 100% sure but I see the twin pump outlets both going up into the ceiling with branches into the downstairs bathroom, so I'm guessing yes!
I could try emptying the ev out of the wife's shoes and bags so I can trace the pipes, but that would take me a few weeks

Turn off the mains cold water stopcock,if upstairs cold taps don't work they are obviously fed direct from the mains .

Yes, they stop running straight away.

 

[terryplumb]

You activate pump using downstairs shower and turn on upstairs tap you get hot water upstairs ,if you leave tap running and turn off shower does pump continue to run and give hot water from upstairs tap ?
Asides from above ,I would expect a little water would flow from upstairs tap, without the pump , through gravity alone. But you indicated there is nothing at all flowing from upstairs hot taps ,which is quite odd.

 

[Dereekoo]

Ok you get upstairs hot tap running and shower is then turned off the hot water carries on running. If you the turn the hot tap off for 5 seconds and then turn it back on does any sort of flow dribble out

 

[Madrab]

the storage is in the loft eves, raised by about six inches from the floor

Where, in relation to the height of the cold water cistern, is the hot tap located

Presuming the basin in the loft is a fair bit higher than 6" off the floor then the the hot tap will be above the level of the cistern, so probably no gravity flow, therefore the pump would have to be universal (negative head).

What kind of pump is it, is it universal?

If so may just need the mini EV re-charged

Please post a pic of the pump.