Where to source a small accumulator for mains water
- Thread starter Buzzark
- Start date
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doh!! try 6' - I was trying to remember how many litres it was....
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Indeed!
I did build a small one in the end just to test the theory and it did work.
A small accumulator tweaked with some flow valve controlled release and a non return valve in the inlet did hold up the dynamic water pressure where it otherwise would have dropped.
I only used a very small vessel though (12 litre) for testing which when I restricted the output gave about 90 seconds to 2 minutes "boost" so I'd have needed about a 60 litre one to give nearer 10 minutes.
I left that in place for about a year then we got improved water pressure anyway with some mains upgrades so I removed it.
There, story completed 4 years later.
[/b]
I did build a small one in the end just to test the theory and it did work.
A small accumulator tweaked with some flow valve controlled release and a non return valve in the inlet did hold up the dynamic water pressure where it otherwise would have dropped.
I only used a very small vessel though (12 litre) for testing which when I restricted the output gave about 90 seconds to 2 minutes "boost" so I'd have needed about a 60 litre one to give nearer 10 minutes.
I left that in place for about a year then we got improved water pressure anyway with some mains upgrades so I removed it.
There, story completed 4 years later.
[/b]
dont often help in this forum much any more but
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pressure-Do...ef=sr_1_2?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1322090586&sr=1-2
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pressure-Do...ef=sr_1_2?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1322090586&sr=1-2
I have just installed a second floor bathroom with "power shower" only to find that the mains water pressure at ground level is around 1.0 bar and flow rate is around 10ltr/min.
It seems from what i've read here and on the other threads, that I probably need something like a 300-500ltr capacity accumulator. Testing the shower produced a slow flow and the body jets fitted only a dribble.
Good thing seems to be that you can site them anywhere, so I could install in my basement where the mains comes in.
Am I on the right track here?
It seems from what i've read here and on the other threads, that I probably need something like a 300-500ltr capacity accumulator. Testing the shower produced a slow flow and the body jets fitted only a dribble.
Good thing seems to be that you can site them anywhere, so I could install in my basement where the mains comes in.
Am I on the right track here?
An accumulator won't help with low static pressure, it'll just help to reduce pressure drop when running. (Dynamic pressure)
An accumulator with a pump (or an all in one solution) is probably what you need to push the water upstairs.
An accumulator with a pump (or an all in one solution) is probably what you need to push the water upstairs.
Thanks Buzzark,
If installing a pump is going to be the best option, is an accumulator the best/ most cost effective thing to go with it or would a bog standard potable water storage tank do the job?
The guy from the water company has just been. He reckons that the water in the main outside my boundary is probably 3.0 bar, and the flow rate around 80 ltr/m.
He suggests that the lead piping to my property may be restricting the flow.
I'm not sure what effect this has on pressure. I assume the pressure remains the same or am I wrong?
If the pressure could be 3 bar on entry, then I assume this will only be reduced by the height of the delivery points. So my second floor bathroom fed by the combi boiler should still get pressure at around 2 bar.
Again, am I on the right track here?
If the evidence shows that the water is only trickling out of the body jets in my new shower room, where has the pressure gone?
My main concern is finding the RIGHT solution so I don't waste time and money on the wrong one.
I have space in the basement for, maybe, a couple of medium size tanks and a pump or two. Anywhere else is not really an option as the new bathroom is in the attic space and there is no additional space there without sticking a tank outside on the roof!
Any feedback is much appreciated.
Thanks again
I just looked on a website that had a demo animation of an accumulator in action using various scenarios.
One showed a low pressure mains being supplemented by an accumulator with a charger pump attached.
It looked like this built up pressure in the accumulator to a much higher level, ready to deliver to outlets on demand until exhausted.
http://waterpressuresolutions.com/flowboost-animation.php
On about the 5th or 6th page of animation we get....
Quote:
"Mains water at say 1.0 bar passes through a double check valve then through a PRV in the inline kit. This PRV prevents any spiking of the mains pressure above 3 bar. On demand the charger's on board controller unit will start to receive low pressure water from the mains and pumpwater at a trickle rate and with low power consumption into the Mainsboost vessels at a rate of no more than 12 lpm.
As the vessels fill, the dynamic pressure is low. It gently increases on the pressure guage until equilibrium is reached with the compressed gas. The needle settles at the set point of the controller - typically 3 bar- the pump stops. Water is now loaded and locked, under pressure, ready for use."
Also...
Quote:
"The stored volume is immediately used when shower heads are turned on. Substantial flow rates are delivered to the terminal heads. The Charger pump is inactive at present because the differential phase of the control program has not allowed the pump to cut in."
There is some more but it's less relevant, regarding the charger kicking back in when store is reduced.
Thislooks like a good solution for me but I expect that it will be VERY expensive and from what I can find on the net, there are no installers local to west yorkshire!
Any ideas?
One showed a low pressure mains being supplemented by an accumulator with a charger pump attached.
It looked like this built up pressure in the accumulator to a much higher level, ready to deliver to outlets on demand until exhausted.
http://waterpressuresolutions.com/flowboost-animation.php
On about the 5th or 6th page of animation we get....
Quote:
"Mains water at say 1.0 bar passes through a double check valve then through a PRV in the inline kit. This PRV prevents any spiking of the mains pressure above 3 bar. On demand the charger's on board controller unit will start to receive low pressure water from the mains and pumpwater at a trickle rate and with low power consumption into the Mainsboost vessels at a rate of no more than 12 lpm.
As the vessels fill, the dynamic pressure is low. It gently increases on the pressure guage until equilibrium is reached with the compressed gas. The needle settles at the set point of the controller - typically 3 bar- the pump stops. Water is now loaded and locked, under pressure, ready for use."
Also...
Quote:
"The stored volume is immediately used when shower heads are turned on. Substantial flow rates are delivered to the terminal heads. The Charger pump is inactive at present because the differential phase of the control program has not allowed the pump to cut in."
There is some more but it's less relevant, regarding the charger kicking back in when store is reduced.
Thislooks like a good solution for me but I expect that it will be VERY expensive and from what I can find on the net, there are no installers local to west yorkshire!
Any ideas?
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