house with low water pressue

paraman

Im currently looking at a house with a view to buying it but the only problem with it seems to be low water pressure in the bathroom.

Its an old terraced house with the bathroom downstairs. The water in the shower seems very slow and i found a water pump installed which was located next to the water tank near the bathroom and even with this switched on, the pressure was not great.

Im looking for advice as to how i can solve this problem if i go ahead and buy the property. can anybody tell me if installing a combi boiler would make a difference or maybe get an electric shower installed.

roses

Water coming in needs to be good enough pressure in the first place in order for a combi boiler to work. Could you get a plumber around to take a look and advise?

G_M

Get the water company to test the incoming pressure. There is a recommended pressure. If it is belor this, the water company has to fix. If it meets this, then the problem lies within the property (eg partly-blocked/leaking pipe; jammed stopcock etc)

hotpot1000

In practice the water company will not care as long as you have a water supply, I went thru this last year with other neighbours, no heating in the january snow we had coz not enough water pressure -pipe was blocked in a garden 5 houses away & united utilities refused to help.
If you're on a common supply then you may be as well paying for your own supply, our flow has increased to better than it ever was, cost almost 2K in terraced house.

Hoof_Hearted

Talk to a plumber. There is a thing called an accumulator that stores incoming water and then pressurises it using a diaphragm. This is a way of getting around low pressure but you would need space to store the tank (bigger than a hot water cylinder), probably in the loft, and you would need to make sure it can take the weight.

MX5huggy

What was the water pressure at the kitchen tap like? If its good then a combi may be an option.

FabuLass

Sorry I can't help you Paraman, but while there's people here with knowledge on this subject, do you mind if I ask a question too?

I live in a tenement building, I have no hot water because the pressure in my kitchen tap is very weak, and not enough to spark up my boiler (which we had tested in case it was at fault) The pressure in my bathroom is fine though! My neighbours both above and below me have good water pressure, it only seems to be me affected. The water board came out and tested the pressure in the street and said it was coming out like a geyser.

So I don't have a clue who to speak to next to resolve this, it's terrible having no running hot water ( it's been about 3 years now)....we have a good electric shower, a dishwasher and great washing machine meaning at least these appliances heat the water to do the necessary jobs. Can anyone point me in the right direction please?

(also, its not a combi boiler as we have no central heating)

paraman

water pressure seemed ok in the kitchen and bathroom taps, just seemed to be the shower that is the problem

sonastin

FeeFeeDee wrote: »

Sorry I can't help you Paraman, but while there's people here with knowledge on this subject, do you mind if I ask a question too?

I live in a tenement building, I have no hot water because the pressure in my kitchen tap is very weak, and not enough to spark up my boiler (which we had tested in case it was at fault) The pressure in my bathroom is fine though! My neighbours both above and below me have good water pressure, it only seems to be me affected. The water board came out and tested the pressure in the street and said it was coming out like a geyser.

So I don't have a clue who to speak to next to resolve this, it's terrible having no running hot water ( it's been about 3 years now)....we have a good electric shower, a dishwasher and great washing machine meaning at least these appliances heat the water to do the necessary jobs. Can anyone point me in the right direction please?

(also, its not a combi boiler as we have no central heating)

I suggest you get a plumber to come and have a look at it. If all the outlets in the property bar your kitchen tap have good pressure then the chances are it is some sort of blockage in the pipe feeding the tap. If you aren't confident/competant enough to look for it yourself, it should be a pretty straightforward task for a plumber.

lincroft1710

paraman - the shower may have limescale deposits which prevent the water flowing normally. Something as simple as a new shower head may cure this. No doubt you've already tried adjusting the flow at the head.

Or the shower unit could be knackered or there could be a fault with the way it was plumbed in.

nearlynew

Bear in mind that connecting a pump to your water supply after it has entered your house is against water by-laws and can get you into all sorts of bother.

So if you do call out the water company make sure you disconnect it first.