Problems with hot water pressure in the new fitted bathroom suite

Canucklehead

Hello again


Why are you without hot in the bathroom?

The hot/cold water arrangement in the cupboard, is it a single 'unit' with a steel frame ,the top half is a steel tank and the bottom is a hot water cylinder covered in foam or a box affair made of foil covered insulating foam.?

Did you try the words 'unvented cylinder' when the plumbers were there?

Corgi Guy.

Gazella77

Hi,

I should have said without pressure on hot water = hot water doesn't run.

I will have one more plumber over tonight so will ask him about unvented cylinder, thanks.

I have a big tank for cold water and a separate smaller (red, don't know if this info is important) which I believe is for hot water.

Basically the pressure is such that I go to the gym to have a shower, a real nightmare though.

Canucklehead

Hi

A red insulating jacket? with a copper cylinder underneath.

Corgi Guy.

Gazella77

Hi,

I have just checked, the red, small one is a pressuriser for the central heating system only. The tank I have is a mixed with hot and cold water (so I assume the one that you described as a box affair made of foil covered insulating foam).
One plumber has ventilated all the heaters and the tank.

The other one said also that I'd need to replace the tank and install positive and negative pumps (?what are they?)

One of my friends has had an idea to install the old electric power shower and connect it straight to the top of the shower panel? Would the pressure be enough?

And also this would be only a temporary solution I suppose.

Thanks

Canucklehead

Hi

You either have positive or negative head pumps not both .
Positive head= The shower head is lower than the water tank, the flow of water through it operates the pump.
Negative head = The shower head is higher than the water tank the pump is operated by a pressure vessel.
I think you would need the negative head pump.
If your electric shower worked before then it should work again. This PDF explains domestic hot water systems in detail... http://www.bathroom-academy.co.uk/pdf/domesticwater.pdf

Corgi Guy.

Gazella77

Hi, thanks, that's what I thought - two sounded strange.

What would you think about putting electric shower outside the bath enclosure (outside the panel) and then connecting that to top shower for the time being (will the pressure be enough? shower - Triton Sevilla KW?)

Here is the enclosure itself again
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=130145280797

BobProperty

Gazella77 wrote: »

....The tank I have is a mixed with hot and cold water.....

Does it look like this?
http://www.mcdonald-engineers.com/products/cylinders_03.htm

(sorry but best diagram I could find quick)
If so, you can not add a pump without adding a new storage tank (and almost certainly a new hot water tank). So that solution would give you a very good shower but at a price. There's like £550-£900 of parts there before you pay a plumber to actually do the work.
The electric shower route may be possible but I suspect most manufacturers would not like the idea of connecting their outlet to another shower.
The unvented cylinder option may not work if the water pressure is too low. For example, near where I live, I've just measured the water pressure for a customer and it's only 2.6-2.8 bar.

ozskin wrote: »

sorry to say this but plumbing is a relatively complex business with a fair proportion of 'proper' plumbers out there who do not know their onoins, with the obvious exceptions of the canuckleheads and bobproperties on this site who really do..

Stop it Oz, I won't be able to get my head through the door.....:rotfl:

Gazella77

Hi Bob,

Yes, that's exactly what I have and I have had one plumber talking about the similar solution and quoting £2500 for the work. But anyway, he's not available till the end of December.

I had yet another plumber through my door today and this one said that the only solution is to change a boiler (!) to a combination one and get rid of the tank completely.

He also said that he would not fit the electric shower and connect it to the enclosure but he said the same thing as you are saying about the manufacturers and also that he himself wouldn't do that as it's against the regulations. It's just my friend's invention as a temporary solution as we struggle without shower.

What do you think about the combination boiler?

BobProperty

Gazella77 wrote: »

....What do you think about the combination boiler?

That's Canucklehead's area not mine. I'm having to re-read this thread and your mains water pressure is OK isn't it? (the cold water at the taps) So either a combi boiler or an unvented cylinder should work. However, neither is a cheap solution.

Canucklehead

Hi Bob

Ha Ha ! Named that system in one. Well done.

I envisaged a larger system and was describing a forerunner of this....http://www.hartons.co.uk/boostedhotcoldunits.html#sys7

As said the water pressure and flow rate are the most important. A combi would be my second choice as it has to heat the water instantly(unless you have a very good mains.)
If you throw the above method (in the link) into the hat you now have three choices.
Only a site visit can determine which one is the best for you and finding someone to give you the necessary advice seems to be a problem for you.

Try www.iphe.org.uk ?

Good luck
Corgi Guy.