Any Plumbers out there ? Need help!

mr_eddy

Ok so my house has low water pressure, The water company came out and confirmed that the pressure both in the street and at my house was only just within the min requirements, flow rate is about 5.5 liters per minute. They are replacing a old valve in the street but they said that because I was sharing with 4 other houses and at the end of the line the likelyhood is my pressure woes will continue.

Being a pessimist I am assuming the new valve they fit in the street won't fix anything and I will need to pay for a fix.

The issue is that my electric shower needs a min pressure and my current system just can't do it - Sometimes it works for a few mins but then goes into cold only mode suggesting its only just below min - This is the case no matter what the time of day. Apparently my shower requires 2 bar to operate (electric shower NOT power shower)

To that end I am thinking of fitting a Salamander Home Boost to my mains water pipe or near my boiler (Duo-Tech Combi)

Any plumbers out there would the Home Boost be the best solution ?

I don't want take tiles off or lay lots of new pipe etc so I need something simple that can be installed with minimal fuss in less than a couple of hours ideally.

Thoughts ?

davesnothere

I'd be looking into a new single supply to your property. Is that a possibility?

Four way split (which is not unusual for older properties TBH) of a small diameter main will always be an issue

Do you know how many bar the main in the street runs at?

Ben6899

Is the Salamander Home Boost a bona fide pump or some half measure? If you have space (next to the boiler or water tank in the airing cupboard?), then I'd install a proper pump.

We have a mixer tap / shower combo and - owing to the pump we have - it's without doubt the best shower I have ever had the pleasure of standing under.

bbrap

DavesNotHere wrote:

I'd be looking into a new single supply to your property. Is that a possibility?

Four way split (which is not unusual for older properties TBH) of a small diameter main will always be an issue

Do you know how many bar the main in the street runs at?

Obviously the best solution if the main is running at adequate pressure. However the price quoted by the water companies to run a larger bore feed will be in the thousands (mate had a quote to connect to mains when the aquifer he used dried up). I have a system on my boat which delivers water at 3 bar and that is only running on 12v so a mains based system should do the job.
The £260 ish the pump will cost will be the cheapest option. The Salamander and the Stuart Turner are both marketed as mains boosters but any demand pump with a pressure regulator should do the job.

mr_eddy

Ok thanks for the info - I will dig around then and look at Demand Pump's

Will wait to see what the water company does first with the mains pipe in the street.

Ta.

rjsterry

Water pressure gives an idea of how far up the building the water will get, hence one measure of pressure being "head" in metres. A booster pump will help with low pressure, but not with the flow. If that is as low as 5.5l/min, then I'm not sure a pump will solve the problem. The only way to deal with low flow (aside from mains upgrade) is storage - a tank from which to pump. These were traditionally in the loft, but if you are pumping anyway (for improved pressure) then they can go anywhere.

capt_slog

I had a problem with water pressure when I moved into previous house.

It turned out that the water company had relined the pipes around 6 months before and this was done by depositing a skin of cement (alumina?) on the inner surface of the main. The water was then put back into the pipe and the householders were told to run the water which removed the bit of cement which covered the outlet of the mains to the property, this had to be done before the cement fully set. The problem was, our house was empty at that time, and remained so for the 6 months until i moved in, so the cement formed an almost solid plug and I got just a trickle of water.

They had to dig up the street and wallop the joint whilst the water was running, and this dislodged the blockage.

They managed to go through the gas main whilst they were digging, something which pleased my new neighbours no end.

mr_eddy

Ok so in addition to the pump I may also need a tank ? Transpires that the 5.5lp/min maybe a false reading. Turns out my kitchen tap has some sort of filter on it restricting flow. I did the similar test on the bath tap upstairs and I am getting around 10l per minute maybe with decent pressure that would be enough ?

GlenMilton

You should remove the shower head from the shower arm then turn on the water and see how the pressure is coming out. If the pressure is high, it’s due to your shower head. Also, there's a possibility that the booster pump which feeds the tank is failing, and is barely filling the tank in a timely manner. If the pump is running continuously, then this is something to look into as well. Otherwise, you should consult with a professional plumber not an unexperienced one, who can easily tackle this situation.

surrey_commuter

Ben6899 wrote:

Is the Salamander Home Boost a bona fide pump or some half measure? If you have space (next to the boiler or water tank in the airing cupboard?), then I'd install a proper pump.

We have a mixer tap / shower combo and - owing to the pump we have - it's without doubt the best shower I have ever had the pleasure of standing under.

I lived in a house with one of these upstairs in the airing cupboard. It used to sound like a washing machine running at full tilt. If you go down this route make sure they put it on a solid slab.

veronese68

Would hope he's resolved this over the last 11 months.

capt_slog

Supposing he's still in need of a shower!! :shock:

keef66

My dad was complaining about the water pressure in his council house for years. When they finally got the technology to inspect the insides of the main without ripping up the road they found an intact jamjar in there just about blocking it completely.

Ben6899

keef66 wrote:

My dad was complaining about the water pressure in his council house for years. When they finally got the technology to inspect the insides of the main without ripping up the road they found an intact jamjar in there just about blocking it completely.

Just jammed in there, eh?

ballysmate

Ben6899 wrote:

keef66 wrote:

My dad was complaining about the water pressure in his council house for years. When they finally got the technology to inspect the insides of the main without ripping up the road they found an intact jamjar in there just about blocking it completely.

Just jammed in there, eh?

Preserving the blockage

capt_slog

Ballysmate wrote:

Ben6899 wrote:

keef66 wrote:

My dad was complaining about the water pressure in his council house for years. When they finally got the technology to inspect the insides of the main without ripping up the road they found an intact jamjar in there just about blocking it completely.

Just jammed in there, eh?

Preserving the blockage

Conserving water.