Shower water pressure problem

[NT]

If you want more heat supplied to the water so that you can support greater flow rate, a drain heat exchnager may be worth a look:

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Drain_Heat_Exchanger

That wont fix your flow prob of course, but it will enable you to implement a nicer solution, whatever that is.


NT

 

[Penners]

A worthy idea, NT, thank you. But not one that's going to solve my old dad's problem!

 

[wobs]

If you want more heat supplied to the water so that you can support greater flow rate, a drain heat exchnager may be worth a look:

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Drain_Heat_Exchanger

NT

It may one day be available on the market:
http://www.aki.co.uk/page/innovation
http://www.pera.com/website/clientsandcasestudies/creatingnewproductideas/domesticwastewaterheatrecoverydevice.aspx

 

[skier-hughes]

I bet it's cold!

Hang on - how can a burn be cold? :?

Ice burn?

 

[geoff]

You can't fit a pump to an electric heated shower to improve it - they have a pressure control which is controlled by the thermostat to alter the flow to maintain the temperature; this is also linked to cutouts and restrictors to avoid under/over pressure and over temperature.

You may have noticed that the flow is better in the summer than the winter, because the heater heats the water more easily as it is a higher temperature and so the flow is greater - in winter it tries to restrict the flow to ensure the temperature is the same.

If the pressure gets too low (from mains pressure dropping because someone turns something else on), or if the temperature increases too much because of a lower flow, it cuts out the heating but there is a brief moment when the heat stored in the element heats the water still in the heater - hence the brief very hot then long cold blast of water.

You're stuck with it unless you replace the whole shower it with a proper pumped hot and cold system from cylinder and header tank (or a combi or heat store system). Anyway, I'm pretty certain it's illegal to fit a pump into the mains feed. Fitting a pump from a feed from a tank would not give a better shower as such (except for the prevention of the hot and cold blast) but might cause problems as the pressure produced by the pump could be too high for the unit. No pump would probably mean too little pressure unless the tank is really high up (see previous posts).

 

[Penners]

Well, many thanbks to everyone for your thoughts and ideas. I do appreciate them.

I think I'll have to have a detailed look at the plumbing layout in the house and see if I can see a solution, based on your comments. If not, then ultimately I suppose I might even have to run a separate mains feed from directly after the rising main, although this will be a lot of work.

As a PS - are there any mains pressure standards that apply throughout the country? Can one rely on one's mains water being above a certain minimum pressure?

 

[Johneds]

David, a simple solution might be to install a dedicated supply tank but rather than trying to match pumps with showers etc. - and all the safety switching that might go with that - just fit a new shower which has it's own integral pump. One that comes to mind is the Mira Elite ST. We fitted several of these into a flats conversion project last year and the tank head was only about 2 or 3 feet but the showers worked faultlessly - and they were very impressive.

 

[Penners]

Many thanks, John. I suppose the supply from the header tank is essential - I couldn't connect that shower direct to the mains?

Assuming the header supply is essential, then I think yours may still be the cheapest solution (despite nearly £300 for the shower!). An independent mains supply would involve huge disruption.

 

[charlie-ia]

whats wrong with having a bath? i hate showers. so much draught between the raindrops. not much help. but ive said it now.

 

[Penners]

At the ages of 90 and 93, me ol' mum and dad are finding it increasingly difficult to get into and out of the bath, even with a bath-lift. So the shower is the obvious answer.

Personally, I hate baths. Lying there perspiring in the water that you've just washed in doesn't appeal at all. Give me a refreshing shower any day.

 

[charlie-ia]

Ah yes. you wouldnt want them going wrinkly now would you. :wink:

you cant soak the ingrained muck away in the shower.
and i believe you dont sweat much in a bath as the heat transfer is 25x faster in water than air, so the action of blood in the capillaries is adequate up to a certain level.
i could be very wrong. wonder how you'd prove it? your face would sweat, but thats exposed to the air.

 

[Penners]

Ah yes. you wouldnt want them going wrinkly now would you.

I'm afraid that any attempt at wrinkle avoidance may be a bit late.