mark wrote:


"SteveBell" wrote in message
...
mark wrote:

Greetings All,
I have a new bathroom on the 2nd floor, and the shower has a low
pressure problem. The sink and toilet are ok, but obviously they
use much less water than the shower. I have city water using a 1
1/2" main line and the vertical risers are 1". Although the
shower has many fixtures, (6 body sprays, 1 rainhead, 1 fixed
head and 1 handheld), it seems as if the pressure needs to be
higher. I realize it's impractical (and overkill) to use all of
those heads at the same time, but when using just the 6 body
sprays alone, the flow isn't what it should be. The mixing valve
is rated high enough to run them all at the same time. The first
floor shower has a 3 body spray set up, along with 2 fixed heads
and the flow there is fine. I have disassembled the heads to make
sure they aren't clogged and everything checks out ok.

All of that being said, I'm thinking about installing a water
pressure booster pump. I would think just a pump alone wouldn't be
enough, isn't some sort of reservoir needed also? It seems as if
the pump would pull the water faster than the city main could
supply it. Has anyone gone through the same situation? Thanks
as always, Mark

Things to check first:
* Get a water pressure meter. Your static pressure (no water running
anywhere) should be 30 to 80 PSI. If it's lower than that, then
there's your problem. You might talk to the utility company.
* Do you have a pressure reduction valve? It might need adjustment.
If you do, it will probably be near your water meter. Look
carefully. Sometimes they just look like a screw sticking up from
the pipe. Rarely, they have a pressure gauge.

-- Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX

Meter reads 60 PSI.

Well, that's certainly enough pressure. To be thorough, you can check
it at the shower, too.

Next, check the flow if Gallons Per Minute (GPM). Time how long it
takes to fill a bucket at different faucets.

If your shower is significantly slower than other outlets upstairs,
then I would suspect some kind of blockage in the shower pipes. Maybe
some solder beads broke loose and are blocking part of the valve.

Disassemble the valves in the shower, let water flow out on the floor
for awhile, inspect and clean the valve parts, and reassemble
everything. Heck, just taking things apart and putting them back
together sometimes solve the problem.

You might also have a pinched O-ring. Sometimes they don't seat
properly during valve assembly, causing either too much or too little
flow. One in my tub gave me an *extremely* slow leak, and it took two
plumbers to fix it. I would have fixed it myself, but the builder did
it under the warranty. Besides, I got to bull**** with the second guy
and get a new referral. I wasn't there for the visit by the first guy,
but I wouldn't refer him anyway, since he said, "These valves just do
that".

--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX