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

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

"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


OP said ok pressure at the bathroom sink, but he has six heads minimum
running in the shower. We have 120psi (I know I need to get it down to
around 60psi) and don't think I'll be happy with the flow rate or pressure
with just three heads on at the same time. Wonder how big the hot water tank
should be to keep up with the flow rate for a six head shower. Something his
plumber should have worked out.

Frank 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


OP said ok pressure at the bathroom sink, but he has six heads minimum
running in the shower. We have 120psi (I know I need to get it down to
around 60psi) and don't think I'll be happy with the flow rate or pressure
with just three heads on at the same time. Wonder how big the hot water tank
should be to keep up with the flow rate for a six head shower. Something his
plumber should have worked out.




It does sound like a lot of flow. The only solution may be a booster
pump, and a separate HWH on the 2nd floor for the bathroom. Alternately
one could try boosting the pressure to the whole house, ASSuming that it
doesn't go too much over 60-70 PSI. I think the OP should measure his
system pressure before making any decisions.

nate

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

Shame! The national goal is to use LESS water and here you are with body
sprays, hand-held, mist generators, and babbling brook imitators!

What will people say? Think of the poor children in Africa with no water at
all!

"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.

" Frank" x wrote in message
news

"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


OP said ok pressure at the bathroom sink, but he has six heads minimum
running in the shower. We have 120psi (I know I need to get it down to
around 60psi) and don't think I'll be happy with the flow rate or pressure
with just three heads on at the same time. Wonder how big the hot water
tank should be to keep up with the flow rate for a six head shower.
Something his plumber should have worked out.



Not sure I understand how the heater tank size would affect pressure or
flow. But anyway, I have a 50 gal tank.

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

"mark" wrote in message
...
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
I have a pressure pump and tank. It is about 300 feet from the meter to my
home. The water supplier will not provide larger than a ¾" meter to anything
other than commercial with a hefty monthly charge.
To reduce pressure drop I installed 1-1/4" from the meter to the home.
Inside, I installed a check valve, then a pressure pump and storage tank.
The set-up is quite similar to that for a well. I have a switch in the
master bathroom closet which controls the pump. The pump is not required
24/7 but only when shower, washing machine, dishwasher operates at about the
same time. It is also energized when we have guests upstairs so there is no
pressure drop with multiple shower and toilet use.
The pump, tank, and check valve were purchased at Lowe's and installed by
myself. I recently replaced the tank as the original, installed 14 years
ago, sprung a leak.
The check valve is important as you don't want to pressurize the supplier's
water system.

{Snip}

....... Inside, I
installed a check valve, then a pressure pump and storage tank. The
set-up is quite similar to that for a well. I have a switch in the
master bathroom closet which controls the pump.
....... The pump,
tank, and check valve were purchased at Lowe's and installed by myself.
I recently replaced the tank as the original, installed 14 years ago,
sprung a leak.


May I ask the size of the tank you recently installed?

You setup sounds practical. Others have commented on the practical
aspect of six shower heads being used by the original OP's question on
water volume flow.

Maybe a plumber out there can answer my question: what size of pipe would
be needed to supply 6 shower heads with the water volume flow rate at
nominal water pressure? 1 inch or 1-1/2 inch water pipe from the booster
pump to the bathroom?

"Phil Again" wrote in message
m...
{Snip}

....... Inside, I
installed a check valve, then a pressure pump and storage tank. The
set-up is quite similar to that for a well. I have a switch in the
master bathroom closet which controls the pump.
....... The pump,
tank, and check valve were purchased at Lowe's and installed by myself.
I recently replaced the tank as the original, installed 14 years ago,
sprung a leak.


May I ask the size of the tank you recently installed?

You setup sounds practical. Others have commented on the practical
aspect of six shower heads being used by the original OP's question on
water volume flow.

Maybe a plumber out there can answer my question: what size of pipe would
be needed to supply 6 shower heads with the water volume flow rate at
nominal water pressure? 1 inch or 1-1/2 inch water pipe from the booster
pump to the bathroom?


The original tank was 120 gallon and the replacement is a Flotec 82 gallon.
With 6 shower heads you probably would need a larger tank in order to
maintain pressure. Flotec tanks are available in sizes of 82, 120, 220,and
320 gallon. There are other manufacturers with various sizes available.

On Tue, 2 Sep 2008 04:52:21 -0500, "Twice Retired"
wrote Re Low water pressu

I have a pressure pump and tank. It is about 300 feet from the meter to my
home. The water supplier will not provide larger than a ¾" meter to anything
other than commercial with a hefty monthly charge.
To reduce pressure drop I installed 1-1/4" from the meter to the home.
Inside, I installed a check valve, then a pressure pump and storage tank.
The set-up is quite similar to that for a well. I have a switch in the
master bathroom closet which controls the pump. The pump is not required
24/7 but only when shower, washing machine, dishwasher operates at about the
same time. It is also energized when we have guests upstairs so there is no
pressure drop with multiple shower and toilet use.
The pump, tank, and check valve were purchased at Lowe's and installed by
myself. I recently replaced the tank as the original, installed 14 years
ago, sprung a leak.
The check valve is important as you don't want to pressurize the supplier's
water system.

Can a shallow well 1/2 HP jet pump with a small pressure tank and
check valve be used for an application like this?

"Caesar Romano" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 2 Sep 2008 04:52:21 -0500, "Twice Retired"
wrote Re Low water pressu

I have a pressure pump and tank. It is about 300 feet from the meter to my
home. The water supplier will not provide larger than a ¾" meter to
anything
other than commercial with a hefty monthly charge.
To reduce pressure drop I installed 1-1/4" from the meter to the home.
Inside, I installed a check valve, then a pressure pump and storage tank.
The set-up is quite similar to that for a well. I have a switch in the
master bathroom closet which controls the pump. The pump is not required
24/7 but only when shower, washing machine, dishwasher operates at about
the
same time. It is also energized when we have guests upstairs so there is
no
pressure drop with multiple shower and toilet use.
The pump, tank, and check valve were purchased at Lowe's and installed by
myself. I recently replaced the tank as the original, installed 14 years
ago, sprung a leak.
The check valve is important as you don't want to pressurize the
supplier's
water system.

Can a shallow well 1/2 HP jet pump with a small pressure tank and
check valve be used for an application like this?

It should work just fine except pump will cycle more often due to small
tank.

On Sep 2, 3:51*am, "Twice Retired" wrote:
"Phil Again" wrote in message

m...





{Snip}

....... Inside, I
installed a check valve, then a pressure pump and storage tank. The
set-up is quite similar to that for a well. I have a switch in the
master bathroom closet which controls the pump.
....... The pump,
tank, and check valve were purchased at Lowe's and installed by myself..
I recently replaced the tank as the original, installed 14 years ago,
sprung a leak.

May I ask the size of the tank you recently installed?

You setup sounds practical. *Others have commented on the practical
aspect of six shower heads being used by the original OP's question on
water volume flow.

Maybe a plumber out there can answer my question: what size of pipe would
be needed to supply 6 shower heads with the water volume flow rate at
nominal water pressure? 1 inch or 1-1/2 inch water pipe from the booster
pump to the bathroom?

The original tank was 120 gallon and the replacement is a Flotec 82 gallon.