I'm fed up with the slow delivery of water from various taps, so I'm
considering what I can do about it. I guess I have two options:

[1] Fit a dual shower pump
[2] Feed cold and the HW cylinder from the mains

I have a conventional boiler with a CW tank in the loft. I've already
lifted the tank by about 1 metre, but being a bungalow, even the
kitchen has low pressure.

--
Nigel M

On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 13:09:58 +0000, Nigel Molesworth
wrote:

I'm fed up with the slow delivery of water from various taps, so I'm
considering what I can do about it. I guess I have two options:

[1] Fit a dual shower pump

If you go for a decent large 3 bar one like a Stuart Turner, this
could feed all the taps if you wanted.


[2] Feed cold and the HW cylinder from the mains

I have a conventional boiler with a CW tank in the loft. I've already
lifted the tank by about 1 metre, but being a bungalow, even the
kitchen has low pressure.

You would have to replace the cylinder. Open vented ones are not
rated for mains pressure and you have to have a number of safety
devices around them as well. Options a

- Replace cylinder with pressurised type. This is not a DIY job and
has to be done by a plumber qualified to do so (Building Regulations).

- Replace cylinder with a heat bank. e.g. DPS one. These have the
large store of water in the cylinder on an open vented basis with a
small header tank built into the top. This water is heated by the
boiler to 75-80 degrees. There is a plate heat exchanger which is
fed with water pumped from the store. Mains water goes through the
other side of the plate heat exchanger and a flow switch activates the
pump when you turn on a tap.v This could go in the loft instead of
the cold water tank.

- Combi boiler of some kind.


Before going for any of these, do make sure that the mains water flow
rate is at least 20 litres/min at the kitchen cold tap. If not, you
won't have made an improvement.

--

..andy

"Andy Hall" aka Matt wrote in message
...
On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 13:09:58 +0000, Nigel Molesworth
wrote:

I'm fed up with the slow delivery of
water from various taps, so I'm
considering what I can do about it.
I guess I have two options:

[1] Fit a dual shower pump

If you go for a decent large 3 bar one like a Stuart Turner, this
could feed all the taps if you wanted.

And spend about £400-500 on the pump alone. Duh! You can buy a condensing
combi for the same amount, just to run the shower and do the CH. The
existing boiler can be left to heat the cylinder if need be.

[2] Feed cold and the HW cylinder from the mains

I have a conventional boiler with a
CW tank in the loft. I've already
lifted the tank by about 1 metre, but
being a bungalow, even the
kitchen has low pressure.

You would have to replace the cylinder.
Open vented ones are not
rated for mains pressure and you have to have a number of safety
devices around them as well. Options a

- Replace cylinder with pressurised type. This is not a DIY job and
has to be done by a plumber qualified to do so (Building Regulations).

- Replace cylinder with a heat bank. e.g. DPS one. These have the
large store of water in the cylinder on an open vented basis with a
small header tank built into the top. This water is heated by the
boiler to 75-80 degrees. There is a plate heat exchanger which is
fed with water pumped from the store. Mains water goes through the
other side of the plate heat exchanger and a flow switch activates the
pump when you turn on a tap.v This could go in the loft instead of
the cold water tank.

- Combi boiler of some kind.

Before going for any of these, do make sure that the mains water flow
rate is at least 20 litres/min at the kitchen cold tap. If not, you
won't have made an improvement.

"Nigel Molesworth" wrote in message
...

I'm fed up with the slow delivery of
water from various taps,

What taps?

so I'm considering what I can do about it.
I guess I have two options:

[1] Fit a dual shower pump
[2] Feed cold and the HW cylinder from the mains

I have a conventional boiler with a
CW tank in the loft. I've already
lifted the tank by about 1 metre,
but being a bungalow, even the
kitchen has low pressure.

I would advise you to time and measure the mains flow using a bucket and
measure using litres per minute. If you can get the pressure too all the
better. They are rarely below 1 bar. 1 bar will give a decent shower.

There are a number of options. Assuming the mains will cope with one decent
shower:

1. A shower coil cylinder. A cylinder with a mains pressure coil in the
top which instantly heats the incoming mains water. The rest of the water is
fed from the cold tank in the loft. Look at:
http://www.rcmgroup.co.uk/mains_pres...ower/index.htm

2. An Ideal Trevi Boost venturi shower. This requires no pumps. It takes a
22mm low pressure pipe from the cylinder and a 15mm high pressure cold mains
pipe. The mains pressure has to be within the makers specs. Gives powerful
mains showers - no pumps or mains pressure thermal stores or cylinders.
Look at: http://www.trevishowers.co.uk/treviboost.asp I think they have an
exposed version too.

3. A power shower pump. A good one that is reasonably quiet (the noise is
subjective) can be well over £200 plus fittings. Stuart Turner have a good
reputation.

4. An accumulator mated to a thermal store or unvented cylinder. This is a
very expensive option but will give high pressure at all the taps and
shower.

I would look at No. 2 above, if it is only showers that is the problem.

On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 15:48:31 -0000, Doctor Drivel wrote:

What taps?

Mostly the kitchen and en-suite.

The latter has a lever tap which is probably only meant for a high
pressure system. I can't find a similar one (gold, monoblock, lever,
not modern).

The kitchen tap (Franke) was bought last month (see thread: Finished!)
as a high flow model. It is possible there may be a kink in the pipe
under the floor, but I can't get to it.

The shower isn't a problem, already got a ST Monsoon 100 pump (100ft
head) on that, it almost takes your skin off. ;-)

--
Nigel M

On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 15:40:14 -0000, Doctor Drivel wrote:

You can buy a condensing combi ...

Forgot to say, (oil) boiler replaced two months ago!

--
Nigel M

On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 15:40:14 -0000, "Doctor Drivel"
wrote:


"Andy Hall" aka Matt wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 13:09:58 +0000, Nigel Molesworth
wrote:

I'm fed up with the slow delivery of
water from various taps, so I'm
considering what I can do about it.
I guess I have two options:

[1] Fit a dual shower pump

If you go for a decent large 3 bar one like a Stuart Turner, this
could feed all the taps if you wanted.

And spend about £400-500 on the pump alone. Duh! You can buy a condensing
combi for the same amount, just to run the shower and do the CH. The
existing boiler can be left to heat the cylinder if need be.



- Combi boiler of some kind.

Before going for any of these, do make sure that the mains water flow
rate is at least 20 litres/min at the kitchen cold tap. If not, you
won't have made an improvement.


--

..andy

"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 15:40:14 -0000, "Doctor Drivel"
wrote:


"Andy Hall" aka Matt wrote in message
. ..
On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 13:09:58 +0000, Nigel Molesworth
wrote:

I'm fed up with the slow delivery of
water from various taps, so I'm
considering what I can do about it.
I guess I have two options:

[1] Fit a dual shower pump

If you go for a decent large 3 bar one like a Stuart Turner, this
could feed all the taps if you wanted.

And spend about £400-500 on the pump alone. Duh! You can buy a condensing
combi for the same amount, just to run the shower and do the CH. The
existing boiler can be left to heat the cylinder if need be.

- Combi boiler of some kind.

Before going for any of these, do make sure that the mains water flow
rate is at least 20 litres/min at the kitchen cold tap. If not, you
won't have made an improvement.

The point is that spending £500 on a pump is a silly idea if the mains are
suitable, as cheaper and better alternatives are around.

"Nigel Molesworth" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 15:48:31 -0000, Doctor Drivel wrote:

What taps?

Mostly the kitchen and en-suite.

The latter has a lever tap which is probably only meant for a high
pressure system. I can't find a similar one (gold, monoblock, lever,
not modern).

The kitchen tap (Franke) was bought last month (see thread: Finished!)
as a high flow model. It is possible there may be a kink in the pipe
under the floor, but I can't get to it.

The shower isn't a problem, already got a ST Monsoon 100 pump (100ft
head) on that, it almost takes your skin off. ;-)

--
Nigel M

Most water companies only guarantee a minimum 0.7 Bar water pressure, but as
Dr Drivel says it's rarely below 1.0 Bar. So it may be worth fitting a
pressure gauge to your incomming main to check the pressure before you
suspect a kink in an underfloor pipe.

On Thu, 29 Dec 2005 21:42:14 -0000, "Kaiser"
wrote:

| Most water companies only guarantee a minimum 0.7 Bar water pressure, but as
| Dr Drivel says it's rarely below 1.0 Bar.

Does anybody know what the maximum mains water pressure is?.
In my area the water comes down long high hill.
In flatter areas the water towers look 100ft high.
Do the water companies fit pressure reducing valves?

--
Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk Some of my Hobbies: VDU Glasses
http://tinyurl.com/c3lh, Wordlists http://tinyurl.com/c3lj, Celtic fonts
http://tinyurl.com/c3ll, Killfile&Anti Troll FAQs http://tinyurl.com/c3lo
Tyke Dialect http://tinyurl.com/c3ls Curry Project, http://tinyurl.com/1q6