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| Thread ID: 149739 | 2021-04-13 06:29:00 | Trying to increase shower pressure | barryk (8612) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 1476393 | 2021-04-13 06:29:00 | Hello Forum, I’m looking at how to increase shower pressure. How do I achieve that? I was told that one option is to purchase a pressure booster but I don’t know if that will resolve the issue or not. I was also told that getting a hot water mains cylinder might be another option but again I don’t know if this’ll work either. I have attached a photo of the existing hot water cylinder for you folks to look at and identify if it’s a cylinder capable of supplying good shower pressure. I found out that plumbing supplies firms sell pipes that take water up to the shower head. See two photos of the cylinder and the hot water pipe going up from it. I have touched the pipe with the palm of my hand and it feels hot. Information that assists with this issue would be appreciated. Sorry about the photos being oriented sideways instead of upwards. I tried to change their orientation and remove and attach uploaded files in the uploaded files area to no avail :xmouth: Cheers, Barry. |
barryk (8612) | ||
| 1476394 | 2021-04-13 06:32:00 | You can get small pumps to go on the cylinder, friend considered this for a while but then circumstances changed and she moved house. I'm on tank water so have a pump anyway. |
gary67 (56) | ||
| 1476395 | 2021-04-13 08:29:00 | Are you in an Auckland suburb or Rural? If in the city you should have mains pressure. Best ask a plumber, you could go to a plumbing supply shop and ask them. It's not a thing to be messing about with. | Bryan (147) | ||
| 1476396 | 2021-04-13 08:50:00 | i have done it. but there is some issues. you can increase the hot pressure by fitting a hot water booster pump. there is a couple different types. however one issue was that it sucked the hot water down the vent pipe and sucked air into the water line. that was fixed by adding a pressure thing on the vent pipe. however i have been told that its illegal to do that. the other issue was that the cold water supply is very high. so we installed a pressure reducer on the incoming main. this helps the hot water pressure regulator work a bit better. so hot water pressure is up a bit, cold pressure is down a lot. that made a lot of difference. keep in mind the shower mixer still needs to be an unequal pressure type. the other thing to do is look at the condition of your water heater. if its poor then you could replace it with a mains pressure one (assuming your on mains). |
tweak'e (69) | ||
| 1476397 | 2021-04-13 08:52:00 | Can't read was is printed on the cylinder, is it Hi or Lo Pressure, it ideally would say mains water pressure. Do you have a header tank? |
zqwerty (97) | ||
| 1476398 | 2021-04-13 08:58:00 | Have you considered the Ajax Valve which looks like it may be under the house? Personally, I think it might be a case of getting a reputable Plumber to look at the problem. |
B.M. (505) | ||
| 1476399 | 2021-04-13 19:21:00 | Have talked to a plumber about pretty much the same issue (low pressure hot water and high pressure cold means that in the shower especially we have the hot tap half on and the cold barely on at all - just to get a decent shower). He also suggested a booster pump for the hot water. Changing to a mains pressure cylinder 'may' cause issues if you have old hot water pipes (was his advice) - the old pipes may not handle the increase in pressure and burst / leak. We decided that we would just stay as is for the time being, until our cylinder needs replacing.... Adjusting you r Ajax valve may help, but get it done by a plumber. If it's too high then you may be releasing hot water continually out your header pipe (pipe that goes out of the cylinder through the roof and provides the hot water pressure essentially). | ManUFan (7602) | ||
| 1476400 | 2021-04-13 21:06:00 | I’m looking at how to increase shower pressure. How do I achieve that? I was told that one option is to purchase a pressure booster but I don’t know if that will resolve the issue or not. I was also told that getting a hot water mains cylinder might be another option . That's right. There are 2 options: Changing to a mains (high) pressure cylinder which is the more expensive option. Or buying a booster pump. They work really well, husband put a few in. One for a friend of ours, she was very happy with it. www.trademe.co.nz She got one of the cheaper ones too. |
piroska (17583) | ||
| 1476401 | 2021-04-15 00:58:00 | I support the idea of using a booster pump, but be aware that this may not be straightforward, and ensure you get a good plumber to do the job. Our son lives in a single storey, low pressure cylinder house with a header tank. The booster pump solution worked fine for him and is very successful. We live in a two storey house with a ground floor cylinder. The upstairs shower was very poor, and though I changed shower heads twice, and the plumber changed the mixer, there was really no improvement. We then went for the pump option (Gronfors), and initially it looked as though this was the solution. However, we ended up with a shower that either delivered completely cold water or completely, scaldingly hot. When the pump kicked in, it overwhelmed the cold water flow. The plumber came back and fixed it - he changed jets in the mixer, and also connected both hot and cold water supplies to the pump. I don't know which fixed the problem or maybe it is a combination. Two minor irritations remain. It takes a bit of hunting with the regulator to get the temperature you want because it seems to depend upon how much water is flowing through the regulator - ie whether you pull the lever all the way out or only part way. There is also quite a delay in the effect of your settings. Secondly, the plumber connected the pump to the bath, shower and handbasin taps, and we get a lot of air in the hot water supply to the handbasin, so the flow spurts instead of flows. Irritating, but outweighed by the improvements to the shower. Factor in the cost of an electrician as well, because they will have to provide a power supply for the pump. In our case there was no cost because previous owners had installed a double power outlet in the ceiling space when they installed a security system. The pump came with a long enough cord and plug for the plumber to simply plug it into the outlet and switch it on. |
John H (8) | ||
| 1476402 | 2021-04-15 03:01:00 | I covered up half the holes on the shower head. That helped alot (but is still quite weak shower pressure) Its a zero cost option :) |
1101 (13337) | ||
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