Shower/boiler plumber type question,

[V8ian]

I have just moved into an old house with a combi boiler, works great, but I want to put in a shower upstairs, unfortunately the water pressure does not seem to be enough to give a nice powerful shower that I like, Thoughts have now moved along the line of fitting a secondary pump, but it has just dawned on me fitting the pump may draw the water thru the matrix too fast and I would lose hot water, any suggestions, I dont want to have to take the house apart to run a power shower electrical feed. although its not a major problem to wire, its all the carpets and other stuff that has to be done.

[dalmarshall]

Most pumps are gravity fed so not compatible with mains pressure systems. You can get pumped electric showers which will require a 10mm cable on an independant circuit.

[marky4]

fitting a secondary pump is not the answer m8 won't work very well and you would need a pump for mains pressure which most are not.

Electric showers are crap so no point going down that route.

 

Is the water pressure low on both hot and cold or just hot??? if just hot then its the boiler either scaled up or not big enough output to heat water at a good flow rate for that you need 30kw or biggger output boiler.

 

If water pressure is not good coming into the house (check cold on kitchen sink tap) then its your water main that might need replacing your local water board should be able to tell you for free the pressure and flow rate you have at your out side stop cock if thats good then you need to look at replacing your in coming mains.

 

hope this is of some help.

[V8ian]

Boiler is 24kw so its deffo on the small side, at the moment the option of fitting a larger boiler is not there,

[marky4]

even a 24kw boiler will give a better shower than an eletric one as long as you put a shower designed to work off a combi Aqualisa do some really good showers for combi's

[V8ian]

Well theres something I did not know, specific combi boiler shower units, I will have a look, cheers,

Hot water pressure is variable, the bath takes ages to fill with the tap on fully open, but the sink next to it fills very quickly with the tap gushing, I will have the bath panel off later and see if there is a stop/check valve under there choking the flow, or its been done deliberately so you get a hot bath.

[marky4]

normally showers, basin, sinks etc. are fine off combi's but baths not mainly because the supply pipes to bath taps is 22mm pipe but the water feed into and out of the boiler is 15mm (its abit like squeezing a hose pipe when its on smaller hole in outlet more pressure).

You might find that the bath taps are low pressure taps rather than high pressure taps makes quite a difference