Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

How to boost shower water pressure

10 replies

stonecircle · 17/02/2015 22:33

Is it possible - or is it dependent on the pressure of the water coming into the house? We don't have great water pressure, although water board say it's fine. We have an electric shower which is ok but I'd love something more powerful. Anyone know how this could be achieved?

OP posts:
wowfudge · 17/02/2015 22:35

I think you would need to install a pump, but it depends on your system.

Cottonmouth · 17/02/2015 22:37

We have a Megaflo pressurised hot water tank.

Fairylea · 17/02/2015 22:43

I had this discussion with a plumber recently. Apparently the water company is only legally obliged to supply 1 bar pressure which is actually very low and it can be the case that several houses are run from the same pipe so it means if next door is running a shower etc it can affect your own pressure. Our pressure is very low and it actually makes it difficult to even run an electric shower. Apparently you can have a pump put in to increase the pressure but if the existing water pressure is very low it may not be very effective.

Or that's what I was told anyway. ... I do wonder how massive hotels seem to supply powerful showers to numerous rooms in big complexes!! I want a power shower.Angry

stonecircle · 17/02/2015 23:06

It infuriates me - Thames Water tell us that, provided the flow in the cold water tap in the kitchen is OK, they can't do anything. Despite the fact that sometimes the water pressure upstairs is so low the electric shower won't work - especially on a morning in the summer when presumably everyone else on the system is having a shower before they go to work. We have a combi boiler so no hot water tank. There are 5 of us in the house all using the shower every day and it would be great to have something powerful and reliable.

We're about to redo the bathroom and I feel quite dispirited about choosing a nice new shower enclosure, tiles etc, when all I really want is a powerful shower!

OP posts:
Pinkje · 17/02/2015 23:09

Can I ask, what did they say an acceptable flow rate at your kitchen tap would be?

stonecircle · 17/02/2015 23:31

I can't remember I'm afraid. I'm away from home at the moment but will see if I can dig the info out when I get back. We even had a monitor put on the pipes outside our house to monitor what was coming in - apparently it was always acceptable ....

OP posts:
Marrou · 18/02/2015 18:51

Cottonmouth - do you mind me asking how much you paid for your Megaflow tank? We are being encouraged to go down this route by our builder.

PigletJohn · 19/02/2015 00:01

1 bar pressure is about 10 metres head, i.e. it is what you would get from a water tank 10 metres above you, and it is what you need to fill a tank 10 metres above. This is about enough even for a 3-storey house with a loft tank.

You would improve the flow (but not the pressure) by running a new, larger water pipe out to the pavement, assuming that yours is an older house with a typical half inch or 15mm supply pipe, which is very restricting. If you are one of a group of houses fed by a single small pipe you are doomed unless it is replaced by a bigger one.

You are not allowed to pump from the main (except for limited amounts) because if you are sucking from the pipe, you may prevent your neighbours getting any water at all, and you may cause dirt to be sucked into the main.

For an unvented cylinder (not tank) such as a Megaflo, you need a good incoming water flow. 20 litres per minute would do. A new water pipe is often necessary to get the best out of them.

If you have lead pipes, ask the water co to test your drinking water for lead content. There may be a subsidy to replace them, and the water co may replace its own lead pipes, if any.

Postchildrenpregranny · 19/02/2015 01:38

We were told that to have a Power shower we'd need a much bigger cold water tank in the attic . Which would have meant making the 'hole' into the attic bigger . So we didn't . Were also told we could have a pump fitted 'later' if we needed to . Now plumbers seem reluctant to fit one..
Do not be fooled by those ads for an air (?) shower head They don't make any difference
DDs (spoilt by Uni halls of residence) , both with long very thick hair, moan about our shower every time they come home.

PigletJohn · 19/02/2015 10:18

cold water tanks are made in a long, fairly narrow shape to poke through a typical loft hatch; due to their shape they are called "coffin" tanks.

However some hatches are quite small, and there may be roof timbers obstructing access.

It is worth having a look at. A carpenter can enlarge a loft hatch fairly easily, it has to be done by bridging and reinforcing the timbers around it to compensate for what is cut away.

IMO you need at least a 100 litre tank, which is about a bathfull (they are still described in gallons, so about 25 gall min).

The best flow of water is obtained from an unvented cylinder, but you will often need to run a new, larger, pipe out to the pavement to get the best out of one.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread