Low Flow/Pressure

[hshah]

Hshah, where did the taps come from? Did u buy them or did the builder?

We bought them. The kitchen one is a Franke Kubus FilterFlow:
Franke FilterFlow Taps Kubus Hand spray SilkSteel

Trying to find the receipts for the other ones and the showers so I can tell you which ones they are. I do know they are all decent named brands.

 

[hshah]

These are what they are:

The only exception is the utility room tap which is a random one from Wickes.

 

[BLOD]

2 bar standing pressure at garden tap ? how many floors has the house got ? did you measure the dynamic pressure ?

 

[jase158]

https://www.ukbathroomstore.co.uk/phoenix-vp065-round-thermostatic-bar-valve-and-rigid-riser
En suite shower should be fine- suitable for low pressure, minimum of 0.5 bar?

 

[jase158]

Phoenix Square Stainless Steel Thermostatic Shower Column - SC002

This one requires 2 bar minimum pressure?

 

[jase158]

The rest are all low pressure showers so should work ok?

 

[hshah]

The rest are all low pressure showers so should work ok?

The issue is with all the showers and taps... as soon as another outlet is turned on the flow drops significantly.

 

[hshah]

Phoenix Square Stainless Steel Thermostatic Shower Column - SC002

This one requires 2 bar minimum pressure?

Wasn't the pressure coming up to the taps 2 bar? Obviously it will drop a little since its upstairs and would explain why that shower is weaker than the rest, but doesn't explain the flow issue we have.

 

[hshah]

2 bar standing pressure at garden tap ? how many floors has the house got ? did you measure the dynamic pressure ?

Dynamic pressure question is for jase, but I can answer the floors one... 3 floors including ground floor (one shower on ground, two on first and one on second).

 

[Ermintrude]

Ok. Pipe work right sizes? Have u checked that pipe isn't inserted too far into a tee? Or cheap ISO fitted?

Had one where branch on tee obstructed 95% of main pipe.

Not piped in 10mm is it? Sounds very much like an obstruction. 25mm mdpe restricted? Pebble?

Fit a tee on mdpe. Measure flow rate and dynamic pressure.

 

[hshah]

Ok. Pipe work right sizes? Have u checked that pipe isn't inserted too far into a tee? Or cheap ISO fitted?

Had one where branch on tee obstructed 95% of main pipe.

Not piped in 10mm is it? Sounds very much like an obstruction. 25mm mdpe restricted? Pebble?

Fit a tee on mdpe. Measure flow rate and dynamic pressure.

I will leave it to jase to answer the "technical" questions, but for my benefit, would a blockage really result in what we are experiencing? We know we are getting 18l/min after the water softener and to the taps... just went multiple taps are on the flow drops to about 4l/min.

 

[Ermintrude]

Yes . Very much so.

 

[Toxic Ted]

Sounds to me like a restriction in there somewhere. I've had foreign objects in the pipework before from a pebble to marbles (disgruntled builder), but when this is the case you normally get a spurt of decent pressure followed almost instantly by the drop.

 

[hshah]

Sounds to me like a restriction in there somewhere. I've had foreign objects in the pipework before from a pebble to marbles (disgruntled builder), but when this is the case you normally get a spurt of decent pressure followed almost instantly by the drop.

I think the pressure/low is consistent when an outlet is turned on, until another one is turned on.

How would one go about confirming there is a blockage, locating it and then clearing it?

 

[Ch4 plumbing]

I would look back to post #26 Jase, if the water board are to be believed at the meter you have 24ltr a min and at the stop tap as the new main enters the house you have 18ltrs a min! How longs the new water main? Your losing upto 6ltrs a min just their!

 

[hshah]

I would look back to post #26 Jase, if the water board are to be believed at the meter you have 24ltr a min and at the stop tap as the new main enters the house you have 18ltrs a min! How longs the new water main? Your losing upto 6ltrs a min just their!

It is about 15m of the blue pipe, which is going straight from the water meter to the stopcock.

 

[Ch4 plumbing]

Could even be a possible fault with the nrv in the meter.

 

[hshah]

Could even be a possible fault with the nrv in the meter.

The Affinity Water guy who came to check everything a while back said all that was fine. His conclusion was that our builder had kinked the pipe, but he only checked the mains, meter and the water tap in the back garden.

 

[Ch4 plumbing]

That's a fair assumption, the other question I'd ask is did the builder flush the main thoroughly before connecting onto the new system within the house?

 

[Chalked]

You could search for the 6 litres for ever. You currently have with no restrictions 24lpm. Even that is poor for a property your size.
To make things work well the system should have been designed to give EACH bathroom between 20-30lpm.

 

[hshah]

That's a fair assumption, the other question I'd ask is did the builder flush the main thoroughly before connecting onto the new system within the house?

That we don't know. The whole property was redone so a lot of the time he was with his team just doing their thing.

I just phoned my father who also confirmed that the pipe is more or less straight from the water main to the stopcock. The only time it bends is in the utility room, to connect to the copper pipe / stopcock.


Apologies for sounding dense, but I still can't get my head around how/why if we are getting 18l/min into the property, two taps cannot be on at the same time providing 8l/min each?

 

[Ch4 plumbing]

It should have been checked first then a system designed to what flow/pressure was available or achievable. It's kind of past that stage now though?

 

[hshah]

You could search for the 6 litres for ever. You currently have with no restrictions 24lpm. Even that is poor for a property your size.
To make things work well the system should have been designed to give EACH bathroom between 20-30lpm.

Whilst all that is true, at the moment we have 3 people living there. At most two bathrooms are being used at the same time so we could get away with the 24l/min we are expecting. In a few years time when we may have more people living there we can invest in a break tank and pump.

 

[hshah]

It should have been checked first then a system designed to what flow/pressure was available or achievable. It's kind of past that stage now though?

Very much so. Thanks to you guys I know now what should have been done and will bear that in mind for next time (I hope there isn't a next time though as this house was a pain). However, the question is what do we do now.

 

[Ch4 plumbing]

Very much so. Thanks to you guys I know now what should have been done and will bear that in mind for next time (I hope there isn't a next time though as this house was a pain). However, the question is what do we do now.

I wasn't digging mate it was just a reply to an earlier post.