Low water pressure. Non-standard boiler.

[KenLM]

Hey folks,

I’m moving into a 2 storey house built in 1970s, and water pressure upstairs is really bad.

The current system: cold water supplied from mains, good pressure. Cold water is stored in a tank in the attic. Downstairs there’s a boiler, however it’s the first time I see one like that. The way it works is there’s hot water supplied by a communal system from outside the building, for a fixed monthly fee. It’s used in radiators for heating. It is also used to heat up my cold water from the tank upstairs. The boiler has a cold water inlet, an outlet, and two pipes on the side where the communal hot water circulates to heat up the water. The water gets really really hot there.

My first question is: what is this boiler system called?

And the second one: how do I improve water pressure upstairs without using noisy pumps?

One plumber mentioned that I could replace the old boiler with a new unvented one (hence why I need a name for this heating system so I can look up the cost of a new unvented cylinder). This would then use mains pressure for hot water. He also mentioned this would eliminate the need for the water tank upstairs as everything could be fed by the mains pressure. Does it all sound right? Do I need to measure the mains pressure to make sure it’s enough for upstairs bathroom? Would unvented cylinder be safe given the water from the communal supply is really hot?

Thanks I’m advance

 

[snowhead]

They're called Heat Stations , Heat Interface units, or similar;

Products | Danfoss

We offer a wide range of products that meet the growing need for infrastructure, food supply, energy efficiency and climate-friendly solutions.

www.danfoss.com

 

[Alan Wright]

You could simply boost the pressure at the hot water cylinder to solve the low water pressure upstairs. The pumps are not noisy, no changes in your existing pipework, cut out a short section of existing pipes and 10 minutes to fit, no electrician. Works for gravity systems, fully pressurised systems, any system.
If you want specific advice and you want to send a sketch and details via my website then I am happy to give you one to one advice.

https://showerpowerbooster.co.uk/blog/getting-more-boost-out-of-a-gravity-shower-with-a-shower-power-booster/

 

[centralheatking]

Basically its a heat exchange unit taking heat from the 'street' hot water circuit generated centrally and your side of this system uses it in two ways
1. Domestic Heating. 2. Domestic Hot Water.
Your description of the set up suggests to me that you need to carefully consider modifications ...reasons...usually this type of property is a leasehold and you really need to check your lease conditions and the terms of your hot water supply contract as there might well be conditions regarding modifications. Check
Out of interest do you just pay a fixed monthly amount regardless of
the energy used or is there a meter somewhere which examines your usage...
This type of set up is really very good, often economical and safe in that there is no gas to each property so nobody can blow up their neighbours. Put pay attention to the community committee as they
can stop greedy freeholders overcharging
centralheatking
I cannot see Alan Wrights pump offending anything I have mentioned above , he will happily go over it with you ...he knows his stuff