Problem with hot water through new mixer taps.

[kmbrad]

Hi all.

I have just fitted some new shower mixer taps in my bathroom. I am having trouble getting hot water through them. They do get hot with fairly low pressure (ie, slightly on), but when they're maxed out they go cold.

I've turned the stopcock down slightly, if I go anymore the boiler doesn't fire up.

Any ideas? Or is it down to the boiler?

Thank you.

 

[leakylea]

you have too much pressure on the cold!
turning down the stoptap will never reduce the pressure, just the volume
If you have very high water pressure you will need to reduce it with a pressure reducing valve if you ever want the taps to work

 

[plumbnuts]

I assume that you have a combination boiler as you state that the boiler fires up when you turn the tap on. Is the cold water supply to the taps directly from the mains? What sort of tap did the new one replace?
Steve

 

[Tosh]

Depending on your boiler/hot water heating system you could have the wrong taps on the wrong supply.

If you have High pressure taps on a gravity fed system you will get exactly what you've got, slow running hot.

Check out the installation instructions on the taps and see what min working pressure they require. Low pressure taps should require a min working pressure of 0.1-0.5 bar.

If they are high pressure taps tht require a pumped system e.g a combi boiler the working pressure is 0.9-1.5 bar or higher.

good luck and let us know how you get on.

 

[kmbrad]

Hi, thanks for the replies so far.

I've got a combi boiler. Worcester 240 I think.

Its my mums house. She had a rubber push on block adaptor on seperate bath taps for a make-do shower. Her landlord is putting a new bathroom in next year. I just found a set of cheap mixer taps on eBay to fit temporarily.

Shower mixer complete with shower head etc RRP £100 + on eBay, also Shower Taps, Shower Plumbing, Bathroom, Home Garden (end time 27-Jan-09 11:11:18 GMT)

You probably get numptys like me all the time. I'm a HGV driver, not a plumber.

 

[Tosh]

And how many plumbers could even start a HGV let alone get one moving.
We all have our jobs mate.

Everyone's friendly on here and don;t mind helping out.

Hope you get the answer you need.

 

[kmbrad]

Lol, thanks...

Well, today I replaced the taps for the old ones, and learnt that they too were not getting hot.

I think she'll have to report it to the housing association as it seems to be a boiler fault. Its a Worcester 240 combi. The kitchen taps get hot (probably because there the closest) but both the bathroom sink and tub start hot, then cool. Varying the flow from the taps have some affect, but it would be impossible to live with day in, day out.

Can you adjust the water temperature on this boiler? I can only see a temperature control on the front, but I assume thats for the heating?