Water Pressure Suddenly Dropped in Bathroom!!!!

[alexb]

Hi All,

I live in a flat and over the Jubilee weekend I went to have a shower and the water pressure had dropped so low that the shower was unusable. My shower is just one of those hoses off of the bath mixer tap but it had been working very well and now it just trickles out. On closer inspection the cold water pressure in the adjacent sink (mixer tap) had also dropped.
I hasten to add that the hot water pressure is absolutely fine but the cold water is the problem and extremely low, hence the shower not working properly. Basically once the cold tap is turned on it's basically either off or on a very very low flow (not a trickle but low flow) and is nonadjustable.

The kitchen tap works absolutely fine so it's not the mains water that's the problem but more the cold water supplied from my water tank above the bathroom, I also have a combi boiler.

Anyway it's been a few weeks now and it looks like I'm going to need to get a plumber in but before I do I wondered if there was anything I could do to try and resolve the problem myself. Since I'm probably going to get someone in I thought that it doesn't matter if I bugger it up but I always like to try to attempt things first myself.

Has anyone got any suggestions or advice as to what I could try or what it could be before I start looking for a plumber?

Many thanks

 

[PlumbBobBob]

sounds like the washer on the cold side needs looking at

 

[alexb]

sounds like the washer on the cold side needs looking at

Thanks for replying, do you mean on the taps or the storage tank? Is this something I could potentially do myself?

 

[PlumbBobBob]

most likely on the tap. yes it's something you can do yourself

 

[Simon F]

the cold water pressure in the adjacent sink (mixer tap) had also dropped.
I hasten to add that the hot water pressure is absolutely fine but the cold water is the problem and extremely low, hence the shower not working properly.
The kitchen tap works absolutely fine so it's not the mains water that's the problem but more the cold water supplied from my water tank above the bathroom, I also have a combi boiler.

this is a strange set up, if not as Steve suggested then it could be a blockage in the pipe from the storage tank.
Why has it been done this way, hot from the combi and stored cold?

 

[alexb]

this is a strange set up, if not as Steve suggested then it could be a blockage in the pipe from the storage tank.
Why has it been done this way, hot from the combi and stored cold?

Thanks, I will have a look when I get home and check the washers. The only thing is that the water pressure has gone on the cold water on the bath/shower mixer tap and the sink mixer tap as well. These are only a year or two old so is it likely that the washers would both go on exactly the same day?

With regards to the combi/storage tank, I'm not sure why it is set up like that. Originally there was just a regular boiler and then when that went it was replaced with a combi boiler but I guess the setup wasn't actually changed over. Having said that, I think though that the cold water still runs through the combi even though it's initially coming from the water tank or does that sound like complete rubbish!

I hasten to add that I have no experience whatsoever with plumbing so this is all from my very uninformed mind! :devilish:

 

[Paulus]

The first thing you need to do is confirm where the cold feed to the tap and shower come from. Turn off your wter supply at the mains and see if this stops the cold water flow to the shower and tap completely. If it does, you have mains water pressure to both and it sounds like you have a blockage in the cold water mains supply.

If turning off the mains doesn't affect the cold water flow the shower and tap are tank fed (which I doubt) and you have a blockage between the tank and the bathroom.

 

[alexb]

The first thing you need to do is confirm where the cold feed to the tap and shower come from. Turn off your wter supply at the mains and see if this stops the cold water flow to the shower and tap completely. If it does, you have mains water pressure to both and it sounds like you have a blockage in the cold water mains supply.

If turning off the mains doesn't affect the cold water flow the shower and tap are tank fed (which I doubt) and you have a blockage between the tank and the bathroom.

Ok that makes sense. I do think that it's tank fed though as when you put the cold tap on I can hear the water tank filling back up which I don't get from the kitchen tap. Assuming its from the tank is it possible to clear a bloackage without a plumber?

 

[Paulus]

The easiest way would be to open the tap and blow air or water up from the tap to the tank. Maybe use a hosepipe connected to the kitchen tap for this. Be prepared for a soaking.

It would be best to get a plumber in to clear the blockage and connect your bathroom cold water supply to the mains. It shouldn't take very long.

 

[alexb]

The easiest way would be to open the tap and blow air or water up from the tap to the tank. Maybe use a hosepipe connected to the kitchen tap for this. Be prepared for a soaking.

It would be best to get a plumber in to clear the blockage and connect your bathroom cold water supply to the mains. It shouldn't take very long.

Thanks for all your advice regarding this. I had a look last night and the water tank is supplying the bathroom toilet, bath and sink. I didn't realise that with a combi boiler that it should all now come from the mains supply. I do live on the 4th floor of a very old mansion block of flats (c1900) so there may be logistical problems as to connecting it to the mains supply.

I didn't have a hose to hand but I unscrewed the shower attachment and put my hand over the hole, turned on the cold tap then the hot and didn't allow water to escape. I was hoping that this may clear the blockage but it doesn't seem to so I will have to get someone in now, just hope it isn't too expensive!!!

 

[stevetheplumber]

do you have individual tanks or shared? has anyone else in the block had similar problems
if it individual i would get it crossed over to give you mains cold water it could be done with an eye to returning it to tank should you get water supply problems

 

[alexb]

do you have individual tanks or shared? has anyone else in the block had similar problems
if it individual i would get it crossed over to give you mains cold water it could be done with an eye to returning it to tank should you get water supply problems

Thanks for your message.

The water tanks are individual, mine is located in a cupboard at the top of my bathroom which I can access.

I will suggest getting it hooked up to the mains, is this usually an expensive job though or is it relatively simple? Presumably if I do this then I just have an empty water tank in the cupboard.

 

[Paulus]

It should be simple job, though it's difficult to say without seeing it. Cut mains pipe feeding the tank and connect to outlet pipe to bathroom. Yes, you will then have a redundant water tank in the cupboard.

 

[stevetheplumber]

if its in your cupboard im suprised you ever had enough pressure for a shower should be easy to cross the main to the cold feed

 

[alexb]

if its in your cupboard im suprised you ever had enough pressure for a shower should be easy to cross the main to the cold feed

Thanks guys, I have left a message with a plumber so am waiting to hear back now.

To be honest the water pressure on the cold tap has never been great except prior to having the combi boiler but it was still sufficient for the shower I have. Obviously now it's non existent. It's a shame that this wasn't flagged when I had my new bathroom installed a couple of years ago, they wanted to install a pump (which didn't happen), sounds like it would have been easier to just redirect the pipes to the mains.

 

[stevetheplumber]

you may need a new ballvalve in the toilet cysten as well

 

[fuzzy]

hot water being ok and cold not i think is a clue to the whereabouts, i can only add what the others have already said

 

[alexb]

hot water being ok and cold not i think is a clue to the whereabouts, i can only add what the others have already said

I thought I'd let you guys know the outcome as I had a plumber round yesterday.

He only came to have a look but ended up fixing it then and there. We're not sure what caused the drop of pressure in the first place but he discovered that the bath was in fact connected to the mains but the valve on the mains pipe leading into the combi boiler had been turned right down which is why I always had rubbish water pressure even when the shower was working. Therefore as soon as he turned it we got a huge amount of water coming out of the cold tap, more than there ever was before when the shower was still working. It seems that when I had the bathroom refitted a couple of years ago the workmen had left this valve practically turned off so the water flow was virtually non existent.

Anyway it was all very straightforward in the end but thank you for your help and advice.

 

[Simon F]

I was taught to start at the simple solution and work from there.
we all bypassed that and assumed something more complex..:rolleyes2:

not being there does limit the ability to see clearly,
glad its all sorted and thanks for getting back..:icon14:

 

[alexb]

I was taught to start at the simple solution and work from there.
we all bypassed that and assumed something more complex..:rolleyes2:

not being there does limit the ability to see clearly,
glad its all sorted and thanks for getting back..:icon14:

True although I guess that you have to assume that some of the obvious things have already been checked.

To be honest though I have my own theories as to why this tap was turned down and I don't think it was by accident but I won't get into that on here lol!

 

[mfgs]

Seems odd that the valve on the mains going into the combi boiler seemed to only affect the cold water, surely it would restrict both.

 

[alexb]

Seems odd that the valve on the mains going into the combi boiler seemed to only affect the cold water, surely it would restrict both.

Not sure but it was only the cold that changed once the valve was opened. I'll look and see if there is another valve.

Now I've only got the sink and toilet running off the water tank above. Got rubbish pressure on the cold on the sink mixer but it's always been a bit rubbish, don't think there's anything I can do with that one.