Ready to hire?

Post your job in minutes, browse real reviews and choose who to speak to.Post a job

Need some tips or advice?

Plumbing

Low water pressure upstairs

Anonymous user 23/02/2024 - 3.18 PM

We have a non combi boiler. The hot water tank is in an airing cupboard upstairs. The water pressure (both hot and cold) upstairs is terrible - our an suite shower is unusable, we have to wash sitting in the bath using the shower head. Downstairs pressure is good but not great. Would changing to a combi boiler increase the water pressure upstairs (and down)? If not, is the only solution to fit a pump? We are renovating our house (though boiler is only a year old) and ideally wanted to get rid of hot water tank so that we can increase the size of the shower in en suite. Sorry I can't find how to reply to you! I would consider the cold downstairs good. It took 7 seconds whereas the hot took 18.5seconds to fill 1 litre! We bought the house about a year ago from a deceased lady who owned the house since 1970ish. Assume she always had the issue of low water pressure upstairs. We had the water board test the flow into the house and it was above their minimum level so they wouldn't do anything to make it stronger. Unfortunately I didn't think to write down what the flow rate into the house was and can't remember.

Are you a tradesperson and able to answer this question?

1 Answer

Boiler Homecare

Rating: 5 out of 5

Honiton

We need more information. Would you consider the mains cold water at the kitchen sink is good? Has this problem just recently occurred upstairs? Get a measuring jug hold it under the sink cold tap then time how long it takes to fill exactly 1 litre, if for example if it takes 6 seconds then divide that figure in to 60 this then gives us a flow rate of 10 litres per minute which is not fantastic but the minimal requirement to run a combi boiler! Update: Thanks for getting back, I know the reply method mybuilder employ can be a little confusing. You state it took 7 seconds, so that equates to 8.6 litres per minute flow rate at the cold water sink tap which should always be mains cold water pressure. That said to have a decent shower requires a minimum of 9 litres per minute flow rate so you are just slightly a drift but certainly no room for concern there (combination boiler scenario) as for your hot water flow rate it must of felt like watching paint dry, certainly issues here. Two choices available here either ask a qualified plumber to attend to investigate the very poor performance issues with hot water or go with a system and boiler change to a combi! Carefully way up financial element's of both options before you make a final decision. Sorry I cannot help any further in trouble shooting the poor hot water issue as the cause could be very simple or a little more complex.

Answered21 August 2018