DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

I have never participated in a forum before, so apologies if something is not quite right. My question is this.

Over the last 12 months I have been having problems with my shower. I originally put it down to new houses being built in my locality and the village water supply not been able to keep up with demand. The problem has got progressively worse. It seems that the cold water tank is emptying and not been filling sufficiently quickly enough, therefore the safety cut out on the power shower is coming into play.

The water board checked the pressure on the outside tap which they said was ok - over 30? and are not offering any help. When I looked at the cold tank in the attic it was filling very very slowly, just a bit more than a trickle. It takes about an hour to refill.

I am scared to let the grand children use the shower as the temp gets extremely hot in the final few minutes before the safety valve cuts out - and I don't have a bath.

I have had a plumber look over the system and he said everything in the house was fine but that the water pressure was too low.

Who do I believe?

Considering what you say the water company have told you about the pressure, I would doubt if this is the cause of your problem. A header tank will fill quicker than that even with abysmal pressure.

You say a plumber has examined your system? Did he dismantle the ball valve in the header tank? The symptoms you describe are typical of a seized valve or one blocked with debris.

Do your toilets fill at normal speed?

Renew ball valve in tank - they're cheap enough and may solve your problem.

htg

Thank you for your response,

I have done as you say and the problem seems to have stopped.

The Water Board appeared outside my house again. This time they dug up the pavement and replaced some pipes, saying that there was debris in them. So that had obviously contributed to the problem.

Thanks again, it's much appreciated.