Low Domestic Water Pressure All aspects of plumbing questions and answers, help, tips and information

[Johannes]

Hello All, I've just moved into a very long bungalow & the hot & cold water pressure to bathroom taps is very low. The incoming mains pressure is absolutely fine. I am thinking of installing a pump in the loft so that cold water & hot water is pumped around the bungalow. Will I have problems when only the hot or cold water is used in the bathrooms? Can anyone recommend a suitable pump. Regards Johannes

[plumbbob]

Firstly, you should be aware you cannot fit a pump in the mains water supply. Neither can you fit a single pump to boost both supplies, you need one for each. If they are to be fitted in the loft they may have to be capable of handling a negative head. You can't however have two pumps supplying a single mixer shower.

With the increase in pressure you must also consider what toilet cistern valves are fitted. What about any showers? How big are the header tanks?

My first recommendation would be to raise the height of the header tank to increase the flow naturally. Next I would examine the cold supply because if the incoming mains is fine then the bathroom cold should be fine too. So what's going on?

Depending on how the hot pipe is routed fitting a pump could just result in air being sucked into the system via the expansion pipe.

Sorry, but this is not a straightforward project!

[Johannes]

Hi Bob, Thanks for the advice. I will raise the header tank as my first step to a solution. Regards John