HELP!! How do I increase water pressure

[annaelisa]

The hot water pressure to the shower in my flat is awful – it’s a bath mounted bath/shower mixer job that connects directly to the water supply without a pump etc. If I’m filling the bath the pressure is fine, as soon as I change to the shower the pressure reduces and if I increase the height of the shower head the water goes cold. Both the hot water to the bath and bathroom handbasin are fed from a storage cylinder located in the bathroom. I’ve checked to see if there’s a sediment blockage causing the drop in pressure to the shower but there doesn’t seem to be. Could I add some sort of water pump or pressure booster?

To the kitchen sink and bathroom handbasin there’s no problem with pressure either.

Thanks so much!

 

[stem]

The hot water pressure is related to the height of the header tank that supplies the cylinder. The higher the tank, the higher the pressure. If you cannot raise the height of the storage tank to give a minimum of a 1 metre head above the shower rose, see diagram here, then you can install a booster pump such as one of these.

 

[annaelisa]

Thanks for the quick reply! Think my only option is going to be a booster pump!
Thanks again.

 

[TonyW2]

The hot water pressure to the shower in my flat is awful – it’s a bath mounted bath/shower mixer job If I’m filling the bath the pressure is fine, as soon as I change to the shower the pressure reduces and if I increase the height of the shower head the water goes cold.

To the and bathroom handbasin there’s no problem with pressure either.

Sounds to me as though the mixer is not operating properly; according to OP only the hot water pressure is being affected. Try dismantling and cleaning the internals.

 

[stem]

Possibly only the hot is effected, because the cold is fed straight from the main rather than via a tank. Also no mention of a mixer as such. Sounds like a shower connected directly to the bath taps. Annaelisa, can you confirm?

 

[TonyW2]

water it’s a bath mounted bath/shower mixer job If I’m filling the bath the pressure is fine, as soon as I change to the shower the pressure reduces

So just switching the lever from bath to shower causes pressure reduction, ie even before the shower head height is changed.

 

[annaelisa]

Its a shower hose attached to the taps with a pull up valve type thing (if that makes sense - see picture) that diverts the water from the bath tap to the shower head. The hot water pressure to the bath taps is fine, it is just when you divert to the shower head that it loses pressure, and the higher up you move the head the less hot water comes out. I've taken off the hose and head and cleaned both - How can I clean more thoroughly to remove a possible blockage if this is what needs doing?

Thanks!

Untitled

• annaelisa
• 7 Apr 2010
• 1

 

[TonyW2]

The "knob" that changes over to the shower, has a grub screw that enables it to be removed. ( probably ) Then the mechanism can be removed.
Keep the plug in the bath as you can guarantee you will drop the grub screw.

 

[annaelisa]

The "knob" that changes over to the shower, has a grub screw that enables it to be removed. ( probably ) Then the mechanism can be removed.
Keep the plug in the bath as you can guarantee you will drop the grub screw.

So if I remove this and clean it out properly, this may improve the pressure? Will definitely try this after work!