Low hot water pressure

[dave2]

I have a bungalow and the hot waler cylinder is in the loft.
Hot water is supplied to 2 bathrooms and a kitchen.
The pressure of the h/w in both bathrooms is fine, but in the kitchen it is poor.
The pipe runs are all similar (approx 30 - 35 ft).
The only difference in the supply pipes is that there are 4 bends to reach the bathrooms and 5 to reach the kitchen.
Should that cause such a drop in pressure?
There is also an additional stop tap on the kitchen run, never used, and was fitted for service purposes.
Any suggestions to what would be the cause of low pressure?

 

[kevplumb]

possibly the restriction of the stop tap

would have thought a gate valve would be better

 

[brumylad]

did the problem start after fitting a new tap ?

 

[dave2]

No, it has been like it for a couple of years. I have just replaced the sink, so now is as good a time as any to try to put right.
I will try renewing the s/tap this weekend.
Old pipe to new, can a new gatevalve or s/tap be purchased?

 

[kevplumb]

size of pipe is ???

 

[dave2]

22mm pip from cylinder, with a 22x15x22 tee where it feeds the tap (approx 400mm of 15mm pipe below tap connector).
The service tap is a 22mm stop tap, which I would like to replace with a gate valve as suggested. The problem is that the older pipe is the thicker wall, so the compression nut and olive does not fit over. Is it a case of rubbing down with emery?

 

[kevplumb]

22 is smaller than 3/4""

 

[dave2]

Yes I know that, but will a new 22mm gatevalve fit onto the old thickwall copper?
The last one I tried didn't.

 

[raykeeley]

wrong 3/4 is smaller then 22mm.

 

[laurence1976]

A 22mm gate valve will easily fit onto old 3/4 pipe, make sure you cover the olive with plenty of PTFE tape as it will be loose fitting due to the slightly thinner 3/4 pipe.

 

[Kojak]

Try getting a couple of 3/4 olives and use these with the 22mm Gate valve.

 

[ChrisR]

22m is the outside diameter of the pipe, so thickness not relevant.

Better to use a "Full flow ball valve".

Kitchen tap itself is probably restrictive.

 

[felix]

Stopcocks restrict the flow, gate valves don't. Gate valves leak, stopcocks don't. Ball type stop valves seem to offer the best of both worlds.

You've obviously got a partial blockage somewhere in the pipe run to the tap or, as ChrisR says, in the tap itself. Hopefully, you'll find it when you change the stopcock.

 

[dave2]

Certainly not the tap. New tap and pressure is same as old one. perhaps I will replace stop tap with Full flow ball valve?