Low water preasure upstairs/mixer tap/shower

[jthorne]

I have just moved into a new house and am trying to get a shower installed in the upstairs bathroom. At the moment it has a mixer tap with a hose and shower head attached. The problem I am having is that when I turn on the mixer taps and lift the shower head to above 3 foot thewater preasure drops so much that it will not come out of the shower head

The water tank is on the same floor as the bathroom and i know the problem is being caused by me lifting the shower head above the tank.

My question is... what is the best thing to do about it ? If i install an electric shower wont i experiance the same problem? is it best to install a pump in the system some place to increase the water preasure.? if so were is this pump installed? in the bathroom or in the tank cupboard?

is there another option i have not thought about? a

any help would be fantastic!

 

[BoxBasher]

If you have your heart set on an electric shower you have three options:
1) Feed direct from mains.
2) Feed from tank with electric shower and pump.
3)Feed from tank to electric shower with integral pump.

Look at something like the Triton T80si/T90si Pumped.

Will work from cold storage tank from a head as little as 8cm (0.08m/ 0.008bar).

 

[jthorne]

i dont really have my heart set on anything just wanna take a shower I dont mind using tghe mixer taps.. but how do i get the water preasure up ? there is not much room around the bath to install a pump so im guessing i would need to do it in the tank cupboard?

 

[BoxBasher]

Pumps usually push water better than pulling. If you were installing a pump then its best as close to tank as poss.

 

[jthorne]

ok.. so is a pump the best option ?
or is a shower with a built in pump better ?
How easy is a pump to install?

 

[Nige F]

if it stops @ 3 foot then you`ve got a feed cistern @ that level I`d recommend a Techflow negative head pump ..............cuz` they are made here in Sussex

 

[BoxBasher]

Technically speaking, a shower with built-in pump would be easier to fit, because you only need one power source ie the shower. For a pump you need to wire in the shower and then the pump seperately, means more cabling and additional eletric work...

 

[jthorne]

Technically speaking, a shower with built-in pump would be easier to fit, because you only need one power source ie the shower. For a pump you need to wire in the shower and then the pump seperately, means more cabling and additional eletric work...

So.. would a shower like the Triton T80si/T90si Pumped be the answer? I just install that and problem solved? Will the water preasure be enough to push the water up to the shower unit though? Sorry i dont know if they are capable of sucking it up to them or not?

 

[BoxBasher]

Depends on your existing setup, have you got a cold tank in the loft? If yes then all you have to do is pipe a dedicated feed from that to your shower with no other draw-offs on the pipe (you can still have other feeds from the tank, just not off the pipe to the shower).

Pumped triton will work from a tank as long as it is more than 8cm above the shower. Exact size of the tank is specified in the shower doc's, believe its around 120litres

 

[jthorne]

ok thanks for the help. I have a cold water storage tank so i will go along this route.

I will need to install power to the shower. I have been told that it needs to be run from the main fuse box because amount of power it pulls. Is this true or can i run the power from the extractor fan suply that is already in the bathroom?

 

[Blasphemous]

can i run the power from the extractor fan suply that is already in the bathroom?

Nope, it'll need its own feed.