outhouse/garage low water pressure idea

[scantronic]

Hi all

christmas boredom has kicked in and i've decided to do something about the low pressure in the garage and outhouse

so, it's mains fed but a very long run in 15mm pipe i suspect straight from under the kitchen sink to the garage where there is a sink and then carries on to the bottom of the garden where there is another sink plus washing machine etc

the issue is, the cold water pressure is very low, and it has been known for example when the kitchen tap is running to cause the washing machine to lock out as it thinks it's ran out of water

it's not worth re-running the pipework out there

so the idea i have, buy a cheap 4 gallon etc water storage tank, install that in the eaves of the garage and then plumb the sinks and washing machine from that, in my head there will be an increase of pressure due to the head of water and always a reserve of water on tap

i suspect this is likely the easiest route to take, the space is there and it wouldn't be difficult at all

is this a practical solution?

weirdly the hot taps are absolutely fine (old gravity fed system in the house feeding it) not going to win any awards for pressure but usable, despite taking a good while to get hot water through obviously

or

option 2 i feed it from the cold water tank in the house, but then i suspect the pipework isn't the best and surely even with a good head on the water it won't make any difference as mains pressure is alright in the house

thanks

 

[cross thread]

Check washing machine spec for supply pressure ,then calculate how much pressure you will have from the head of water,if ok sounds like a good idea

 

[Burnerman]

Make sure any isolators you have are full bore ones!
John

 

[scantronic]

everything seems to be fully turned on, as far as i'm aware it's 15mm the whole run, but i'm not sure as there has been changes over the years to the system so i wouldn't be surprised if it goes down to 10mm etc underground

i think i might experiment with a tank, will certainly do no harm at all and it's just the case of extending 2 pipes

i've even had the slight thought of a second hot water cylinder in the garage for the hot water with just an immersion heater, but likely way more effort than would be worth it

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

i've even had the slight thought of a second hot water cylinder in the garage for the hot water with just an immersion heater, but likely way more effort than would be worth it

If you just want hot water for a sink in the Garage, look at undersink heaters. Will happily supply one tap and no need to heat an entire cylinder. Or if not bothered about aesthetics, over sink handwash is a cheaper option.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

is this a practical solution?

If it's an unheated space - risk of freezing. How about a pump, to boost the flow/pressure, just when needed? You could have the pump, plugged into one of those powerplugs, which sense when the washer draws current, and switches the pump on too.

 

[Dereekoo]

Are you saying there is hot and cold feed to the out houses? If so would it be possible to switch over the supplies at the house. It may mean waiting a longer for your hot water to arrive but may stop the WM locking out. Just a thought!!

 

[Mottie]

so the idea i have, buy a cheap 4 gallon etc water storage tank, install that in the eaves of the garage and then plumb the sinks and washing machine from that, in my head there will be an increase of pressure due to the head of water and always a reserve of water on tap

If it's an unheated space - risk of freezing. How about a pump, to boost the flow/pressure, just when needed? You could have the pump, plugged into one of those powerplugs, which sense when the washer draws current, and switches the pump on too.

My mate had a villa built up in the hills in Sardinia, some way from the nearest village and all the villa owners up that hill have low water pressure problems as well as an intermittent water supply. They all use the method Harry mentions and have storage tanks built into their basements but instead of using gravity, they have an electric pump that comes on when a tap is turned on/toilet is flushed/shower is used etc. You could have a greenhouse heater set to come on in very low temperatures to prevent freezing.