plumbing in new shower

[tony89]

i have just bought a aire mixer thermostatic shower on the pretence that i could just connect to the hot&cold supply pipes running under the floor boards in the bathroom.I have a gravity fed system.please help me,missus wants a shower.

 

[kevplumb]

where does the cold water come from (and dont say under the floor) ?

 

[tony89]

where does the cold water come from (and dont say under the floor) ?

cold water tank in attic i think? maybe from rising main cant lift anymore floorboards missus will wake up.

 

[tony89]

it must be from the rising main as we all drink the water does that help.the pipes i want to connect to feed the bathroom and kitchen.

 

[kevplumb]

you need balanced supplies
the hot water is tank fed you need a cold feed from the same tank

 

[tony89]

r u saying i can use the hot supply in the bathroom,but have to take the cold from the tank in attic

 

[JPC]

yep....otherwise main water will most probably stop the hot water coming out of the shower head (greedy like that)...or even start to push back the hot water

 

[brumylad]

you might be able to use a shower with a pressure equilizing valve but it will need a minimum head for the hot and the cold pressure may need reducing.

 

[ChrisR]

If your mixer is designed for high pressure (which it probably IS if it doesn't say), you can't use it because you don't have high pressure hot water. You could use a PUMP but you'd want to pump both h&c so you need a pipe from the tank anyway - and other complications.
If your cold tank is just one floor above then you'll have poor pressure on gravity anyway.
You could fit an electric shower which runs off the water cold main but then you need an extra lecccy supply and you also have to get the pipe up the wall to the box.
There IS a shower box which uses the high pressure cold to "suck" the hot through and gives a reasonable shower -but it's a box on the wall so you have to get pipes to it.
Sad truth is that it isn't easy to get a half decent shower - or a shower at all in your case.
Might be easier to get a different missus.

 

[the plumber]

the venturi shower you mentioned chrisr are sold at b&q as you say not a bad shower and as long as there is a good flow of hot water they are not bad