Shower Pressure problem

[Renstar]

Hi There, Looking for some help before making an expensive purchase. Before having my bathroom replaced 2 years ago I had an old (20+ years) Mira excell concealed mixer shower. Pressure was absolutely fantastic to the point where the wife couldnt stand under it. Brilliant shower. When the bathroom was replaced we chose a dual valve mixer valve (NOT Mira, Victoria plumb), located it a littler further from the wall where we have our shower heads (drench and handset) so we could run the shower before we got in although still within the vicinity of the shower tray (1500x 900) but on a different wall. This meant the 2 15mm pipes from the valve (feeding each shower head) go up 1.5m into the loft across to the other wall 1.2m then drop down inside the wall maybe around 1m. Original Mira was on the same wall with a fixed shower head and a concealed 15mm pipe under a metre from the valve to the shower head. It was also fed in 15mm pipe directly to the valve.
When the new valve was installed the plumber (on my instruction) ran 2 new 22mm H&C feed directly to the valve (as my primary concern was I wanted the same shower performance).
Does anyone have any advice?? If its purely a case of replacing the shower for a new Mira one thats not a problem I just dont want to pay around £500 for a new Mira digital (vision) shower if its not going to fix the problem.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers

 

[SimonG]

How is your hot and cold water supplied to the shower. I.e. combi, invented, tank fed gravity?

 

[Renstar]

How is your hot and cold water supplied to the shower. I.e. combi, invented, tank fed gravity?

Wow, what a tube for not mentioning that. I have a decent Vailliant Combi boiler which I had before the bathroom and shower was replaced. I did replace/upgrade the hot and cold pipework going into the bathroom under the impression a 22mm supply would be a better or at leat ensure I was getting loads of water/pressure to the new shower. The mixer tap I have on the bath (which has 22mm pipes going right into them) also does not have that great a supply. I put this down to them being Victoria Plum again but maybe the issue is something else. The pressure to the kitchen tap is brilliant.

 

[king of pipes]

You have answered your own question the height and length of run and change in direction of the pipework especially up and down will effect the flow and pressure, a cure ? It really does depend on the type of system you have traditional vented , unvented or combi is there a water softener ? Lot of things can effect performance , more information needed please . Kop

 

[Renstar]

You have answered your own question the height and length of run and change in direction of the pipework especially up and down will effect the flow and pressure, a cure ? It really does depend on the type of system you have traditional vented , unvented or combi is there a water softener ? Lot of things can effect performance , more information needed please . Kop

Hi KOP thanks for the reply. Dont know if you seen my reply to Simon G but it is a combi boiler. Starting to think Im going to go back to my original shower of a mira excel with 15mm supplys straight up to a fixewd shower head. The new shower with drench head and handset looks the part but is nowhere near as good!!

 

[rpm]

Flow & Pressure are two different things also I am wondering if the drench head is a large type which needs a lot of both to satisfy what you want.

 

[Renstar]

Flow & Pressure are two different things also I am wondering if the drench head is a large type which needs a lot of both to satisfy what you want.

I dont mind actually changing the drench head to a fixed head (its on an arm anyway rather then ceiling fed). I assumed the more flow the better but obviously Im mistaken as the pressure to the bath taps and shower is nowhere close to what it was before!!

 

[king of pipes]

With a combi it should work ok maybe the supplies have flow restrictors fitted ? Most combis will give 8 + litres of hot water a minute temper that at the shower valve with cold water then it should work ok , We as plumbers are encouraged to educate our customers to save water a precious resource that we all take for granted, I wouldn't recommend Victoria plum to any of my customers but as the saying goes you get what you pay for in life, so swap it for a Mira as for lagging never had any issues discoloration of copper pipe is normal . Cheers kop