Expert help needed

[Bernie2]

I am afraid you can't get any more water than the water main lets you have.

The water companies are only obliged to supply water at about 1 bar and 9 litres a minute flow and that is at the outside boundary stop tap.

You already get 10 litres flow at 1 bar. So you are getting the legal minimum. Usually after that it is up to you if you want more performance from your system.

If you wanted to run everything off the main with an unvented cylinder for the hot, you have to remember the water main would be supplying both hot and cold.

Just looking at it simply

2 standard showers require a flow rate of about 5 litres a minute each = 10 litres per minute

A washing machine about = 5 -10 litres per minute

And each tap about = 5 litres a minute each

That makes roughly about 20 litres a minute required off the water main.

The problem is you only have 10 litres a minute to do it with.

You could ask your water company if they could uprate the main water supply, otherwise its sorting out some kind of stored system.

You could put flow limiters on, spray taps, eco shower heads and the like and bring the flow rates down that may help.

Another option is using a water storage booster as mentioned, to boost the cold water supply and allow more water to be drawn off. Have a look at Mainsboosters. But it all looks expensive.

You would have to go into it all carefully, to give you proper options, that is probably why your getting mixed reports off the Plumbers.

An unvented cylinder will easily cope with supplying enough water, but the problem is the water main will not cope with supplying the cylinder.

It may cope with flow limiters fitted to both the hot and cold supply. But its all a bit iffy without a proper look.

So looking at it simply: Your water supply seems inadequate to supply the water you want. Fitting a mains water booster, with an unvented cylinder may well do the job.

The alternative it seems is an increased stored water facility and possibly some pipe upgrades, depending on what you have now.

I understand your dilemma.

Good fortune.
　

 

[sunday]

Thanks all for your responses and Bernie, thank you especially for the neat summary of my predicament-this is exactly the problem.

I think it really is a question of getting the right person along to look at the entire system and advise accordingly-my challenge now is finding that person!

I may be back looking for more help but until then thanks again.

 

[stevetheplumber]

In 20 years of being in France, only once has there been no water, and that was for less than 3 hours, after a digger hit a water main, give me all mains pressure any day

in 21 years at this house my water has only been of when they replaced the main which was probably near a hundred years old

if france could do a proper job of stopping every tom dick and ahmed walking through its borders as it is supposed to we wouldnt have to supply water to so many people

 

[helpsy]

in 21 years at this house my water has only been of when they replaced the main which was probably near a hundred years old

if france could do a proper job of stopping every tom dick and ahmed walking through its borders as it is supposed to we wouldnt have to supply water to so many people

lol!!!!

 

[stevetheplumber]

I am having a second shower installed and am very concerned that I will end up not being able to use both and taps/ washing machine etc at the same time. I have had a number of plumbers around and they are all suggesting different solutions which doesn't fill me with confidence, especially as a water pressure test indicated that the megaflow/combi options suggested and quoted for by some would not work with my pressure & flow.🙁

Who do I call to spec a system that will work to delivery a decent supply hot water to both showers at the same time and allow taps/washing machine etc to also be used?

I think, after much of my own time and research that the system will be vented maybe with pumps and larger water tank but I am happy to pay for confirmation of this and an opinion on whether the existing old boiler will be "man enough for the job".

I've been reading the posts here to help and want to thank you for putting such a helpful forum together.

if the main supply cant be improved you have two options
1 store water at low level and pump the water supply to your house
2 store water at high level and gravity supply to house
option 1 will give better preasure
option 2will probably be cheaper and preasure can be increased if you can raise the tanks in the loft 2m of head will give a decent shower if you have the correct mixers