Very poor output from taps and shower

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Discuss Very poor output from taps and shower in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at PlumbersForums.net

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kay-jay said:
You say the plumber isolated the pressure vessel to rule that out?

Describe the vessel. It may be that the vessel is an accumulator that has lost its charge and therefore not delivering the necessary flow
Click to expand...

Hi Kay-Jay and thank you for your comments.

I was hoping that the pressure vessel (5 gallons) was the root cause of this as it would have been an easy fix. It is under pressure and I tested the schraeder valve; there was a slight release of air as expected but no water came out so the diaphragm is probably intact. The second plumber temporarily disconnected it from the circuit - there was no discernible difference to the flow. In the last couple of days the flow rates have deteriorated and there is no hot output from the bathroom mixer tap. It's all a bit confusing. I'm now hoping it turns out to be an air-lock as it would be the next most straightforward problem to deal with though I admit that may be due to my overall naivete in these matters.

Thanks again.
 
Nick77 said:
Hi Kay-Jay and thank you for your comments.

I was hoping that the pressure vessel (5 gallons) was the root cause of this as it would have been an easy fix. It is under pressure and I tested the schraeder valve; there was a slight release of air as expected but no water came out so the diaphragm is probably intact. The second plumber temporarily disconnected it from the circuit - there was no discernible difference to the flow. In the last couple of days the flow rates have deteriorated and there is no hot output from the bathroom mixer tap. It's all a bit confusing. I'm now hoping it turns out to be an air-lock as it would be the next most straightforward problem to deal with though I admit that may be due to my overall naivete in these matters.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Just because there is some air in it doesn't mean it hasn't lost some of its charge. You need to put a pressure gauge on there and check the reading with the manufacturers info on pre-charge strength and top up if necessary.

Given that it's purpose is to provide power for the flow, linking it out as the plumber did isn't gonna prove anything.....
 
kay-jay said:
Just because there is some air in it doesn't mean it hasn't lost some of its charge. You need to put a pressure gauge on there and check the reading with the manufacturers info on pre-charge strength and top up if necessary.

Given that it's purpose is to provide power for the flow, linking it out as the plumber did isn't gonna prove anything.....
Click to expand...



Point taken Kay-Jay. I was thinking of taking it out altogether as I now have a variable speed pump, which is relatively quiet compared to the old one. Still, if it's left in situ its pressure should be checked. In fact, it was installed at the same time as the old pump and its purpose was not to enhance the pump's pressure but to provide a 25 litre reservoir so that the pump wouldn't immediately come on when I turned on the tap just wash my hands, for example. This is is a modest two-bedroom flat and, with two of us here, the demand on the pump is not exactly excessive. However, I admit my knowledge is based on no more than intuitive guesswork as most of my comments reveal all-too-clearly.
 
Ar you able to send three pictures of the 1) the pump 2) the water tank 3) the hot water cylinder
Is there a loft there??
Upstairs?
 
spanner said:
Ar you able to send three pictures of the 1) the pump 2) the water tank 3) the hot water cylinder
Is there a loft there??
Upstairs?
Click to expand...

My phone's camera is kaput and I haven't replaced a camera that broke a while ago.

The pump is a DABs e.sybox MINI variable speed pump:

e.sybox mini

Thanks for your message.

There's no loft. The communal water tank is on the flat roof; I live on the top (4th) floor of a block of 53 flats served by 5 or 6 tanks.

I have a combi boiler without an external water cylinder.
 
the only way i can think of is flush the outgoing pipe from the pump with mains water to prove the line has no air in it
 
ShaunCorbs said:
the only way i can think of is flush the outgoing pipe from the pump with mains water to prove the line has no air in it
Click to expand...

Hi Shaun,

I think I'll arrange that. I'll let you know how things turn out if this thread is still active.

Have a great weekend everyone.
 
Or there's a check valve, or pr valve, or strainer somewhere.
If you've a pump positioned and fitted in the right place 3bar on one floor should be very powerful all round ??
Check or replace pump strainer.
 
spanner said:
Or there's a check valve, or pr valve, or strainer somewhere.
If you've a pump positioned and fitted in the right place 3bar on one floor should be very powerful all round ??
Check or replace pump strainer.
Click to expand...

The pump is brand new - installed a week ago. The old one was probably fine too but the manufacturer's tech team said it was v likely that it needed a new pressure switch - unfortunately, they stopped supplying parts for this model in January this year, which was a bit disappointing as I bought it 6 years ago.

I agree, a 3 Bar pump seems excessive but the old one did the job. Also, it was unusual for more than one tap to be on at the same time so the demand was low.
 
Personally I would not have any kind of recommendation to ever fitting a pump that you've kept three years tbh.
And I'm in Wembley at the moment. Just finished
In H9
Is this local to you??
 
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