Water pressure help..

[MidgeY2K]

Hi All,
I'm new to this forum, so hope there are some helpful people out there.

I'm looking for the best way to increase my water pressure. Here are the particulars:

1. I live in a bungalow in the middle of nowhere that has had a loft conversion.
2. There is very limited space in the loft conversion for a water tank (maybe a really long thin one!!)
3. I am at the top of a hill, and the supply comes from the bottom.
4. I'm about a mile away from the main feed, so a dedicated line would be very expensive.
5. I have a split pressurised cylinder, 1 half booster, 1 half economy 7. This is situated in the upstairs en suite.
6. water pressure is just over 1 bar.
7. taps/showers upstairs gurgle and take a minute before water comes through.
8. I have 1 bathroom downstairs, and a batchroom and en suite upstairs. All with baths, toilets, sinks and all with cold water fed over bath showers.

So how do I improve the water pressure?
Is it possible to put a ground level water tank outside, and install a ground level pump?
Is it possible to get a really long thin storage tank to fit in the attic? probably 75cm by 75cm by whatever length?


I'm sure there will be lots of questions, but just need some advise as to what you would do.

Thanks in advance
Jim

 

[Simon F]

Hello Jim and:welcome: along,
hope the link works, you can get long tanks of whatever size

Cold Water Tank 50gal 1190 x 610 x 500mm | NoLinkingToThis

 

[jtsplumbing]

You could fit an outside brake tank and pump from that, you just need to work out what would be the max amout of water that could be drawn off if everthing is being used.

 

[Centralheatking]

jts is right thats the best way to go - Grunfos do a belting reactive pump set which will kick
in when you turn a tap on inside building - u need a break tank to conform to regs about
an air gap. We did one of these not to long ago so if your serious I will look out the spec
and some piccys if you want.


centralheatking

 

[chris watkins]

Hi Jim & welcome
you say you have 1bar (10Metre head), I take it this is static i.e no water flowing? bit confused as to why shower & taps gurgle upstairs, are these on an existing booster pump ? can you tell us where the existing tank & pumps are, i.e. are the fittings (taps) upstairs higher than the tank / pump. thank.

 

[Centralheatking]

Hi Midge.........I have looked this up in our records now. The booster pump was a
Grundfos MQ 3/45 and has been in service for 4 years now.

You can download the technical manual ur self its 98 pages long


This went in a insulated box above an underground specially dug cistern

centralheatking

 

[MidgeY2K]

Hi all, Thanks for the responses,

Simon F, thanks for the link, but I think I'm going to go for the underground tank.
Chris Watkins, my pressurised cylinder is on the 1st floor, and the taps that gurgle are also on this floor, as are the showers, and I have no booster pump, it is just mains fed, hence the problem.

JTSplumbing/Centralheatking, I think the brake tank and reactive pump is my best bet. I have a space near my water meter outside that I could house an underground tank, and an outside toilet adjacent to this where I could house the pump to keep the noise down and the weather out. I'm looking at the spec of the Grundfos as mentioned. Any thoughts on the underground tank? Should I go for a concrete one, or a plastic one housed in something to stop it floating? as I've heard this is a problem.
Thanks all again
Jim

 

[Joncpi]

You should be able to dig the hole, possibly put in a concrete base, depending on the requirements for the tank, fill it with water and then bury it. You generally only need to be concerned about the break tank floating out if it is emptied sometimes like a cess pit type tank that gets pumped out or a rainwater storage tank that may get pumped out in extended dry periods. Your tank should be more or less filled with water all the time, so floating out should never be a problem. You can ask the manufacturers, they may know at what point the tank would float out if buried in soil. It's likely to be less than 50% full, and that is very unlikely to happen.

 

[chris watkins]

If you are going to store main water in a cistern under ground filled via a float valve you need to ensure it complies with the Water Reg's 1999 something along these line is recommended sorry Joncpi but what you are suggesting may be ok for rain water but not for wholesome (drinking) water. You can buy package units for this but the booster pump will need to be submersible or lift type. Better if you can to get in above ground along side booster pump.

 

[MidgeY2K]

Hi Joncpi, Thanks for your input, but after consideration and looking at Chris's comments I took another look at what I could do at the weekend.

I have a brick shed, with brick outhouse as mentioned, this is all in one unit with a tiled roof. This has a decent pitch and I am now either considering housing the tank in the roof, or in the actual outhouse. As I never use the outhoue, it is basically just an additional storage room.

I will google the regs, but is there any issue with storage tanks if they're not underground?

Thanks all for your valuable feedback

Cheers
Jim

 

[Centralheatking]

Stick in the shed but insulate it to hell and back, lecky wil need hookin up safetly. Above ground/water pumps etc
are best for maintenance. The Grundfos pump get a quote and let me know I have friends in low places and
could get you a best deal maybe.

centralheatking

 

[chris watkins]

MidgeY2K
You do really need your water reg's ticket for this one, as there are lots of issues not just the siting of the cistern. Even if you go to a manufacturer & get a whole package unit there are still things like the pipework in & out of the out house, by-pass / non pumped supplies, overflow / warning pipe terminations & insulation to name but a few !! Also by the sounds of it with your poor flow rates the sizing of your storage needs to be carefully worked out. (some package systems have only a small cistern giving very little)

 

[Bisleypuss]

This was in the trade recently - not seen anything like it - now being sold by Plumb Center - looks simple and may help?
Salamander Home Boost mains pressure booster pump

 

[mscaley]

Often the problem will appear to be a pressure issue when it is a volume or flow issue. A restriction in a line or just having a long line or under sized line could be the problem.
If you install a pressure gauge you can check pressure. It should be above about 35 PSI. 35 PSI would be on the low side , but should be ok. Look at the gauge with all water off, then look at it when the water is on full in the bathtub. If the pressure is ok until you turn on the water than it is a flow problem.
An easy way to install a pressure gauge is to just install an ice making line kit with a gauge on the end of the line. This could be put any where convenient such as under a sink.
One way to over come this is to install a pressure tank and check valve. The tank will give you the flow and the check valve will keep the flow going only into the tank or house. The in coming flow will be feeding your tank and house as the water is used, so the tank should last for a long time before you see a loss of pressure. I have had good results with this set up. One last thing to check is for clogged aerators at the sinks and shower heads.

plumbing companies sydney

​

 

[Joncpi]

I agree with Chris Watkins, above ground is definitely the way to go. I was only trying to address your concerns about putting a tank underground, and it floating out. Above ground potable water tanks are far simpler and cheaper to install. If access is a problem to your outhouse, there are many sectional tanks that can be constructed inside. However I doubt you will be needing anything really that big for a single house. Insulation is not as thick as you might expect, in the same way as a larger bore pipe needs less thickness of insulation for a given low temp than a smaller bore pipe requires. But look at the regs and talk to some supply companies. Also your local water board can often be of assistance, if you can actually get to speak to an inspector. Alternatively, bite the bullet spend the money and employ a plumber experienced in this type of work. Then you can be sure the work is done correctly.