Electric Shower Question : Update .

[Stuart B]

In article , Stuart B

> writes >> >>I'm on the 2nd floor . There are cold tanks in the loft...one per side >>..but they were only used for HW cylinders and I was the last on my >>side to get a combi recently so i suggested to the Factor that they >>cap the supply to the tank on my side and drain it down as it wouldn't >>be getting used . The feed from it is/was in the kitchen anyway so >>using it isn't an option even if I wanted to use it . >> >>You are right in thinking that I posted a message about a drop in >>pressure after SW did some work recently . The guy did come out but at >>the time everything seemed fine . >>After I posted this topic I bought a water pressure gauge ( it was >>only £10) and I fitted it this afternoon and the pressure was 3 Bar . >>It went down to just over 2 Barearly evening but now ( just before >>midnight) it has gone to just over 3 Bar . Even when I turn on the >>cold in the Basin it still stays above 2 Bar .... I'll se what it is >>in the morning although it's usually later in the morning before I use >>the shower . >> >2 bar with the basin open does sounds healthy, is that fully open? How >about the bath? I think you'd only get a bar or so from the loft tank to the >2nd floor. > >Just looked at the specs for a (random) triton electric shower and it was >1bar min for 9.5kw and 1.5bar for 10.5kw. It looked quite an expensive >model (T100xr) and it mentioned flow stabilisation: > >"The stabiliser valve minimises variations in shower temperature during >mains water pressure changes. If changes in shower temperature are >experienced during normal use, it will most likely be caused by the water >pressure falling near to or below the minimum level. The drop in pressure >may be due to water being drawn off at other points in the house whilst the >shower is in use. If pressure drops appreciably below the minimum, the >heating elements will automatically cut out. " > >Don't know if yours might have that, expensive one more likely I imagine, >cheapie less likely. > >If it doesn't have one then I can see variations between 3&2bar upsetting >the flow & therefore temp quite a bit. > >As a workaround I found some stand alone pressure reducers at BES: > , if your shower doesn't have a >stabiliser then this might help but I don't know what their minimum drop is, >which would be critical. Note I haven't used these, 20quid to try. > >>What I want is to see what it is at the w/end . I don't know how far >>the effect on me of others using the cold water spreads . Will it just >>be this close or also the next one or the one after that as well. ???? >Think the gauge is a good idea.

I said before I wanted to se what happened at the w/end as it was prev w/ends I had the problem .

Last night ( Fri) I went to bed and the pressure gauage was showing 4 Bar ...all week the elec shower has been working perfectly .

This morning around 0930 hrs it was showing 1 Bar and listening to the rising main behind the p/board I could hear water running so someone or something was drawing off cold water . It is now 1045 hrs and still I can hear water running and the pressure remains at 1 bar and the elec shower will not heat up ....same as last w/end .

It's unlikley to be anything deliberate after all that time so I'm trying to suggest to myself what it could be . Could it be a toilet overflow operating . There is no overflow ejecting to the outside so it might be a toilet with an internal overlow but would that make the pressure drop so much .

I'm open to suggestions .

Stuart

[Stuart B]

Upstairs neighbour said that she was having same problems and she would 'phone Scotish Water . Told me after that they said they had a list of complaints as long as your arm and would get someone out on Monday ...They did say that they were doing work locally and certainly a nearby street has a trench dug and it looks like SW that are there ..

[fred]

In article , Stuart B writes

Sorry, don't have too much to offer, except that this does sound like a SW problem. It would be a good idea to record a diary(*) of the pressure, taps off & on throughout the day so as to circumvent their inevitable, "look it's fine" when they turn out and the pressure is at its highest for weeks.

(*) these look scientific and appear to impress the masses, I'm sure you can start one now that shows the problem going back several weeks ;-)

If you're writing, remember to tell them your shower is only spec'd to operate over 1bar.

Good luck.

[Andrew Gabriel]

I recall reading somewhere that water companies are only required to supply you with 1 bar pressure at pavement level.

A quick google search doesn't find that, but there's a reference to a minimum delivery of 9l/m at 10m head, and the water mains (companies not yours) needing to maintain 15m (about 1.5 bar) pressure minimum. A record of all reports of low pressure must be kept because of the danger of backflow into the mains if the pressure drops too low.

[Stuart B]

In my case it's not just about low pressure today .it's the fact that it has been 3+ Bar up to now and suddenly it has dropped so clearly there is a problem and water companies are required ,are they not,to fix all leaks . Stuart

[fred]

In article , Andrew Gabriel writes

Hopefully that's not the case here, Stuart's on the 2nd floor so there won't be much pressure left with his taps at say 30' off the ground.