Help! Insufficient head for modern taps grrrrr :@

[[UK]CuteSpunkyLad]

Hi all,

I have just done up my bathroom only to find that the modern mixer taps cause an extremely low flow rate.

The base of my hot water tank is actually about 12" lower than the taps... and it is a tall tank with a small header tank built in above. There is insufficient height in my loft to relocate any header tank, and I don't really want to have to install a combi boiler just to drive mixer taps! I was wondering about using some sort of pressure activated pump.

If I installed a pump on the hot water outlet from the tank, this would give all the taps in the house a huge performance increase. I assume it is possible to get a pump that is automatically activated by sensing water flow??

Does anyone have any comments? suggestions? indeed, is this possible at all?

System is a conventional and vented... OH and can someone answer why it is that here in the UK these junky (sh*ty) systems are common as opposed to much better systems on the continent/USA ??? why do we hold on to bleedin convention in this country even when its inferior??? grr

Regards;

Pete.

[Christian McArdle]

Yes. They are called shower pumps. Stuart Turner are known for quality versions. Otherwise, cheapies are available. They are quite capable of running more than just showers.

They were banned until the late 1980s. They are widely available now, if you can persuade a typical Luddite installer to install them. They are usually known to them as "Heatrays", an anglicised version of "Heatrae Sadia Megaflo". Most installers think they eat children, or at least shine ionising microwave radiation into them.

Christian.

[BillR]

Didn't the OP just mean combi or pumped type systems?

The trouble with many of the mono taps that are on sale is that they are designed for continental fully pumped systems, so are not compatible with conventional UK systems. If you take them apart its quite obvious the bore, when they are fully open, is pathetic, never mind the narrow feed pipes. Get proper taps designed to work on gravity systems and remove any flow restrictors.

[[UK]CuteSpunkyLad]

No -- Christian has the idea - the thermal store type systems etc... much better idea. Combi's have there place too, but I wasn't specifically referring to them...

and... due to the price of brassware - and the direction that most stylish brassware/bathroom hardware manufacturers are going, I believe the answer definately ISNT to change everything because of bleedin "Great British" tradition... grrr

Isn't it about time we lost this "great british" arrogance and started adopting systems/conventions used elsewhere in the world, so we can at least take advantage of enhanced style/price/quality etc etc???

Remember - I only have this problem because WE decide to be different in this country. grr.

lol again

Pete.

[mike ring]

"[UK]CuteSpunkyLad" wrote in news:Xv45b.3246$ [e-mail]:

You may be right, and I've often tought of changing, but I worry about what happens if the water is interrupted, as ISTR it once was, quite frequently.

The tank in the loft would tide you over for a bit

mike r

[BillR]

I think you'll find we had proper plumbing before most of the rest of the world. You can get stylish modern 1 lever taps that do work with UK systems but not the cheap import stuff they sell in B&Q.

[Christian McArdle]

Yes. I installed such a system in my last house. It is called a single impellor pump. I had mains cold to every outlet and pumped hot to my bath and shower only. I decided not to pump the kitchen as the flow was fine there (due to the much greater head) and I didn't want the noisy pump going off at night just because you turned the kitchen tap on.

Obviously, you could also install a Megaflo, if your mains are good enough, and your wallet thick enough.

Christian.