pressure reducing valve to balance up/downstairs h/w flow

Dear all, I have a combi boiler in my house. The tendency for the flow rate in the shower upstairs to be be reduced when a hot tap is turned on downstairs really bothers me. Presumably, the water is preferentially drawn by the downstairs water outlets because of the pressure differential. So, am I correct in thinking that a sensible solution is to fit a pressure reducing valve to the downstairs hot water supply to the taps in order to balance the resistance to flow of up and downstairs? Obviously the flow rate in the shower would still reduce when a downstairs tap is turned on, but am I correct in thinking that the effect should be less marked?

Thanks, Jim.

Reply to
Jim Walsh
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Jim Walsh wibbled on Wednesday 30 December 2009 13:12

Unless you have stupidly low mains pressure, I suspect it is more likely it is the resistance of your plumbing giving preference to the downstairs tap (being closer to the combi perhaps) and the height difference isn't helping.

How powerful is the combi for HW out of interest?

So another option: you could go one simpler and fit a flow reducing valve like:

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The end result will be the same - reduced flow to the taps, but these might be cheaper and give more reliable long term service compared to a pressure regulator.

I find mains pressure on sink/basin taps can cause excessive and splashy flow anyway. With a pair of those valves per sink, you can play with the flow rate by changing an 86p insert which can be fitted without turning anything off except for the valve itself, which also acts as a good quality isolation valve.

You might consider starting with 4 or 6l/min for small basins, 6-8 for a kitchen sink. Personally I'd buy a pair of each size and play until things work better.

Just an idea.

Reply to
Tim W

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