Bungalow with requirement for instant hot water and more water pressure in bathrooms -

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Join Date: Mar 2009

Posts: 1

We recently moved to largish bungalow with three bedrooms and three ensuite bathrooms.We have conventional gravity water supply with the tank in the roof and hot water cylinder in a utility room on the round floor along with the floor mounted conventional Ideal Mexico LPG boiler.There is 1.5 mtr head of water.Each bathroom is about 10 mtrs from the hot water cylinder each in opposite directions.The pipework is under the suspended floor boards.We also have a solar panel on the roof to keep the water hot in the summer when the boiler is switched off (May to October)

Our problem is lack of pressure at the three thermostatic mixer shower heads, and the time it takes for hot water to reach the bathrooms.

As I understand it I could either put a Techflow QT80-2 Twin ended 2.3 Bar pump close to the hot water cylinder to push the water around the whole bungalow more quickly, thereby increasing the pressure at the shower heads, or put individual pumps at each of the three showers to achieve more pressure.

Which of these two options is more satisfactory please, and if we went for the single Techflow option would the water come out of the bathroom sink taps, into the small sinks, too forcefully?

Whilst one of these two options will solve the pressure problem it won't solve the instant hot water issue,although by increasing the pressure with the single Techflow pump option the water will be pushed to the bathrooms more quickly, therefore reducing the amount of time it takes for hot water to arrive there.A t present it takes about 30 secs.

The alternative to this is to install a secondary loop and circulating pump, but is this really worthwhile in view of the above? If it is how is it actually carried out? I understand a piece of pipe has to be taken from the hot water cylinder to the furthest bathroom, but where does this piece of pipe start from and to what is it attatched in the furthest bathroom? Would the pipe have to go under the floor boards,which means taking up the floors/tiles in the bathrooms,or can it go up into the roof and across to the bathroom and down again? Bearing in mind all the disruption would the addition of a secondary loop and circulating pump be a great deal better than just adding the Techflow solution to vastly improve the present pressure difficulty and slightly improve the time it takes to get hot water to the bathrooms, albeit perhaps not as quickly as the secondary loop way would do?

Your comments and views would greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

the lack of pressure, can only be resolved by changing your cylinder from vented to unvented, basically meaning you would have the same pressure in your hot tap as your cold mains coming in (almost)
as for the time taken for hot water to arrive at point of use. you need to install a secondary return on your hot water, a pump fitted by your cylinder. you would need to run a new hot water pipe to make this totally effiecent.
hot water outlet running to bathroom 1, 2 then 3 as close as possible to take off points, then returning to the cylinder with a pump on it, effectivly making a circle.
your new cylinder will have a tapping on it halfy way up for the return.
good luck
shaun

 

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Join Date: Apr 2009

Location: Norwich

Posts: 75

why have you got a mexico boiler and solar pannels would of thought some one who goes to the expence of installing pannels on your roof would of put in an econimical boiler as well.
any how if you were to change the cylinder to a unvented this would give you mains pressure hot water and also you can install a return loop for the hot water so you only have to draw off a small amount of water to get hot water.

 

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Join Date: May 2009

Location: Derbyshire

Posts: 45

An unvented cyliner and pumped hot water is a good solution provided you have good mains cold pressure and flow. In terms of pressure and flow you can only get out what put in. since you have solar panels you will need a twin coil cylinder, the bigger the better.