Low hot water pressure

[buster01]

Ive just installed a mixer tap shower, but the hot water pressure is low so as soon as u turn the cold on it over powers the hot. I was looking at pumps but dont know where to start.
Can anyone help.

Thanks

[theone]

Ive just installed a mixer tap shower, but the hot water pressure is low so as soon as u turn the cold on it over powers the hot. I was looking at pumps but dont know where to start.
Can anyone help.

Thanks

Probably best to consult a plumber based on your individual circumstances but yes, a mixer shower is no good if you've got a traditional vented hot water tank.

A pump is probably the easiest (and cheapest) option, after that an unvented hot water cylinder or even a combi boiler.

[jimbews]

A pump is probably the easiest (and cheapest) option, after that an unvented hot water cylinder or even a combi boiler.
When we had one fitted there was going to be the same problem because the cold header tank was only a small height above the shower head.
We were recommended to have mains cold water plus a venturi shower: http://www.shower-guide.com/venturi-showers.htm which sucks the hot water out.

Looking at that website on pumps they state that a pump should never be connected to mains water pressure: if your system is overpowering the hot water I wonder if you have mains cold water.

The plumbing business we used was owned by a relative who reckoned pumps were often a source of trouble and this has certainly been in daily use for the last 10 years.

[stewart4364]

You have probably purchased a high pressure tap rather than a low pressure one if your hot water is supplied from a cold tank in the loft. Lets assume you live in a two storey house with the cold tank in the loft -- for every foot (300mm) the cold tank is above a particular tap or shower the pressure at that hot tap is 1/2 psi (pounds per square inch) -- if that distance is 10 feet you have a pressure in the hot tap of 5 psi. As the cold tap is usually taken direct from the mains the pressure difference between the hot and cold taps can be fairly large depending on where you live. In some areas of Caithness the mains pressure could be as high as 120 psi and with a hot tap pressure of 5 psi you can obviously see where the problem arises. You could probably go and have your dinner while the hot water is running in the bath. The best way but not the cheapest is to instal a non vented cistern which is fed direct from the mains , does away with the cold tank in the loft ( no more frozen water), and supplies the hot water at a similar pressure to the cold supply. This system has been common on the continent for many years but was only approved in Scotland probably in the last 15 to 20 years.