Question about plumbing in a new house

daisychain

I have a query about the tank in the hotpress, is it normal for this to be at floor level in a bungalow? We live in a bungalow, built for us by a contractor, and the tank is at floor level, well maybe 4 inches off the floor at the most.

Any other houses I've been in have had them raised a few feet off the ground, or upstairs? Something to do with pressure

Can anyone who knows about these things fill me in on what the logic of putting one on the ground is?

bbam

It won't affect the pressure at all... the pressure should be created from either the headder tank in the loft or the pump if its a pressurised system..

I cant think of a reason for either position except it might be easier to plumb if its up at waist height...

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong here...

Cheers
bam

daisychain

Thanks for such a quick response, the reason I put that question out there is that there is very little pressure in the taps in both the main bathroom and ensuite. I figured it mightn't just be the tank as the cold flow is the same (mixer taps not separate H&C) It has been like that since day 1, we didn't kick up too much of a fuss at the time because we had more serious plumbing f**k ups to deal with :mad:

One of the lads who was working for the plumbing contractor who did the job lived near us and we had to call him down once, he sorted out that problem, my other half mentioned it to him about the taps in the bathroom, there is very little water coming out at all. It takes a long time to wash hands, and faces get washed either in the kitchen sink or the shower. The plumber said they are high pressure taps, and we'd need to get in a high pressure tank for them to work properly.

I would like to know why a plumber would put in high pressure taps, which weren't asked for, and then a normal pressure tank. We have been advised to buy a high pressure tank (about €1200 for the tank alone I'm told) but can we not just get normal pressure taps?

bbam

I must admitt this has exceeded my plumbing knowledge... however I'd imagine mixing high & low pressure items might be the problem..

Also... no matter how many problems, you paid your hard earned cash and deserve to have them ALL resolved.

Cant you get the contractor back ??

smashey

Moved to DIY.

daisychain

Anyone?

scooter 007

hi i am a plumber and it has got to do with your taps on the basin like the other guy said to u. change the basin and get a two tap hole basin and u should be fine

BostonB

scooter 007 wrote: »

hi i am a plumber and it has got to do with your taps on the basin like the other guy said to u. change the basin and get a two tap hole basin and u should be fine

I don't get that. What has changing the basin got to do with it. Taps ok, but the basin?

ircoha

BostonB wrote: »

I don't get that. What has changing the basin got to do with it. Taps ok, but the basin?

most, but not all single/mixer taps are high p, most single taps are low p.

311

If the pressure is bad ,it's because the tank in the attic is not high enough.
The higher the tank is ,the faster the water will fall . It sounds like your tank is low and thats as much the builders fault as it is the plumbers.

Get them to raise the tank ,I've had to do it for people who wanted a gravity fed shower upstairs and everything worked fine after.

Occasionally ,the small flex-hoses underneath the basin will get kinked. This happens when the plumber compresses the fittings and the hoses twist. It's a long shot ,but have a look and see if they are straight. Also dirt and small black shavings from the new tank can get lodged in the smaller pipes I.E. high pressure taps.

bertie1

You could always put a pump at the hot press that will pressurise the both the hot & cold & sort your problem provided you havn't got an electric shower in the house plumbed off the same low pressure cold feed