pump supplies too much water pressure for hot shower

[lopburi3]

Understand - just be sure your electric supply can handle the larger wattage and that installer properly grounds unit.  You could use the half open tap on the sink in the meantime to see if that helps you get a decent shower using a lower flow from your shower (keeping the pump working).

 

As for the above LPG option well remember when point of use units were common here - and cold season deaths were also common.  They must have good ventilation, and most did not have external vents, to keep breathable air in your bathroom - and on cold days people often closed windows!  

If you use a western large storage unit you are wasting space/fuel and have to have double the plumbing and much higher priced fixtures (mixers).

[VocalNeal]

My 6-6.5 kW unit struggled this morning. The temp control light did not come on at my "normal" temp. 

 

OP is your unit new? If not give it a run through with vinegar to clean of any calcium build up. It won't make a huge difference but every bit counts. 

 

remove both hoses from the unit. let the water drain out. Then elevate the hoses and pour vinegar in one hose until it comes out of the other. Leave it for a while.

[Issanman]

7 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

OP is your unit new? If not give it a run through with vinegar to clean of any calcium build up. It won't make a huge difference but every bit counts. 

The house is only about 2 years old. Everything appears new and unused although I am sure there was at least one previous tenant.

[lopburi3]

1 minute ago, Issanman said:

The house is only about 2 years old. Everything appears new and unused although I am sure there was at least one previous tenant.

You do not appear to have a flow issue from what you have said so should not need the vinegar treatment (at any rate not help your current issue) - here in Bangkok I never use but probably useful for most well water occasionally.  

[Issanman]

On 12/20/2017 at 11:01 AM, bankruatsteve said:

Except it's likely the current shower is wired with 2.5mm2 on a 20 amp breaker and 7Kw would need 6mm2 on a 32 amp breaker.  He could go to 4500 watt on 2.5mm2 but probably still not get a HOT shower.

I just checked and the wiring is 2.5mm2 on 32 amp breaker.

Probably not big enough for the 6kw unit I had planned to order. 

I will need someone to run a bigger wire. Lucky it's a very short run. Maybe 4 meters.

I'll stick my head up in the attic and maybe do it myself, depending on how it looks up there.

Would 4mm2 be big enough for 6kw? I have a big coil of that here already.

[canopy]

24 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

As for the above LPG option...

 

I can't talk about LPG units from days gone by, but the instructions with my LPG heater say it must be mounted outside and so it is. So such types might even be safer than the electric type that fry a few people every year.

 

If you use a western large storage unit...

 

And I never recommended doing a whole house with a western style storage tank system. I small tank plumbed specifically at the shower could be compact, cheap, and easy which is what the OP wants. And the beauty is no sacrificing flow for heat.

 

[VocalNeal]

LPG water heaters are very popular in Indonesia where most homes have low current electricity installation. Two largish gas bottles with change-over valves outside 

 

Downside? The gas always runs out in the middle of a shower! 

[lopburi3]

17 minutes ago, canopy said:

 

I can't talk about LPG units from days gone by, but the instructions with my LPG heater say it must be mounted outside and so it is. So such types might even be safer than the electric type that fry a few people every year.

 

If you use a western large storage unit...

 

And I never recommended doing a whole house with a western style storage tank system. I small tank plumbed specifically at the shower could be compact, cheap, and easy which is what the OP wants. And the beauty is no sacrificing flow for heat.

 

The thing is he has a rental so such modification would not likely be appreciated by owner.  The old units also had a very hard time during summer months as they could not keep heating down to the almost none required - had to manually block 2 of the 3 burners on mine.

[canopy]

The gas always runs out in the middle of a shower! 

 

There are automatic change over valves.

 

[LPG] had a very hard time during summer months 

 

Good point. LPG heaters typically specify minimum in addition to maximum heating but calculating the minimum for your particular usage might not be an easy task.

 

[wayned]

1 hour ago, VocalNeal said:

Downside? The gas always runs out in the middle of a shower! 

With an electric heater, when the electric goes off it doesn't matter whether the water is hot or not, I'm usually all soaped up and the pump turns off so no water period, hot or cold!

[Andrew Dwyer]

With an electric heater, when the electric goes off it doesn't matter whether the water is hot or not, I'm usually all soaped up and the pump turns off so no water period, hot or cold!

And then you have to call the wife in for a “soapy “

Watch out, she is gonna find out you are controlling it with a remote one of these days !

[VocalNeal]

Indo has small ones 5 litres a min water flow. I think I would use a mixer tap/faucet.

 

Oh BTW it happens in Indo as well

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/12/15/bali-beauty-blogger-dies-of-electrocution-from-broken-water-heater.html

[wayned]

3 hours ago, Issanman said:

Would 4mm2 be big enough for 6kw? I have a big coil of that here already.

4mm2 for the heater will be okay with the existing 32 amp breaker.  But remember, the new heater will not have the same mounting footprint as the old one and most likely the electric will enter the heater at a different location, so it a bit more than just the wiring.

[bankruatsteve]

4 hours ago, Issanman said:

I just checked and the wiring is 2.5mm2 on 32 amp breaker.

Probably not big enough for the 6kw unit I had planned to order. 

I will need someone to run a bigger wire. Lucky it's a very short run. Maybe 4 meters.

I'll stick my head up in the attic and maybe do it myself, depending on how it looks up there.

Would 4mm2 be big enough for 6kw? I have a big coil of that here already.

An alternative option is to run another 2.5mm² giving 5mm² which will be OK also.  Just separately combine the N and L from each cable at the shower and the breaker.

[Crossy]

Yeah, 4mm² will be fine, as will adding another parallel run of 2.5mm² (keep the cables as close as possible in length).

 

[VocalNeal]

5 hours ago, canopy said:

There are automatic change over valves.

 

Just out of interest do they tell you they have changed. Otherwise at sometime you will run out of gas and have no backup! I suspect one still has to monitor the gas situation? 

 

Just saying. 

Edited December 27, 2017 by VocalNeal

[canopy]

Yes it is visible when an automatic change over valve switches to the other tank.