21st floor condo low water pressure issue...need advice

[PGSan]

16 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

The water tank is at the roof of all high-rise buildings

We have a tank at the top (57th floor) and another on the 26th floor.  It is a classy place????.

[natway09]

I would get the hot water system checked out well first for any partial blockages, filter clear etc.

If only the shower this is the most obvious problem.

As mentioned a shower head with smaller jets or an adjustable head good idea

[DefaultName]

22 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Get those braided lines replaced, making sure that higher grade ones are used as cheap ones won't last. Replace the faucet/tap aerators as well. They can be had at Homepro these days.

 

Also, based on the OP saying he found crud in the tap aerator, if those are galvanized pipe nipples between the hidden pipework and the braided hoses, they may be really constricted with calcium build-up as well.

 

As mentioned earlier, placing a pump on a water mains inlet is illegal and you can't do it on MWA or PWA mains. Years ago on my first build in Thailand with chronically low water pressure, I placed my spare water pump on the inlet to fill my storage tank quicker. I had no problems with water pressure but my six neighbors along the cul-de-sac would only get a whistle of air from their taps when my pump was on! I then put a timer on it so that it only kicked on for a few hours overnight. After I was advised it was illegal, I doubled up on my water storage and removed the pump.

 

However, since condominium plumbing becomes the owners business once it is past the unit meter, maybe these booster pumps are permitted? AFAIK, pump-assisted commercial shower units and water heaters aren't available in Thailand. We had them in Myanmar, they were imported from Malaysia.

 

These ARE available (a similar item anyway), I got mine from HomePro last year, about ฿6,500 fitted if I remember correctly.  It makes a big difference.

 

It surprised me just how few of these there are, given the poor water pressure in many places here.

 

 

 

OP.  If there's a filter on your shower heater pipes, try cleaning that out first.

[jobsworth]

Chromium will auto translate if you ask it to.

 

[Deli]

Move to a lower floor

[Andrew Dwyer]

On 11/28/2020 at 10:14 AM, WaveHunter said:

 

 

Is it possible to get a simple “booster” pump to attach to bathroom water heater inlet from Lazada, that I can simply install myself?  I see a lot of listings for these type of pumps on Lazada and AliExpress, but the product descriptions and buyer feedback are mostly written in Thai and the Lazada site does not auto-translate so I don’t have a clue which ones might be effective for my needs.

 

Take a screenshot photo, open Google translate and in camera mode import and scan the photo, translate from Thai to English.

 

Simple !!

 The hardest part is trying to understand the translation ????

[LarryLEB]

On 11/28/2020 at 12:36 PM, 4reaL said:

Those braided lines look like <deleted>, so if you can remove them and check for crud inside then remove any kinks in the line - maybe  a simple solution to a hard problem.

Just 3 weeks ago, we replaced these braided lines in one of our bathrooms.  We went from zero hot water in the shower to a powerful flow.  (16th floor)  One line had corroded completely solid!

 

Great advice from 4reaL.

Edited November 29, 2020 by LarryLEB

[phantomfiddler]

You say you just moved into a 21st Floor Apartment, but neglected to say how many floors were above you !  Since most condos have a roof storage tank, if there are 2 or more floors above you the you should be getting loads of pressure, indicating partially blocked sections as many have suggested. I am on the top floor and the pressure is low but usable. Anywhere lower floor should be ok.

[Yellowtail]

2 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

You say you just moved into a 21st Floor Apartment, but neglected to say how many floors were above you !  Since most condos have a roof storage tank, if there are 2 or more floors above you the you should be getting loads of pressure, indicating partially blocked sections as many have suggested. I am on the top floor and the pressure is low but usable. Anywhere lower floor should be ok.

 

Decent water pressure in a home is about 50 PSI (~3.5 Bar) to get that kind of pressure from elevation alone you'd need about 35m or at least ten floors. 

[ChaiyaTH]

Maybe your upstair neighbour is that Thai youtuber who puts jacuzzi's in his condo.

[The Theory]

Have you checked pressure before water heater ? If pressure is good at faucet and toilet then you have missed something.

 

 

Edited November 29, 2020 by The Theory

[ericthai]

On 11/28/2020 at 5:23 AM, Dmaxdan said:

Would you like me to give you another analogy as to why forcing water through a smaller space increases pressure?

Picture this, a slow, meandering river suddenly flows through a narrow rocky gorge. What happens? any guesses? No? Okay, I will enlighten you. You get rapids. This is because the same amount of water is now being forced through a smaller space.

Not actually correct. The pressure increase will result in flow loss, so the volume of water is reduced. 

Then you still need to consider friction, elevation, etc. I'm not going to go into details on hydrodynamics.

 

[whaleboneman]

On 11/28/2020 at 2:30 AM, Cake Monster said:

Placing any kind of Pump, or restricting the Shower Head Etc with small holes will certainly give you more pressure.

Unfortunetley the down side to this, is that here will be considerably more back pressure in the Water pie, which could lead to leaks and possible ruptures.

You will then be responsible for the Repairs, and this could be to several other Condo Apartments.

My advice is because the Room is Rented by you, the Landlord is responsible. Get him to sort the issue out, or terminate the contract citing poor water supply.

There would be more pressure when shower is off then when the tiny shower head holes are opened. And nothing is bursting then. Shower head hole size makes no difference to water supply system.

[WaveHunter]

On 11/28/2020 at 2:31 PM, NanLaew said:

Get those braided lines replaced, making sure that higher grade ones are used as cheap ones won't last. Replace the faucet/tap aerators as well. They can be had at Homepro these days.

 

Also, based on the OP saying he found crud in the tap aerator, if those are galvanized pipe nipples between the hidden pipework and the braided hoses, they may be really constricted with calcium build-up as well.

 

As mentioned earlier, placing a pump on a water mains inlet is illegal and you can't do it on MWA or PWA mains. Years ago on my first build in Thailand with chronically low water pressure, I placed my spare water pump on the inlet to fill my storage tank quicker. I had no problems with water pressure but my six neighbors along the cul-de-sac would only get a whistle of air from their taps when my pump was on! I then put a timer on it so that it only kicked on for a few hours overnight. After I was advised it was illegal, I doubled up on my water storage and removed the pump.

 

However, since condominium plumbing becomes the owners business once it is past the unit meter, maybe these booster pumps are permitted? AFAIK, pump-assisted commercial shower units and water heaters aren't available in Thailand. We had them in Myanmar, they were imported from Malaysia.

 

@NanLaew You’re solution sounds like the best one, all things considered, though I sincerely appreciate all the advice from everyone who has replied.

 

I want to ask you:

 

1) have you actually used them, and do they work well at increasing pressure and heat (my present water heater is pretty weak)

 

2). I noticed in the description that the unit is DC powered.  Does this mean it is battery powered?  If so, how long does a charge last, and how is it recharged.

 

[WaveHunter]

On 11/28/2020 at 5:23 PM, Dmaxdan said:

Would you like me to give you another analogy as to why forcing water through a smaller space increases pressure?

Picture this, a slow, meandering river suddenly flows through a narrow rocky gorge. What happens? any guesses? No? Okay, I will enlighten you. You get rapids. This is because the same amount of water is now being forced through a smaller space. The exact same principal applies to shower heads. The smaller the holes, the more the pressure increases. Like it or not, that is a scientific fact. 

No offense but I think your analogy is flawed.  Fluids are not compressible.  Decreasing the diameter of shower holes will only increase pressure at the expense of volume.  

The only reasons rivers flow faster through confined areas is because volume is not restricted.  Instead, it is able to rise in height as it passes through narrow sections, thus volume is not impeded.

Edited November 30, 2020 by WaveHunter

[AlfHuy]

Move to the 08th floor.

Gravity.

[AlfHuy]

On 11/28/2020 at 2:31 PM, NanLaew said:

Get those braided lines replaced, making sure that higher grade ones are used as cheap ones won't last. Replace the faucet/tap aerators as well. They can be had at Homepro these days.

 

Also, based on the OP saying he found crud in the tap aerator, if those are galvanized pipe nipples between the hidden pipework and the braided hoses, they may be really constricted with calcium build-up as well.

 

As mentioned earlier, placing a pump on a water mains inlet is illegal and you can't do it on MWA or PWA mains. Years ago on my first build in Thailand with chronically low water pressure, I placed my spare water pump on the inlet to fill my storage tank quicker. I had no problems with water pressure but my six neighbors along the cul-de-sac would only get a whistle of air from their taps when my pump was on! I then put a timer on it so that it only kicked on for a few hours overnight. After I was advised it was illegal, I doubled up on my water storage and removed the pump.

 

However, since condominium plumbing becomes the owners business once it is past the unit meter, maybe these booster pumps are permitted? AFAIK, pump-assisted commercial shower units and water heaters aren't available in Thailand. We had them in Myanmar, they were imported from Malaysia.

 

Price in Ringit?

 

Let me guess: You are connected through a VPN via Malaysia.

 

Just asking for a friend.

[AlfHuy]

On 11/28/2020 at 4:21 PM, Dmaxdan said:

Perhaps the simplest and cheapest solution is to buy a shower head with very tiny holes. (Many are available on Lazada) Forcing water through a smaller hole will always increase the pressure. Think about what happens when you put your thumb over the end of a hose pipe. 

 

Forcing through a small whole will always increase pressure. Really?

[AlfHuy]

On 11/28/2020 at 5:24 PM, johng said:

In a 21 storey building the water pressure on the lower floors could be tremendous if they have water tanks on the roof  ????

It's like taking a shower with a Karcher.

[johng]

3 minutes ago, AlfHuy said:

It's like taking a shower with a Karcher.

Maybe with a "Professional Puzzi"  ????

[AlfHuy]

4 minutes ago, johng said:

Maybe with a "Professional Puzzi"  ????

I used this, once in a while for my private parts.

[Dumbastheycome]

Have not read all the comments but is there a filter on the inlet to the water heater that is clogged? Some have , some do not.

[tinca tinca]

are there any maintainene workera at condo.....??

get them to do the work.....!!

[Andrew Dwyer]

2 hours ago, AlfHuy said:

I used this, once in a while for my private parts.

For hygiene or purely for sexual gratification purposes ??

 

Asking for a friend ????

[Mattd]

As mentioned by several, the first things you need to do are:

1. Turn off the main water supply in to the condo.

2. Remove the braided hoses, both hot and cold.

3. Check the fittings in the wall, these have a nasty habit of collecting dirt / rusting if not brass, a small screwdriver can be used to fish out the majority of the dirt, if you have somebody to help, then a quick on and off of the mains with flush the rest out.

4. Replace the braided hoses with good quality ones.

5. Back flush the water heater, these can get blocked with dirt, to do this, turn off the electrical power to the water heater (breaker), attach the cold water feed hose from the wall to the hot water output of the water heater, connect the remaining hose to the cold water input on the heater and put the free end in to a bucket or bowl, turn the main water supply on for a minute or so to flush the tubes out in the heater, once completed, reconnect the hoses to the correct sequence, i.e. cold water feed to the cold water input and hot water output to the hot water connection in the wall.

6. Replace the shower head and hose.

If none of this helps, then look at getting a powered shower.

[johng]

Here is what I found inside  a shower tap recently..orrible !!!

[WaveHunter]

On 11/28/2020 at 2:31 PM, NanLaew said:

 

 

Hey everyone, thanks for all the great input, especially @NanLaew ????  I did some research and found absolutely nothing like this available in Thailand but found high-quality units like this readily available at low prices from a Chinese manufacturer and they are willing to ship me a sample unit (based on me possibly placing a larger order) for only 2,000 THB!  Here's a YouTube video they posted:

 

 

 

It mounts in-shower, delivers a maximum temperature of 55 Celsius, and should boost pressure from what it is now, which is around 3 liters per minute to about 5 Liters.  I was hoping it would be more since the standard flow rate in hotels is usually around 7-8 Litres per minute, but maybe 5L should be OK (I'm hoping).  They say the operating water pressure for this model is 0-0.6Mpa.  I don't really understand what MPa is.  DO any of you guys have a clue if this should be sufficient?

 

Considering that I found absolutely no such products with an in-shower pressure boosting pump being sold in Thailand (i.e.: Lazada) or any of the home improvement chains, I'm wondering if maybe I should consider importing them and selling them myself on Lazada!  I think I could list them on Lazada with a selling price of around 3,500 THB. 

 

I mean there are a lot of hi-rise condominiums here where hi-floor dwellers probably have the same problem as I do.  What do you guys think...is there a market for an easy to install in-shower heater/pressure pump unit like this one?

 

 

Edited December 2, 2020 by WaveHunter

[bankruatsteve]

1 hour ago, WaveHunter said:

They say the operating water pressure for this model is 0-0.6Mpa.  I don't really understand what MPa is.  DO any of you guys have a clue if this should be sufficient?

0.6 Mpa is 6 bar.  Most home pumps provide about 2 bar give or take.

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, WaveHunter said:

Considering that I found absolutely no such products with an in-shower pressure boosting pump being sold in Thailand (i.e.: Lazada) or any of the home improvement chains, I'm wondering if maybe I should consider importing them and selling them myself on Lazada!

You have a work permit?
 

No? I didn’t think so.

Even if you do Thai resellers will be undercutting your price by 1,000 Baht almost instantly 

[WaveHunter]

18 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

You have a work permit?
 

No? I didn’t think so.

Even if you do Thai resellers will be undercutting your price by 1,000 Baht almost instantly 

With all due respect, you don't know what you are talking about with regard to needing a work permit to sell on Lazada, though I can appreciate your concerns.  I have been a selling products on Lazada for several years, and from a Thai legal perspective, no work permit is needed. 

 

Since my company is based outside of Thailand, and Lazada, a Singapore based company conducts business on my behalf with Thai consumers, I am technically and legally not conducting any business within the Kingdom of Thailand.

 

Thai consumers pay Lazada (not me), and then Lazada pays me .  Therefore I am doing business from a US based company and being paid by a Singapore based company. 

 

I consulted a Thai attorney before opening a Lazada account and what I say is perfectly correct and legal in all regards.

 

As for being undercut by Thai sellers, dealing with competition is the name of the game in successful online selling.  Currently there is no competition for this product in Thailand, but if other sellers follow me into the marketplace, I have just as much opportunity to maintain competitive advantage as they do.