Increasing Water Pressure In theShower

[starky]

Apologies if this is in the wrong forum. I live in rural Thailand and run off local water. Water pressure for the rest of the house is good but in the shower it is atrocious. Plus I want to get rid of that terrible box on the wall with the handheld shower attachment the Thai's seem to love. All I want is a regular shower. I don't know much about plumbing but I assume I would just buy an external water heater, connect it to some sort of pump and then run it to a normal shower rose that I would fit in the bathroom. Is this pretty much right? Thanks in advance for any advice

[gerry123]

with respect sir i suggest you keep just thinking about and employ someone who knows what they are doing

but having said that getting someone who is competent could be quite a task in its self good luck

[IMHO]

First off, remove the shower head from the shower hose and see how the hose alone flows... It's very common for the little bits of PVC pipe from saw-cutting to get stuck in shower head holes, impeding flow.

If that's not it, a storage tank style water heater will give you better flow rate than the on-the-fly heater you have now, but will very likely require some smashing of walls to get fitted. If you're happy with the pressure & flow rate of your cold water supply, you won't need any extra pumps.

[spidermike007]

A good pump works wonders. All homes with water pressure issue should have one.

[starky]

Have absolutely no intention of doing it myself. I was hoping that someone on here who had knowledge of the subject could give me a rough outline of what I would need. Asking the Thai's can sometimes be difficult and I don't want to purchase anything uneccesary. So having some foresight into what was required before asking around I thought might be helpful to me. As I said in rural Thailand there aren't a lot of plumbers around.

[starky]

First off, remove the shower head from the shower hose and see how the hose alone flows... It's very common for the little bits of PVC pipe from saw-cutting to get stuck in shower head holes, impeding flow.

If that's not it, a storage tank style water heater will give you better flow rate than the on-the-fly heater you have now, but will very likely require some smashing of walls to get fitted. If you're happy with the pressure & flow rate of your cold water supply, you won't need any extra pumps.

Thanks mate Just gave it a run then. The flow to the box seems alright. Its coming out of the heater to the showerhead the flow doesn't seem so good. Might be time for a different showerhead. It's not going to be great but a little better, ideally I would rather get rid of the on the fly style

[IMHO]

Have absolutely no intention of doing it myself. I was hoping that someone on here who had knowledge of the subject could give me a rough outline of what I would need. Asking the Thai's can sometimes be difficult and I don't want to purchase anything uneccesary. So having some foresight into what was required before asking around I thought might be helpful to me. As I said in rural Thailand there aren't a lot of plumbers around.

How stable is your water supply, and how clean is the water? If you're going to work on the system, you probably should use a design that fixes those problems too, if they exist.

[cooked]

First off, remove the shower head from the shower hose and see how the hose alone flows... It's very common for the little bits of PVC pipe from saw-cutting to get stuck in shower head holes, impeding flow.

If that's not it, a storage tank style water heater will give you better flow rate than the on-the-fly heater you have now, but will very likely require some smashing of walls to get fitted. If you're happy with the pressure & flow rate of your cold water supply, you won't need any extra pumps.

Thanks mate Just gave it a run then. The flow to the box seems alright. Its coming out of the heater to the showerhead the flow doesn't seem so good. Might be time for a different showerhead. It's not going to be great but a little better, ideally I would rather get rid of the on the fly style

Having a cheap plastic shower head I made the holes bigger with a nail. Worked immediately.

sent from phone using bih thumbs

[chrisinth]

The simplest way of doing it is to plumb an electric well/lift pump into the system somewhere between the water meter and the house. As it is electric, you will obviously need a power supply. You can get these pumps almost everywhere, most of the big companies produce them and they are anywhere between 4 - 8,000 baht for a decent one. If you do go for this option, try and get one with a stainless steel reservoir as this will last a lifetime.

As for the electric showers, these are perfectly safe as long as they have been earthed correctly, with the pump added to the system (with the air valve setup properly) it will be a completely different experience...................

[bankruatsteve]

Most of those units have a flow control somewhere. Did you play with that? If the unit and/or shower head is restricting the flow, you can get chemicals (forget the brand) at Home Pro, etc. and try flushing out built up scale.

But, if you live in rural area, your chances of finding an experienced plumber to install tank water heater are very slim. Suggest you go to Home Pro (or the like) and check price for them to provide installation.

Personally, I like these on-demand heaters as they are much more efficient than keeping a tank of water hot. The 3500W units do struggle to heat water less than about 15C at more than a dribble. I recently upgraded to 4500W and that is marginally better (let's say adequate) but still can't handle full flow.

[lopburi3]

As said above almost all with have a screen filter and flow control valve just before water enters heater - adjust for max flow after cleaning filter. Make sure you have a ground on water heater if you plan to replace and that unit has a built in ELCD/RCCD test switch. Should be another at main power distribution box also to protect before the on/off switch in unit. This type of heater is normal in Thailand but unless you have a good water pump will not give much water pressure for showers (if you want a strong hotel type shower). But remember water pipes in house might have to be replaced if real 4 bar or 50/60psi water pressure is supplied by a new pump. Also pump would require a storage tank to draw from.

[starky]

The simplest way of doing it is to plumb an electric well/lift pump into the system somewhere between the water meter and the house. As it is electric, you will obviously need a power supply. You can get these pumps almost everywhere, most of the big companies produce them and they are anywhere between 4 - 8,000 baht for a decent one. If you do go for this option, try and get one with a stainless steel reservoir as this will last a lifetime.

As for the electric showers, these are perfectly safe as long as they have been earthed correctly, with the pump added to the system (with the air valve setup properly) it will be a completely different experience...................

Thanks chrisinth sounds like a fairly easy, economical solution will look into that first before I go the whole tank/ hot water system route. To everyone else thanks for your replies but it is hard to reply to everyone my internet is slow as up here but I appreciate for all the info. Cheers

[kevc]

Done know if you've tried this but theres usually a guaze filter us in the shower head just take it out with a screwdriver and should make a difference

[arjunadawn]

I posted a related topic a few weeks ago, but I do not want to change more than the pressure at the heater/head area inside shower area. You seem willing to do what i would love done- anything and everything- but I am only renting. I had a lot of good tips from folks. Primarily, hooking the shower hose directly to the wall, bypassing the heater, and determining if that increases the pressure, etc. This answers and suggests obvious choices you then most make. But there was really helpful tips from changing the heater as some also increase pressure (I have yet to prove this is true) to cleaning the various filters. In my case, the water pressure seems super great everywhere except in the damn shower. But in your case, I do wish you luck. I think it is an interesting topic and I hope you get some inexpensive, competent help to make this an excellent shower for you- I would of course be jealous!

[johnopolo]

Don't rush out and do anything impulsive, there are many potential pitfalls in your situation.

Firstly, bear in mind that if you do manage to increase the flow rate of your shower, you will certainly reduce the water temperature: more water through the heater equals lower water temperature out. Your obvious option would then seem to be a higher wattage instant water heater. However, can your existing electricity supply provide the power required for a decent shower in cold weather? You need to get a definitive answer to that question before you splash out on a new heater.

Sight unseen, my advice is to replace your existing electric water heater with two on-demand 12kW LPG water heaters. NB those units MUST be mounted on an outside wall (just drill a hole or two - even a 50mm hole is easy to drill through a brick wall). Hook those two heaters up in series and you will think you've died and gone to heaven.

Temperatures here dropped to 8 Celsius a couple of days ago and I still couldn't run my hot water at full blast, despite having a 30cm shower head: I would have been cooked. Typically, in winter (in the chilly far north), I set the output at about 70% and use about 80% of that when it's really cold. In summer, I disable one of the units (simply press the Off button) so I'm then running at 50% of winter usage.

The units I have are dead easy for someone with a few basic skills to install and are quite safe. Best of all, two of those units shouldn't set you back more than 6000 baht in total (no typo) - units only, no installation or installation fittings, mixer tap, LPG cylinder, gas or inline pump included. You will need at least 2.4 kPa water pressure to push sufficient water through both units, but you will probably have needed a pump whichever route you took ....

Allowing for manufacturer's literary license, go try and buy any other household water heating system that will deliver even remotely close to 18kW on demand.

PM me if you want some pictures ....

[masuk]

Check all the fittings into and out of the shower.

I had the same problem, and found that small granules of charcoal from the water supply had blocked two different filters. If you have your own source of water, could be you've got sand or similar.

It could also be a limestone build up in the coils.

[jakobvarming]

First off, remove the shower head from the shower hose and see how the hose alone flows... It's very common for the little bits of PVC pipe from saw-cutting to get stuck in shower head holes, impeding flow.

If that's not it, a storage tank style water heater will give you better flow rate than the on-the-fly heater you have now, but will very likely require some smashing of walls to get fitted. If you're happy with the pressure & flow rate of your cold water supply, you won't need any extra pumps.

Thanks mate Just gave it a run then. The flow to the box seems alright. Its coming out of the heater to the showerhead the flow doesn't seem so good. Might be time for a different showerhead. It's not going to be great but a little better, ideally I would rather get rid of the on the fly style

Hi Starky,

I know a bit about construction work, it's my trade. You're welcome to PM me if you want my help.

Cheers!

[jacko45k]

First off, remove the shower head from the shower hose and see how the hose alone flows... It's very common for the little bits of PVC pipe from saw-cutting to get stuck in shower head holes, impeding flow.

If that's not it, a storage tank style water heater will give you better flow rate than the on-the-fly heater you have now, but will very likely require some smashing of walls to get fitted. If you're happy with the pressure & flow rate of your cold water supply, you won't need any extra pumps.

And rust, and dead geckos and stones. You are right, my hot water was running slow and opening up all the connections that were screw-able and removing debris worked a lot. I was considering a storage heated water tank, but locating it was presenting concerns. So I have an electric on-demand heater in the bathroom, supplying sink and shower and redundant bath. This time of year, when incoming water is likely very cold, one can also be constrained by the power of the water heater. (Temperature is often increased by choking off the flow). I put a higher rated unit in, of course being mindful of the wiring and supply breaker limitations.

OP, the way you are thinking you will need to run 2 lines to the shower, a hot and a cold supply, and hence mixing taps. At least the local electric shower, hand held is simple and temperature can be set there.

Edited December 26, 2014 by jacko45k

[Crossy]

All good stuff above.

I will however add a warning for those contemplating a boost pump.

Don't pump direct from the mains!

It's illegal (but many ignore that) and you stand a good chance of sucking the contents of next doors duck pond into the supply (check valves are rarely fitted to outdoor taps) which is not something you want.

A small (1000L) buffer tank is the way to go, it will see you past the inevitable short supply interruptions too. A simple sediment filter on the incoming supply will keep out the large crunchy bits.

[billrose]

All good stuff above.

I will however add a warning for those contemplating a boost pump.

Don't pump direct from the mains!

It's illegal (but many ignore that) and you stand a good chance of sucking the contents of next doors duck pond into the supply (check valves are rarely fitted to outdoor taps) which is not something you want.

A small (1000L) buffer tank is the way to go, it will see you past the inevitable short supply interruptions too. A simple sediment filter on the incoming supply will keep out the large crunchy bits.

Good advice from Crossy!

Whatever you do you must not fit a pump direct to the incoming water supply. You must have a storage tank in between. As Crossy says, a 1000L tank will normally be sufficient unless you have regular supply interruptions for long periods, in which case you'll need something bigger.

Edited December 27, 2014 by billrose

[harrry]

Another thing is if youu have more pressure through the heater it can only heat the water to a lower temperature. I find that my 6000watt Panasonic is the minimum for a proper hot shower but I live in Chiangrai. Those who live in the tropics may fare better with a small one.

[KhnomKhnom]

Unless your shower head or pipes are dirty... and you cleaned them... the best way to get good pressure and hot water in volume is to do this:

Install a 30-40 gallon tank type water heater and put it above the level of your shower head. That will give you lots of hot water and the downward pressure of gravity will add to your pressure. Be sure the tank will fill from the supply fast enough to keep the tank at least half full.

Mount the tank outside and its heating will be helped 10 mos of year by Thailand sun and weather.

[IMHO]

Unless your shower head or pipes are dirty... and you cleaned them... the best way to get good pressure and hot water in volume is to do this:

Install a 30-40 gallon tank type water heater and put it above the level of your shower head. That will give you lots of hot water and the downward pressure of gravity will add to your pressure. Be sure the tank will fill from the supply fast enough to keep the tank at least half full.

Mount the tank outside and its heating will be helped 10 mos of year by Thailand sun and weather.

It would have to be *very* high up to make a meaningful improvement to pressure - not counting pipe losses, each 70CM in height above the outlet = only 1 PSI. A good, strong shower needs 35-45 PSI.

That's the reason all the water towers you see are so tall

Edited December 27, 2014 by IMHO

[beau thai]

I had similar problems and found a website in UK via google called showerpowerbooster. Worth reading.

I was looking for a simple solution like buying a 'low flow' shower head but couldnt find one in Chiang Mai.

Also most hoses from heater to shower head have 10mm internal diameter- apparently a 15mm ID is better but again, couldnt find one.

Yesterday I dismantled the shower head which has a plastic disk inside about 5-6mm diameter. That had a smallish aperture which I drilled to twice the size and suddenly my shower is fine- good strong flow from the head.

I dont understand all this stuff and dont have the knowledge some guys have on Thaivisa but this worked for me and was quick and easy.

Hope it helps.

[starky]

I had similar problems and found a website in UK via google called showerpowerbooster. Worth reading.

I was looking for a simple solution like buying a 'low flow' shower head but couldnt find one in Chiang Mai.

Also most hoses from heater to shower head have 10mm internal diameter- apparently a 15mm ID is better but again, couldnt find one.

Yesterday I dismantled the shower head which has a plastic disk inside about 5-6mm diameter. That had a smallish aperture which I drilled to twice the size and suddenly my shower is fine- good strong flow from the head.

I dont understand all this stuff and dont have the knowledge some guys have on Thaivisa but this worked for me and was quick and easy.

Hope it helps.

Thanks mate will have a look cheers

[jacky54]

with respect sir i suggest you keep just thinking about and employ someone who knows what they are doing

In Thailand that can be a challenge

[German Viking]

Done know if you've tried this but theres usually a guaze filter us in the shower head just take it out with a screwdriver and should make a difference

This is the right way to do it going from the shower head backwards and check part by part to avoid any unneccessary costs.