larger bore pie kitchen taps

[Alan]

I recently replaced the kitchen sink and taps, the water supply is fed from
the mains for the cold and a hot water tank fed from a storage tank on the
floor above. It's not a combi boiler setup.

The pressure of both the hot and cold from the previous taps was excellent.
The new taps are very much lower in pressure, the cold mains is barely
adequate and the hot is just a trickle.

The water is supplied by standard, I think 14 mm copper pipes and there is a
flexible metal coupling hose and that screws into the tap unit. It is
obviously this reduction in size but is causing the much lower pressure.

I didn't install the original taps. But they were connected to the 14 mm
copper pipes with what looks like a 14 mm to 12 mm reducer coupling. I'm not
sure what size the new internal pipe size is but it is obviously much
smaller.

I bought the taps from Homebase not realising that there was such a dramatic
difference. Can anyone suggest where I can buy attractive stainless steel
finished taps which will allow me to connect a larger bore of pipe? I've
been searching online and as far as I can see all the taps I've looked at
are connected by a flexible hose.

Thanks

Alan

[Chris J Dixon]

Alan wrote:

>I recently replaced the kitchen sink and taps, the water supply is fed from
>the mains for the cold and a hot water tank fed from a storage tank on the
>floor above. It's not a combi boiler setup.
>
>The pressure of both the hot and cold from the previous taps was excellent.
>The new taps are very much lower in pressure, the cold mains is barely
>adequate and the hot is just a trickle.
>
>The water is supplied by standard, I think 14 mm copper pipes and there is a
>flexible metal coupling hose and that screws into the tap unit. It is
>obviously this reduction in size but is causing the much lower pressure.
>

What does the documentation for the taps say about minimum
pressure?

Are they mixers?

Some of them include check valves, which can cause a significant
flow reduction.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK
ch...@cdixon.me.uk

Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

[Alan]

"Chris J Dixon" wrote in message
news:5gt8n7h9ipmpar8lj...@4ax.com...

"Water supplies shall be at reasonably balanced pressures and taken from a
common source (both from storage by gravity or both from the supply pipe)
Where the fitting is installed in domestic premises, supplies may be taken
from separate sources, in which case, we recommend installation of the non
return valve immediately up stream of the cold water inlet."

http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=110&storeId=10151&partNumber=866724

alan

[harry]

We are getting a lot of continental stuff in intended for mains
pressure.
You need to check before you buy. Some stuff works on both high and
low pressure.
They had some in Screwfix or go to a proper builder's merchant/
plumbing merchant.

Eg dual pressure here.
http://www.screwfix.com/p/swirl-loop-bathroom-basin-taps-pair/47431

[The Medway Handyman]

On 29/03/2012 15:03, Alan wrote:
> I recently replaced the kitchen sink and taps, the water supply is fed
> from the mains for the cold and a hot water tank fed from a storage tank
> on the floor above. It's not a combi boiler setup.
>
> The pressure of both the hot and cold from the previous taps was
> excellent. The new taps are very much lower in pressure, the cold mains
> is barely adequate and the hot is just a trickle.
>
> The water is supplied by standard, I think 14 mm copper pipes and there
> is a flexible metal coupling hose and that screws into the tap unit. It
> is obviously this reduction in size but is causing the much lower pressure.

I doubt it is the flexible. Much more likely the taps are designed for
a combi/high pressure set up. I come across this all the time.

>
> I didn't install the original taps. But they were connected to the 14 mm
> copper pipes with what looks like a 14 mm to 12 mm reducer coupling. I'm
> not sure what size the new internal pipe size is but it is obviously
> much smaller.
>
> I bought the taps from Homebase not realising that there was such a
> dramatic difference. Can anyone suggest where I can buy attractive
> stainless steel finished taps which will allow me to connect a larger
> bore of pipe? I've been searching online and as far as I can see all the
> taps I've looked at are connected by a flexible hose.

Go back to Homobase & tell them they are a bunch of numptys. They have
sold you the wrong taps. They should have asked or had information on
display informing customers about tap suitability. Wickes do so.

Buy your new taps from a proper plumbers merchants - tell them the set
up & they will sell you the right taps.



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

[BartC]

"Alan" <m...@me.com> wrote in message
news:POydnU-fEo0l9unS...@brightview.co.uk...

> I recently replaced the kitchen sink and taps, the water supply is fed
> from the mains for the cold and a hot water tank fed from a storage tank
> on the floor above. It's not a combi boiler setup.
>
> The pressure of both the hot and cold from the previous taps was
> excellent. The new taps are very much lower in pressure, the cold mains is
> barely adequate and the hot is just a trickle.

What sort of flow rates are you getting? (Turn tap on full, then measure how
many seconds it takes to fill a 1 litre jug. Divide that into 60 to get
litres/minute)

I get 15 litres/min for cold water from my kitchen tap, and 6 litres/min hot
(via a combi-boiler). Both from the same mixer tap.

(BTW is it allowed to have mains water, and water from a (possibly open)
storage tank, at the same mixer tap? I would have thought there would be
some contamination (of the drinking water coming from the tap).)

It sounds unlikely that a previously good flow would be reduced to a trickle
simply by using a smaller diameter pipe. (Presumably the gate valve from the
tank has been fully turned back on? The other taps are off?)

> I bought the taps from Homebase not realising that there was such a
> dramatic difference. Can anyone suggest where I can buy attractive
> stainless steel finished taps which will allow me to connect a larger bore
> of pipe?

Anything stylish-looking is likely to have those narrow tails to connect to.

> been searching online and as far as I can see all the taps I've looked at
> are connected by a flexible hose.

Was the hose supplied with the tap? Could it be buckled?

--
Bartc

[Alan]

>"BartC" wrote in message news:jl2btn$7fn$1...@dont-email.me...

cold 5.45 per minute
hot = 1 litre in 43 seconds

The hoses were supplied with the taps, didn't seem buckled when supplied, I
blew through them a couple of times and they seemed OK and still look OK
externally. No stress on them

The water supply to the taps is controlled by two stop valves directly below
it and they are fully on.

Previously the cold water pressure was so high that we regulated it by the
valve to less than half of the turn of the valve. If we didn't the water
bounced off the floor of the sink into the kitchen.

All other taps work still at their previous pressure.

Alan

[Alan]

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message news:We0dr.15180$ch4...@fx17.am4...

That sounds like sage advice.

Alan

[BartC]

"Alan" <m...@me.com> wrote in message

news:BbidnUSYxNdCT-nS...@brightview.co.uk...

>>"BartC" wrote in message news:jl2btn$7fn$1...@dont-email.me...

> "Alan" <m...@me.com> wrote in message
> news:POydnU-fEo0l9unS...@brightview.co.uk...

>> The pressure of both the hot and cold from the previous taps was
>> excellent. The new taps are very much lower in pressure, the cold mains
>> is
>> barely adequate and the hot is just a trickle.
>
>>What sort of flow rates are you getting?

>>I get 15 litres/min for cold water from my kitchen tap, and 6 litres/min
>>hot

> cold 5.45 per minute
> hot = 1 litre in 43 seconds

That sounds pretty poor, especially the hot water. Although it's been said
that the taps may be designed for high pressure, surely you would get better
than 6 litres/minute on mains water, especially if the pressure was good as
you said it used to be.

> The hoses were supplied with the taps, didn't seem buckled when supplied,
> I blew through them a couple of times and they seemed OK and still look OK
> externally. No stress on them
>
> The water supply to the taps is controlled by two stop valves directly
> below it and they are fully on.

It all sounds odd. Other than changing the mixer tap, I'd be tempted to take
it into the garden and experiment by feeding the tap+flexible pipe with a
garden hose or something. Or perhaps do that with just the flexible pipe
first.

However that would only be me being curious. If there's nothing wrong with
the taps (some pressure regulator washer or something you haven't taken
out), and there's nothing wrong with your water suppy (part-open the valve
without the tap plumbed in; if you half-flood your kitchen, it means
you haven't got an airlock or something), then there's not much to be done
apart from try a different tap. (Especially if you paid £105; you can get it
for a lot less.)

--
Bartc

[F Murtz]

Often they have a restriction in the difuser nozzle (ecological water
saving rubbish). If so remove it.