Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


blackjack17

1705 posts

Uber Geek


#251687 6-Jul-2019 19:56
Send private message

Have just brought a 1920s house and it has a low pressure hot water cylinder.  Looks to be relatively new 2009. and all the plumping has been replaced (as has the electrics)

 

So what does this mean?  Showers with no pressure?  When we tried the taps it felt normal.

 

 

It is also only a 135L one. 

 

Does any one know how much it would cost to replace with a mains pressure full size one?

 

 





View this topic in a long page with up to 500 replies per page Create new topic
 1 | 2
DjShadow
4084 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted

  #2271148 6-Jul-2019 19:58
Send private message

To me it means your shower won't feel like a deluge/water blaster. There are options out there to replace it with Infinity running off LPG or Natural Gas.




Aredwood
3885 posts

Uber Geek


  #2271150 6-Jul-2019 20:08

Just try the shower and see how it performs. Just dont expect a water blaster. Although if you are used to mains pressure, you would probably be disappointed no matter what.

Biggest problem is usually really low flow rates to the kitchen and basin taps if they are single lever mixers. A correctly setup shower can still deliver 10L per min on low pressure. It definitely helps that the cylinder is in the ceiling.

Without seeing the job, budget 2.5K plus electrical costs for converting to mains pressure electric or LPG.





DjShadow
4084 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted

  #2271152 6-Jul-2019 20:11
Send private message

Aredwood: Just try the shower and see how it performs. Just dont expect a water blaster. Although if you are used to mains pressure, you would probably be disappointed no matter what.

Biggest problem is usually really low flow rates to the kitchen and basin taps if they are single lever mixers. A correctly setup shower can still deliver 10L per min on low pressure. It definitely helps that the cylinder is in the ceiling.

Without seeing the job, budget 2.5K plus electrical costs for converting to mains pressure electric or LPG.

 

Have a look on Trademe under "Services", I've seen in the past a number of plumbers doing an all inclusive offer for switching to Gas/LPG




nickb800
2715 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #2271164 6-Jul-2019 20:13
Send private message

As above - give the shower a go first. If it's not good enough, then an upgraded shower head may help - Methven satinjet can deliver a great shower on a low flow/pressure


blackjack17

1705 posts

Uber Geek


  #2271165 6-Jul-2019 20:14
Send private message

Aredwood: Just try the shower and see how it performs. Just dont expect a water blaster. Although if you are used to mains pressure, you would probably be disappointed no matter what.

Biggest problem is usually really low flow rates to the kitchen and basin taps if they are single lever mixers. A correctly setup shower can still deliver 10L per min on low pressure. It definitely helps that the cylinder is in the ceiling.

Without seeing the job, budget 2.5K plus electrical costs for converting to mains pressure electric or LPG.

 

The cylinder isn't in the ceiling it is in the basement.

 

Also no gas on the street and my understanding LPG is pretty expensive for water heating isn't is?





Aredwood
3885 posts

Uber Geek


  #2271168 6-Jul-2019 20:18

blackjack17:

Aredwood: Just try the shower and see how it performs. Just dont expect a water blaster. Although if you are used to mains pressure, you would probably be disappointed no matter what.

Biggest problem is usually really low flow rates to the kitchen and basin taps if they are single lever mixers. A correctly setup shower can still deliver 10L per min on low pressure. It definitely helps that the cylinder is in the ceiling.

Without seeing the job, budget 2.5K plus electrical costs for converting to mains pressure electric or LPG.


The cylinder isn't in the ceiling it is in the basement.


Also no gas on the street and my understanding LPG is pretty expensive for water heating isn't is?



Definitely not so good with the cylinder underneath the floor.


LPG water heating is likely cheaper if you are on a Low User power pricing plan. Also depends on if you can get cheap night rate power in your area.





DjShadow
4084 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted

  #2271169 6-Jul-2019 20:23
Send private message

Also remember gas is heat on demand, you are not paying power to keep your cylinder hot all day when it's not in use.


 
 
 

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.
Scott3
3963 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

  #2271199 6-Jul-2019 22:13
Send private message

As others have said, Give it a try. Low pressure hot water cylinders are extremely common in New Zealand. You probiably have used one in a motel or similar without even knowing.

7.6m of head is sufficient to give a decent shower, especially when used with a mixer (typically methven brand) and shower heads that are designed for low pressure systems.

Long pipe runs, and gains in elevation can make a shower very weak.

My parents house has a low pressure, atmosphere vented (less than the 7.6 meters of head you get from a relief valve) cylinder. This is the typical set up for cylinder plumbed to the wet back of a wood fire.

The down stairs shower is fine, but the upstairs one sucks (very long pipe run & elevation gain).

 

DjShadow:

 

Also remember gas is heat on demand, you are not paying power to keep your cylinder hot all day when it's not in use.

 

 

True, but the heat losses are kinda small, especially on standard user power charges.

For modern cylinders, at the 135L size, MEPS requires that they have a standing loss of less than 1.4Kwh/day at a temperature differential of 55Deg. This is pretty much a worst case, and most cylinders will preform better than the minimum, and the 55 degree temperature differential is quite a lot. At minimum MEPS proformance, and my marginal power price of 15.53c/kWh, that works out to $80 per year. That's a less than bottle rental (for 45kg LPG Bottles), and a lot less than the monthly fee for a natural gas connection.

 

 


DarthKermit
5346 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #2271206 6-Jul-2019 22:28
Send private message

One advantage of low pressure is they generally last one hell of a lot longer than mains pressure cylinders. They also don't need as many extra parts for pressure regulation, etc.


Bung
6477 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

  #2271208 6-Jul-2019 22:35
Send private message

blackjack17:

Have just brought a 1920s house and it has a low pressure hot water cylinder.  Looks to be relatively new 2009. and all the plumping has been replaced (as has the electrics)




Regarding the plumbing, the fittings certainly look recent but black piping?? @Aredwood is there an OK black pipe? I immediately think Dux Qest.

blackjack17

1705 posts

Uber Geek


  #2271237 7-Jul-2019 04:35
Send private message

Bung:
blackjack17:

Have just brought a 1920s house and it has a low pressure hot water cylinder.  Looks to be relatively new 2009. and all the plumping has been replaced (as has the electrics)




Regarding the plumbing, the fittings certainly look recent but black piping?? @Aredwood is there an OK black pipe? I immediately think Dux Qest.


It isn't dux west. Have already checked that one out. But thank you




Lee13
33 posts

Geek


  #2271238 7-Jul-2019 06:31
Send private message

Some excellent advise from others
I'd like to mention CLR the shower rose or head
Minerals build up over time and reduce the flow I have done it and had been amazed

kotuku4
483 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified
Lifetime subscriber

  #2271279 7-Jul-2019 11:05
Send private message

We have low pressure. When built the subdivision was in a low pressure zone. Waterman's have been upgraded, but I decided to stay with low pressure. Cylinder starting leaking after 22 years. Replaced 180 with 270 litre and pressure and tempering valves was close to 4000 dollars.
If going mains would have replaced shower mixer internals and some taps.

Went bigger for solar water heating diverted off PV, more storage.

No issues with low pressure, except perhaps takes a little longer for hot water to flow through to taps.




:)


Oncop53
273 posts

Ultimate Geek


  #2271297 7-Jul-2019 13:00
Send private message

I had my low pressure one replaced with a mains pressure one for about $2K. Well worth the money, having mains pressure also gives you more options for tapware too.


hio77
12999 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Lizard Networks

  #2271326 7-Jul-2019 15:12
Send private message

As a long term rural dweller, I've come to find low pressure as the norm.

When I stay anywhere the first thought in the shower is.. Sh1t that's quite rough...

While high pressure is nice every once in awhile. Idk how is stand that all the time!




#include <std_disclaimer>

 

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

 

 


 1 | 2
View this topic in a long page with up to 500 replies per page Create new topic





News and reviews »

Air New Zealand Starts AI adoption with OpenAI
Posted 24-Jul-2025 16:00


eero Pro 7 Review
Posted 23-Jul-2025 12:07


BeeStation Plus Review
Posted 21-Jul-2025 14:21


eero Unveils New Wi-Fi 7 Products in New Zealand
Posted 21-Jul-2025 00:01


WiZ Introduces HDMI Sync Box and other Light Devices
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:32


RedShield Enhances DDoS and Bot Attack Protection
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:26


Seagate Ships 30TB Drives
Posted 17-Jul-2025 11:24


Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser Review
Posted 13-Jul-2025 11:05


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Brings New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Epson Launches New AM-C550Z WorkForce Enterprise printer
Posted 9-Jul-2025 18:22


Samsung Releases Smart Monitor M9
Posted 9-Jul-2025 17:46


Nearly Half of Older Kiwis Still Write their Passwords on Paper
Posted 9-Jul-2025 08:42


D-Link 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 DWR-933M Mobile Hotspot Review
Posted 1-Jul-2025 11:34


Oppo A5 Series Launches With New Levels of Durability
Posted 30-Jun-2025 10:15









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.