Hi guys.
I have an apartment in a big building in the CBD (500+ apartments).
The hot water pressure in the shower is very low and pretty much has been since I purchased it (years ago). The cold water has no issue at all.
Is this likely to be a building issue or something specific to my apartment?
Thanks!
I thought the restriction was in the shower head itself though? I remember with my old shower.. it was a small green washer basically in the shower head.
ask the other people in the building would seem like an obvious answer
I don't live at the building so not easily done.
I'd guess that it's your tenant moving from a house with a very old shower head with flow rate of 15 litres per minute or more and finding the water saving shower head just isn't what they're used to.
You could pay for a plumber to change the shower for your tenant if you want to.
They will then complain about the hot water running out. The hot water system will be sized for the currently installed shower head. i.e quite small. You will then need to change that out for a bigger tank.
I wouldn't do anything.
We AirBnb the apartment out. We've had 1 complaint recently and I've noticed that it is a pretty piss weak stream.
So in big buildings, is it normally 1 hot water system per apartment? Or is hot water provided by the building generally?
@lockmc: It's normally one hot water system per apartment.
That way you can be charged directly for the cost of the hot water used.
You might have an electric storage system heating water either using off peak electricity or normal electricity, you might have a gas storage or an instantaneous gas system.
@lockmc: Have you checked no one has moved the water saving lever to the piss weak keep hot setting?
It dribbles out using very little water but keeping the water warm at the previous temperature whilst you're washing your hair then you move the lever back to increase the flow and rinse your hair.
@lockmc: It can be either, there is no standard really and depends on design. Contact the strata and ask them.
Have you thought about asking your GASP neighbours what their hot water pressure is like?
Random people on the internet will have no idea about YOUR hot water pressure.
At the end of the day, it will be your body corp that will need to address the issue. So try talking to them too.
I don't live at the building so not easily done.
Obviously random people on the internet will have no idea…. but certainly, people can point me in the right direction. Perhaps people have had similar issues and can give me advice?
Perhaps people have had similar issues and can give me advice?
We did, talk to the neighbors but at the end of the day, it will be your body corp that will need to address the issue. So try talking to them too.
/thread
So helpful Jimmy. It looks like it isn't a body corporate issue so your unhelpful comments are not required here.
@lockmc: Well lets see, you spoke to the body corp/building manager and they told you what the issue might be.
Ummm thats what I said all along, so cry 'unhelpful' all you like, but you did what I said anyhow!
Do you have the problem with just the shower? How about hot water pressure at the tap/sinks?
Try asking your neighbours if they have hot water pressure problems, if not then it will be isolated to your apartment. Your apartment should have both an inlet valve and a pressure regulator valve on each water line coming in. A faulty or incorrectly adjusted one for the hot side would give you that problem. You'll need a plumber out to fix.
High rise apartments usually have their own water pump. Contact your building manager first and ask them about it.
We have water pump maintenance once or twice a year in my apartment building and there's no water from 9-6pm on the day.
OK spoke to the concierge. He said the building has 3 big boilers to run the whole building and that often when there is weak pressure, it is the tempering valve in the ceiling that needs to be removed and cleaned.
Well there you go.
Depending on the type of building hotwater service there could be several issues. I am not a plumbing expert but have had my fair share of experience in tenant complaints:
Do you have an independent hot water service, some large modern buildings oddly enough still have individual Hot water units. If you have sufficient cold pressure but not hot - this should be an easily identifiable fix.
Does your building have a bulk reticulation hotwater service, if so per other comments there could be an issue with the pump that services your area of the building OR simply the tap that allows hot water into your apartment (may just need to be opened up a little).
If you have sufficient hot water pressure to your other sinks etc, but not to your shower, it could be a case of the valve in the ceiling which (may) isolate your shower simply not being turn up enough (or being faulty). Or the shower mixer being faulty.
Most modern apartment buildings with bulk reticulation hot water also have a tempering valve, to ensure scolding hot water does not enter your apartment from the bulk reticulation system. These are typically maintained each year (serviced) and component replaced within each 5 years. Has this occurred?
Per other comments if you building have a manager, contact the building manager in the first instance, failing that contact the body corporate manager.
Also as other have suggested you should try and chat to some neighbours (you may have to door knock if you dont live there) as if the hotwater pressure is deemed normal for the building - you will most likely pay the costs for any frivolous investigations.
Sounds like you may have nailed it with the tempering valve. I spoke to the building manager who thinks this may be it. I assume this is something that a plumber would need to fix?
sounds like something the strata should be fixing.
In the UK most houses have shitty in shower electric hot water, which results in this exact problem. Do you have this?
OPs next post - "I want to make a post on ozbargain - what website should I go on to find out how to do that?"
second next post - "the person I live with just told me they are hungry and want something to eat and asked if i could get them something- what do they want to eat?"
yes, it is.
Tempering valve management may or may not be a component for the body corporate to address, I would log a call with the body corp manager to see if this is something they attend to or if it is something which is the individual lot owners responsibility in your building.
What sort of shower do you have?
You should be able to see some wording on the shower head.
A WELS 5 star rated shower head does have a low flow rate (about 5 litres per minute) and that might be what they've had to install.
So whilst a cold water tap flows unrestricted at 15 litres per minute the shower will be limited to a much lower amount.