First Question – Situation: Teenaged child takes 45 minute showers. I’d like a timed hot water cutoff to allow say 15 minute normal shower and if you’re not done, well, cold water will have to do it. Reset by a switch, X10 or some such. Does it exist or can anyone think of a device I could subvert for this use? Maybe an electric valve from a forced hot water furnace?
Second Question – Situation: Main cold water supply up to the meter is either 3/4″ or 1″ line, but only 1/2″ exiting the meter. One tenant claims there is a water pressure problem (I live in the house and don’t notice a problem). Three bathrooms, three kitchens and one laundry room. Would I see a pressure improvement if the piping up to the three water heaters and the piping up to the cold water three-way split were upgraded to the same diameter as the town side of the meter? Am I asking the wrong question?
Thanks in advance for any clues on either question.
Replies
First answer. Never done this but they do have timed water valves for watering the lawn. What about plumbing in one of those to solve the problem.
Second answer is YES. The problem is volume. And using PI r squared. if you 1/2 again the diameter of the pipe you will double the volume output of the pipe. The other way is to change the shutoff valves for ball or gate valves instead of needle valves. The former valves open fully to 1/2 inch were as the needle valves only open to say 3/8 at best thus reducing the volume through that valve by half.
Try an ordinary washing machine mixer valve.
Cut me some slack here
Quittin' Time
For question 1- to shorten the showers and save money, nothing beats one of those miserable shower heads the Navy puts on ships- it's on a hose and has a decent pattern, but you have to hold a button down to get water, just like a kitchen sink sprayer. It really limits the luxury showers!
For question 2- You should check the meter size as well as the pipe size. Manywater companies put 5/8" meters on residences, even though the main supplying it is 3/4 or 1" and they charge a fortune to upsize. Example- upsizing from a 5/8 to 3/4 meter where I live is about $2800. I looked into it to supply higher flow for lawn irrigation. I'll stick to the longer sprinkler cycles!
Same problem when kids were teens, even worse when DIL lived here for a few months. Lowered HW to 105 F ( Dishwasher still worked OK) and (dont think the kids ever knew it) added a restrictor valve to the HW line to their bathroom, e.g. some problem with the pumbing - told e'em you can fix it if you want to find and correct it <G>.
Thanks for the showerhead idea. My wife is the longest showerer I've ever seen. (except for me on a luxury shower kinda thing)
You didnt metion your wife being a problem also. there is no answer there!
I had a daughter at home and she ran a 40 gallon hot water heater cold. She now has a new house and gripes at me if I dont turn the light out. At least I know she heard me when she was in my house. Funny how who the bill is addressed to makes a difference. Answer; she moves out .
If these were my tennants , I would sractch my butt with one hand and scatch my head with the other ans say ; I dunno! Seems ignorance is blis in situations such as these. Answer above if you are getting paid to do the job.
Tim Mooney
Summary answers...
Showers - Our unit has but one bathroom, so the navy shower idea is out - unless I want to sleep on the couch... I'll look at the lawn sprinkler idea - that could work if the controls are reasonable prices.
Pressure - It sounds like I need to verify that both the supply and the meter itself are larger than 1/2" and if so, I'd get better pressure/volume by upgrading the common piping. Up to the point
I tried the stupid routine on this tenant and he proceeded to ask how it was possible the bathrooms on the second floor could have ANY water pressure since they were higher than his 1st floor bathroom. I'll let y'all think about that. I can't outdo that one...
Thanks for all the info!
PS I've attached a sketch of the pipes layout with the size upgrades indicated - I suppose that would have been helpful in the first post.
If it is just one shower that is "weak" and the other work OK then I would check the shower head for any blockage before upsizing the pipe.