HOW TO FIX A LOW WATER PRESSURE & FLOW PROBLEM 

I actually work at salamander pumps and to see this pop up as a recommended video is pretty cool! nice to see our product is proving good use for your family!

Feel sorry for your son Mark ‘cos everybody has to live somewhere, but the developers couldn’t care less so long as they’re selling houses. Wouldn’t have a new build as a gift. Good job your son has a brilliant dad. Keep up the good work Mark

Been waiting for this video. The results are excellent. Like I have said before its not just new builds that struggle. Will have a word with my plumber about this. Great video Mark thanks

I would have checked the flow rate without the stop tap on. I work on many new builds, seen main stop taps full of stones and grit. Even had a situation like this, and it was to a blocked water meter in the boundary box.

Great piece of kit Mark, bet you were loving the press gun under that sink, quick safe and sound install. Thanks buddy, will have a look at one of those for my property!!!!

Two thumbs up for the Salamander boosts. I installed one of these at our old property and it really made a huge difference.

Glad you put this video up just been looking at one of these for a customer of mine so nice to see one in the real world. I did some work on a site in sapcote near Hinckley a 5-6 years ago and the developers hands were tied by the water supplier they would only guarantee 1 bar static !!! Stupidly architect had the combi on the 3rd floor had to put a pressure test pump on the filling loop to top the pressure up just to get the boilers to work! The water supplier did eventually turn the pressure up took a lot of kicking and screaming of the developer and the homeowners.

Wow amazing results Mark well done buddy and thanks for sharing ♥️👍🏼💐😘

Ive just ordered mine so hopefully i will be installing it on Saturday. Great content as always 👍

Very impressed with this video as i want to increase our pressure and had no clue, love DIY and willing to give anything a go within reason, after watching this video i will be on the phone to Salamander in the next couple of days. Have to agree with you about new builds and snagging and the work of so called professionals, once again thanks and a new subscriber

Excellent plumbing fixed. I'm just very impressed with the pipe press work and tool. It makes a lot easier for working in confined spaces, and the copper is nice to look at with the home boost salamanderpump attached. Perfect fit 👌

Quality as always 💪🏻

Nice. I have heard mixed reviews with these pumps. I have never fitted one. But what I have seen of them I definitely will 👍👍

Very impressive outcome. I have never fitted mains pump despite this being my 40th year accept for commercial properties. I would definitely fit one now if come across same scenario. What a top dad fitting for your son.

Nice one fella! Interesting to see these pumps in use!

Great video thank you. The waste is shocking too, bang in the middle of the base unit, they could've gone back and under and your lad could have had a shelf. Like you said... New builds.

After 30 years using press mate you learn over time to crimp sections up then offer the section up and crimp one joint in place when it’s in tight places 🤘😎🤘

Great vid Mark! How do you like the press fit? I'm renovating my place and trying to pick between copper press fit or pex from Zurn. Would you recommend one over the other? Cheers

That pump looks brilliant but wouldn't expect that sort of pressure in a new build! Be interesting to see comments what minimum pressures should be 👍🏼

Evening Mark. Seems to be a common theme, new builds & really poor mains pressure. You may well end up fitting a few more of those Salamander's once your sons neighbours see what he's got! I've given up using brass olives now for that very reason you've encountered. Always try and use copper olives now, especially 22mm.

Hi mark , so proud of u when I first started watching you about a year ago now, your views have gone up really quick, well done pal

If your sons place is like this the entire estate probably is. We come across it a lot in Sussex where they haven't turned the local boosting station on yet due to the sites not being complete or when they have they haven't flushed the mains so the filters on the pressure reducers are clogged. For anyone wondering why the pressure regulators are put in it's due to warranty on the fittings in the property. They can't comply with NHBC scheme if they don't put the relevant measures in place, sadly they will still try to worm their way out of ever paying out for messing up on new builds.

Nice job 👏. I have to use press in commercial premises for under sink water heaters and TMV installations . Takes a lot longer than soldering depending on access and now my jaws stick on the fittings after pressing which is a pain 🙃.

Brilliant bit of kit - very tidy install too - lucky lad

Hi mark great video. I’ve actually had one of these waiting to be fitted for a while after a new water main didn’t really help our flow rate. What’s the shower like when there’s also a tap on downstairs? Thanks

5 stars 🌟, been waiting for such a vedio 🎉

I've never seen such awful mains water pressure outside of central London. Good job M looks neat. I think it's around 1 bar minimum for most water companies but most places get around 2.5-3bar

i like your comment when you said you can just about hear it sound like gonna take off lol will that boost work if 2 showers are running as my mains pressure is fine if one bath or shower is on but when both are on pressure drops would that help

Good video mark 😊

One of my pet peeves as an electrician is space saver cookers in a standard space. Mainly because landlords replace their tenants ovens with the cheapest they can get a hold of and is always a space saver. I feel bad for the tenants putting them in with a huge gap food and other crap will fall down.

Very good information thank 👍👍

Great video- Mark, What's the purpose of Pressure Reducing Valve being there- Thanks' in advance.

Hi mate, i live in a new build. i have noticed mine is rubbish with only getting the same litres per minute. is there any other restrictors put into place that causes such rubbish flow? i have a 32kw boiler vailant. is there a reason why these new builds get such crap flow rate?

H mark it’s a bad job having to fit one of these in a new house but I was impressed with that pump seen them advertised but never had the need to fit one 👍

Big difference in the pressure, It’s mental how they can hand over a new build with crappy pressure on a shower The press fit is a nice clean looking job, 👍👍🤜

Pull water savers out of the fixtures and check the aerators. Debris from the new construction is likely in the aerators cause newbies don’t remove them before turn on the fixture; upon installation. Another trick is a “reverse blow”. I mentioned that only cause low pressure usually unrelated to the incoming pressure to unit or property. Nice vid. The installation of the product is delightful. You’re an inspiration to us all. 👍 I get excited about plumbing every day. A new adventure every day

Hi mate we’re did you get that measuring cup from nice bit of kit thanks

Did you close the stopcock in inside the property and make sure the meter is not spinning as also a leak on the incoming mains supply can cause loss of pressure

Hello mate will that help with pressure between the kitchen and bathroom wen two taps are being used. Cheers pal.

You are so right about the quality of work on new builds. These developers dont give a S##t . To be fair to the tradesmen, they are probably treated like s##t and paid peanuts so why would they be bothered to do a good job.

I had that on one of my new builds the problem was the waterboards contractors got ballast in the open ends took ages to clear the main

Use long stem drain offs in press if you can get them mate I think the little ones don't quite locate, they def don't with my rems gun but it is the older model so might be okay with yours 👍🏻

Why do you need to re-fit the reducing valve when the pressure is low? I don’t have one on my setup as incoming mains pressure is only 2 bar

You should charge that work to the house builders disgusting …

Never even knew you could boost a main..thanks

Great video Mark. I have a question. Can you install a booster pump prior to the PRV on a unvented hot water cylinder installation? Would it work? Regards Rich

Nice work

Should you put the pump before the reducing valve?

Good job, nice to see no plug socket under the sink

Can this be used with a fortic boiler please if not what booster do I need please.thank you

Press fit install looks neat, felt like a magpie getting excited by the shine on the fittings 😅

Wow that indeed is great!!

Great vid, thank you for sharing the info. Is there any data on the average household usage this would increase the kWh? Just curious what your lad would now need to pay extra on his bill because the builders signed it off.

Great video Mark. May be the answer to my prayer. Shower in our ensuite 2nd floor is rubbish but I am not sure if this device will do the trick? How can I find out?

Is there a pressure regulator outside houses as my neighbours have better pressure

How they specified a combination boiler.with 9 l/min when the c24 ( which is the smallest logic ) is 9.9 l/min @35degree celsius rise I don't know.but hay ho ! I remember I fitted one of those salamander tap boost pumps about 7 years ago in a 10th floor flat .I had never fitted one before and was sceptical.but I did everything it said it would.and as far as I know still working today. Water companies I think are committed to providing a minimum of 0.7 bar .or aim to provide 1.0 bar of at the end of there communication pipes. Fantastic video as normal.

Part G of the building regs limits water use and often restrict its are fitted to reduce flow.

New build with pressure and flows like that, as somebody who bought one, I'd be going ballistic at the builder and getting them to fix it under warranty rather than relying on trickery and pumps - my guess would be they crushed the main. I had a leak on mine and I didn't know for six months because there was no drop in pressure - first I knew was a 3 grand water bill; I was talking to the guy from the water company and he was saying about how the mains are supposed to be laid inside sand to protect them but they never do it's just type 1 compacted in and it causes all sorts of problems.

Look on the bright side, you could have a whole new build estate to install boosters 👍

do we need a pressure reducer valve when connecting the pump? they work opposite eachother.

Great fix mark with the pump..👍fitted a few myself ...but a new build with very poor pressure from a new plastic incoming main supply..🤔 is not acceptable 😡😡keep up the great work...👍

When I had my mains redone I was told by the undertaker the minimum was 9ltrs at the meter but I would expect different on a new build. Good vid mate👍

Where to buy the water flow cup please? Thanks.

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Hi Mark I work on new builds. Mains pressure only has to be 1 bar. 6 litre per minute flow restrictors to kitchen and 4 litres to basins, that's current regs. It's all about saving water as all properties are on water meters. You could have removed the flow restrictors

Good video 👍 you might have just saved me a few quid by thinking about changing my combi! What’s the cost of these pumps? Struggling to find it on their site.

Does this booster have the same effect when you have a dishwasher a washing machine and a shower on at the same time?

Our shower is up and down because the pressure is just too low. this looks like a fix!

Hi mark couple of questions 1.do you not need a non return valve on the main in england and 2.why did you put the pressure reducing valve back in.cheers

make sure u fit a pressure reducing valve be fore the pump as tested to 10 bar but have exploded. in spiked supply conditions

Nice bit of kit that matey! Hope he bought you a beer or two 😜

That’s really bad ,can you tell me would that booster help me as when I have shower on that runs off combi ,works fine when nothing else is turned on but say if a tap is turned on some where else it really affects the pressure on the shower

OK so you fitted a boost pump. But what is the underlying problem? Is the piping too small? Clogged lines? I'm in the USA and I have a similar problem I cannot figure out. My hot water pressure (or volume) is about half of my cold-water pressure. I've checked and replaced all lines/hoses/nipples right at the water heater: no restrictions or leaks anywhere. So why the pressure/volume differential between hot and cold? Anyone? (I figure it's the internal pipe sizing -which I'm not about to try to fix.

Great bit of kit that, I would be handing a bill to the developer, there is no way that was acceptable, especially with a combi fitted on it. I’d be inclined to drop some flyers around the estate, offering everyone a price on installing them, you’ll clean up😀

Couldn't you take the pressure reducing valve out? Or would that invalidate the new build warranty?

I hope yours doesn't sound like a jet engine on take-off power after a couple of months! Plumber installed my first Homeboost (bought from Screwfix) just under a year ago and within 3 months it started making an unholy racket, like a grinding noise as though a bearing was failing. Took a sound recording and sent it to Salamander Tech Support by email and to their credit, sent me a replacement pump in the post within a week. Told me to scrap the old one too, as no need to send it back. They also transferred the warranty over to the new serial number. New pump installed at end of March 2023 but unfortunately, after again only 3 months, the pump is making the same horrible grinding noise. Various online reviews suggest noise can be reduced by cleaning out the filter washer, but mine didn't need cleaning. Now considering other options, including the Stuart Turner Mainsboost as I don't think the Homeboost is up to the job unfortunately. By the way Mark, Salamander states in the instructions to flush the air out of pipework and pump with mains water before turning on the power, or damage could occur to the pump. 😉

Thanks

If you have 3 bar in the street and 3 bar at the tap, but flow is ~10l/min, but due to lead pipe to the property, would a pump still give better flow rate?

Hi mark is this oil heating or gas my pressure is awful in my house 😢

Great video mate, invest in the Milwaukee M18 Fan, best £85 you will ever spend. We use ours all the time.

Curious , what did the customer say , after you fitted it , and then used it at a high demand time of the day for the estate ?

How come theres a pressure reducing valve on the incoming main, is that a new build regs thing?

Water companies have to provide (to the water responsibly boundary) for a single domestic building 1bar whilst running a flow of 9lpm. When on a shared supply these go up…e.g 1bar with 18lpm flow for 2 props. Some areas are just low pressure because they may be high up a hill however water companies are now fitting PRV(like the domestic one but a lot bigger and more sophisticated) on large water mains outside to pressure manage entire water networks. They are well within rights to do so as it’s all regulated by ofwat…just annoying for everyone else to adapt their plumbing to suit.

Im amazed the houses combi boiler works with low water pressure. My sisters area cannot have combi boilers for this reason

Now you will find all the leaks on that shower ❤

Nobody comments on the sink waste pipe in the middle of the cupboard??😂😂. Shocking! My lads did that I'd sack em! I wouldn't be given a new build! And tbf, I wouldn't hire 3/4's of the plumbers that kit em out! Quality is out of the window nowadays!! I'm on price.........😢😂

I fitted the same pump in my house. Really improved my water flow but was really loud and the pump runs when you flush the toilet or use the dishwasher or washing machine which is annoying. Pump burnt out after 2 years.

Great vid, But a random question why do you have a tent box on your van?

why is there a need to fit that pressure reducing valve when the pressure is so low?

Hope you got a good Father’s Day present for that 😂

Need plastic surgeon on the bottom of that cupboard buddy! New build eh? Very neat install, great work 😊

I went to a house that was 10yrs old that had rubbish flow / pressure. Upon investigation we found the water had been capped in the street in the passed and rather than the cap being removed for the correct fitting someone had removed the cap.... Filed it down a bit then put the cap back on so the water was squeezing through a small gap. 😂😂

Interesting , are there flow restrictor’s on the taps ? Greetings from Australia, I’m sure you have , normally I’d check from outside , see what pressure is like outside coming in at the main or at the water meter outside . Does yr local utility guarantee a certain mains pressure ? Why is it so under pressure / flow in the first place ? BTW 33 degrees c , is winter in Australia …😂.

Impressive bit of kit that is, new builds are shocking for snagging 🤷‍♂️

Hi Mark, that water pressure in a new build was terrible, the pressure or lack of it at the shower, was horrendous. How that passed building control/snagging I will never know. It looks like the pump has done the trick for your son, at least he can have a proper shower after work. I think the job using pressfit looks ok, although it is out of sight under the sink, a great looking job. Have a great week and as always, take care, regards, Chris. 👍👍👍

What was the flow rate without the prv? Be interesting to find out.

If I bought a new build and my shower and pressure was that bad I would ask for it be fixed by the housing company immediately,I would not spend a penny on it.

Just started watching but have water board and building company checked the main up to the boundary box and then into the main stop valve for any kinks, blockages etc. That's just about scraping the minimum acceptable, not what you'd expect from a new build.

Can I use for supply to electric shower? My water pressure is up and down😞

9 times out of 10..stopcock choked with grit /stones etc..we used to take stopcock off and flush out alkathene....when water board connect meter outside they not too concerned about mud/ grit etc getting into alkathene...left to site plumber to sort...back in the day before prv and filters, the grit would run right through the house and trap in ballvalves in tanks and cisterns..nightmare...seen it hundreds of times.