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January 20, 2010
No Hot Water Pressure
Hi,i need help please: i bought a new condo & at peak times, there is NO hot water pressure at all. the developer has been unhelpful and now i have to deal somehow with this major problem, here are the details: the apartment (1 bedroom) is on the 4th floor, the h/w heater is located on the roof/5th floor. the 50 gallon h/w heater supplies water only for this apartment. the heater itself works fine, the problem is the hot water pressure.
there is NO hot water pressure when the rest of the building (6 other units) uses hot water - meaning the faucets/shower remain dry at peak times, anywhere from 10-60 minutes..
a pressure booster pump was installed (the original hot water pressure was at 10psi) - but the problem remains at the highest peak times, and then the pump does not even start (i.e. around 7:30am).
nobody else in the building has this problem (floors 1-3), and my unit is the only one on the 4th floor.
i had an engineer review, but he said he is perplexed and has never seen anything like this. it has been quite a nightmare, so any help/suggestions are very much appreciated.
thank you -
Comments
I think you need an exorcist.
Posted by: GHB at January 20, 2010 1:46 PM
Not trying to be snarky but it's a plumbing issue, not an engineering issue.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at January 20, 2010 1:49 PM
Sorry OP.
I had a pretty complex plumbing problem - not pressure related - but something a bunch of plumbers incorrectly told me "couldn't be fixed without tearing up floors". Richie at Sessa Plumbing diagnosed and fixed.
Not the guys I call for leaky washers, but for big stuff, my experience was very good. Good luck,
Posted by: Johnny at January 20, 2010 1:56 PM
Hi,
not a plumber, but here's an idea if it is possible.
run a new supply line off the cold water supply to an
undersink on-demand hot water heater.
they're not that expensive and hook-up would be alot less expensive than tearing up the walls, floors and re-plumbing from the 5th floor.
good luck.
Posted by: Legion at January 20, 2010 2:25 PM
hi everyone, thank you so much so far!
Posted by: msylke at January 20, 2010 2:32 PM
Do you happen to be in Park Slope at the top of the hill?
Posted by: SenatorStreet at January 20, 2010 3:15 PM
hi, yes.
Posted by: msylke at January 20, 2010 3:17 PM
The lowest pressure in brooklyn is at its highest point (top of that hill).
Posted by: SenatorStreet at January 20, 2010 3:56 PM
@senator - wouldnt it also affect the guys below him? i doubt levels 3/4 and would differ to the point where level3 is fine and 4 is completely out of whack.
Posted by: guikazoid at January 20, 2010 4:15 PM
there are about 7 other 4-story buildings next/opposite to this one, other people on other 4th floors do have water (even if the pressure is weaker).
this apartment does not have ANY hot water pressure whatsoever at peak times. horrible..
Posted by: msylke at January 20, 2010 4:33 PM
If you have cold pressure, but not hot, there is either an obstruction somewhere, a valve partially closed, or some internal problem with the heater. The thing to do is tap into the hot water coming out of the heater and check the pressure, then do the same at a fixture.
Posted by: bugleg at January 20, 2010 6:43 PM
hi bugleg, thank you, this is v helpful.
Posted by: msylke at January 20, 2010 8:09 PM
Even though this is a condo building and you have your own water heater chances are there is only one common water meter for domestic water (probably another for fire sprinkler service). If this is so the builder probably fed all the individual water heaters off a common and most likely undersized supply line.
There is naturally some pressure drop through a water heater and if you have a common undersized line and are experiencing low hot pressure at peak demand times this common supply might just be the problem. A real plumber or builder should be able to diagnose the exact problem after seeing the mechanical room piping in person. The cold side pressure is not a problem, correct? Maybe post a picutre of the water heater and piping.
I am also curious as to when and where exactly the booster pump was installed. Was it for your unit only? Because if you have individual water heaters it would only help if each unit had its own pump or a common pump on the water heater supply side.
When was this building completed that the builder won't stand behind his crappy work?
-spkconstruction.com
Posted by: AlexSPK at January 20, 2010 9:35 PM
your plumber put the booster pump in the wrong location.. i remember going to look at the situation...you have a 4th story apartment, with the hot water heater located on the roof..the pressure in the building is insufficient at peak use to reach the hot water supply at roof level..the pressurizer needs to be located on the 4th floor or basement..you cannot pressurize zero volume, which is the condition that you have on the roof at peak use
Posted by: eman1234 at January 21, 2010 8:56 PM
hi AlexSPK, thank you - the pipes are 3/4 inch, and the booster pump was installed 3 weeks ago, on the 5th floor/roof, just underneath the h/w heater (the heater is only for my apartment). i took a picture but am not sure how to post it on this thread. and yes, correct the cold water pressure is fine at all times.
the building was finished in 2008, i am unfortunately the first owner of this unit and the developer is supposed to be responsible for fixing the issue, at least legally. after 4 months of no hot-water & legal follow-up, he brought in a handyman, not a professional plumber, to assess the situation & install the pump (which they hooked it into my electricity). this really has been a nightmare so far.
is there a professional plumber to help? many, many thanks -
Posted by: msylke at January 21, 2010 9:52 PM
The 'developer' should have brought back the original plumber that did the work to fix his mess. This is not a handyman job.
If you can't add the picture within this thread, can you send it to me directly? Get email address by going to link in my profile.
Posted by: AlexSPK at January 21, 2010 10:06 PM
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