Gas geyser - Low water pressure solution

[thestaggy]

Not sure which section of the forum would get the most traction for this question.

We have been using a gas geyser for the past two years without any issues, until recently. There are constant water outages in areas near us, and whenever they have water issues, we suffer a drop in water pressure which then affects the geyser as it cannot ignite due to the low pressure.

Google/AI has given me two options -
1 - Install a low-pressure gas geyser.
2 - Connect a water pressure pump to the water inflow line feeding our existing geyser.

Does anybody have any experience with installing/using a gas geyser where there is low water pressure. Which would be the best solution?

Just off of price the water pressure pump makes the most sense. Regarding low-pressure gas geysers, how low is 'low-pressure'? I'd hate to get a new one installed only to still have issues with pressure.

 

[Magnum]

Get inline water pressure boost pump, 370w is enough for 4 taps and get a little tank 1Kl lasts me a week without topping it up,

 

[Sinbad]

Check all your filter screens as well. When they work on the pipes, all the sand and metal filings and bits of chipped human bone and whatever else they get into the pipes ends up in your screens and it looks like low water pressure but it's actually low flow.

 

[WAslayer]

For the same money as a low pressure geyser, you can get the booster pump and a small water tank, which then allows you to have some backup water in the event of a water outage..

 

[Magnum]

For the same money as a low pressure geyser, you can get the booster pump and a small water tank, which then allows you to have some backup water in the event of a water outage..

CopyCat.

 

[Dimpie (JIGSAW)]

Check all your filter screens as well. When they work on the pipes, all the sand and metal filings and bits of chipped human bone and whatever else they get into the pipes ends up in your screens and it looks like low water pressure but it's actually low flow.

Not really the problem here ... a blocked outlet will create backpressure which in turn will help the gas geyser detect pressure.

The smaller the diameter the higher the pressure.
Yes, you're right that those filters needs a clean after outages in the area, but that's not the issue here.

 

[Dimpie (JIGSAW)]

Check all your filter screens as well. When they work on the pipes, all the sand and metal filings and bits of chipped human bone and whatever else they get into the pipes ends up in your screens and it looks like low water pressure but it's actually low flow.

I think you watch way to many horrors

 

[Magnum]

Not really the problem here ... a blocked outlet will create backpressure which in turn will help the gas geyser detect pressure.

The smaller the diameter the higher the pressure.
Yes, you're right that those filters needs a clean after outages in the area, but that's not the issue here.

That is not how Blocked pipes work... Pipes don't block in the sense that something gets stuck that exceeds the inner diameter.
old pipes narrow the inner diameter over time. what used to be a 1/2" pipe 30 years ago is now a 6mm pipe at best.

As you open a tap you get 6mm worths of water. ( I had to do Flow and Pressure chart comparisons when I restored my parents old house back to the low pressure standards of the 1960' it was built in. And man I am happy that I chose to stay on low pressure. Many advantages over newer High pressure systems if done correctly. just finding suppliers that helps source the old style connections is pain. Suppliers are just lazy in general.

 

[Sinbad]

Not really the problem here ... a blocked outlet will create backpressure which in turn will help the gas geyser detect pressure.

The smaller the diameter the higher the pressure.
Yes, you're right that those filters needs a clean after outages in the area, but that's not the issue here.

Nope. The geyser triggers on flow, not pressure mate.
If it triggered on pressure, it would stay on while all the taps are shut!

 

[Dimpie (JIGSAW)]

Nope. The geyser triggers on flow, not pressure mate.
If it triggered on pressure, it would stay on while all the taps are shut!

ok, I get you ... the OP mentioned "low pressure" so many times so it got stuck in my head.
That said, wouldn't it then make sense to make the inlet to the geyser narrower so the pressure increase which in turn increases the flow to the geyser. ... because water flows faster as the pipe diameter decreases

 

[Sinbad]

ok, I get you ... the OP mentioned "low pressure" so many times so it got stuck in my head.
That said, wouldn't it then make sense to make the inlet to the geyser narrower so the pressure increase which in turn increases the flow to the geyser. ... because water flows faster as the pipe diameter decreases

No

A restrictor increases pressure upstream of it while reducing flow downstream.

The velocity of water may increase in a restriction but the actual amount of flow decreases because of the reduced diameter and volume.

 

[thestaggy]

ok, I get you ... the OP mentioned "low pressure" so many times so it got stuck in my head.
That said, wouldn't it then make sense to make the inlet to the geyser narrower so the pressure increase which in turn increases the flow to the geyser. ... because water flows faster as the pipe diameter decreases

Apologies for that.

But yes, when the water pressure is low (due to area outages and maintenance), the water flow into the geyser is insufficient to ignite it.

The same thing happens when you try and shower while someone is doing dishes or try and shower and the toilet is flushed. The water flow immediately drops to a level that is insufficient to ignite the geyser.