Hi everyone, i'v got a problem with my plumbing, No! in the house. bought an Ariston Gas water heater, but instructions not in english. We have moderate pressure comeing into the house but when it gets to the heater there is not enough pressure to get the water nice and hot. Anyone know if there is a filter in the heater. The distance from the outside waterpipe to the heater is only a few feet. Tried an on-line pump but that did not work. any ideas. :-/

Is your model listed here ?
http://www.ariston.co.uk/ariston-product-manuals/current-products/0000000001/0000000001/

thanks for the link, but it's not there.

Have you tried Googling the model number ?

Also, have you tried adjusting the flow rate and temperature settings with the knobs on the front (assuming it has them) ?

Thanks, but I've done that and we have connected the heater exactly as they say. Only thing i can think of is we dont have enough water pressure, the manual says from 0.2bar to 10bar, we have 1.5 bar, so how many bar do i need for the water to be hot? i think the prob is between the outside supply and the connection to the heater, best thing to do is replace/clean pipes. :-?

1.5 bar should be plenty.  If anything I'd reduce the flow rate setting.  What's the flow rate from the hot tap compared to the cold tap ?  The lower the flow rate, the higher the temperature.

Hi Skibob.
We had this problem a while ago and it was the flow rate through the pipes to the taps and shower etc.  A way to test it is to disconnect the flow out of the boiler and let it run into a bucket.  If its nice and hot its your pipes

Thanks guys, the flow rate from the cold tap is marginally better than the hot, think i need to check all the pipes to the heater to see if there are any filters, i took the one off the basin tap and there was muck in it. The heaters and pipework have only been on a couple of weeks. Now need to take the shower off the wall. :)

If you've got filters (flow reducers) on your taps they'll get bunged up with sand and sediment pretty quick.  First thing to check if the flow rate slows.  Tip, only screw them back in finger tight so they're easy to remove regularly OR leave them off altogether.

Thanks Bigyin,
Think i will leave them off altogether. :)

Hi skibob,
            Any result yet - have a similar problem to you so hoping you get "white smoke" soon - by the way are you a skier ?

Hi Briand,
How did you guess, Yes we love it, or used to, getting a bit long in the tooth, but we hope to ski later in the year.
Still trying to sort my hot water out.

Has taking the filter off the tap and turning down the flow rate on the boiler not helped.  What's the model number of your Ariston ?

Sand and sediment in your water is OK if you are taking it with Whisky as those additives improve the taste.  ;D ;D You would never of course add water or anything else for that matter to single malt as those men of pending independence will have you strung up if they witness said event.  >:(  However they are allowed to freeze our favourite snack cover it in revolting batter and deep fry it......Ahhhh A Mars it isn't.

if i turned the flo-rate down, i would have to run around in the shower to get wet. i'v got most of the filters out and it seems to be working a little better,cos the weather is warmer, :) truth will tell when the water is cold from he supply.

Also while i'm at it, our washing machine is not performing as it was supposed to, i think it may be a bit too computerised, anyone know of how to take the chip out :-?

wrote on Apr 22^nd, 2012 at 12:12am:

if i turned the flo-rate down, i would have to run around in the shower to get wet. i'v got most of the filters out and it seems to be working a little better,cos the weather is warmer, :) truth will tell when the water is cold from he supply.

So you seem to have two problems.  Insufficient temperature out of the boiler and insufficient pressure.  What is the model number of your Ariston heater and how are you deriving your pressure (head or pump).  You're right that if you're struggling now for temperature, you'll definitely have problems in the winter.

wrote on Apr 22^nd, 2012 at 12:20am:

Also while i'm at it, our washing machine is not performing as it was supposed to, i think it may be a bit too computerised, anyone know of how to take the chip out :-?

As far as I'm aware, the main functions of even the most modern washing machines are controlled by a rotary electromechanical timer which you won't be able to mess with.  What problems are you having with the machine ?

Bigyin wrote on Apr 22^nd, 2012 at 10:01am:

wrote on Apr 22nd, 2012 at 12:20am: Also while i'm at it, our washing machine is not performing as it was supposed to, i think it may be a bit too computerised, anyone know of how to take the chip out :-? As far as I'm aware, the main functions of even the most modern washing machines are controlled by a rotary electromechanical timer which you won't be able to mess with.  What problems are you having with the machine ?

More likely to be electronic than mechanical - mechanical ones normally work fine on solar/generators - electronic is hit and miss.  I have a donated machine to experiment on as I have an idea how to get the machines to work, just need time to try out my ideas!

Dont mind which problem i sort 1st. i'm on mains water, supplying about 1. 1/2 bar pressure, put both basin tap and the shower on and the gas flame increases twofold, but the pressure in the shower is not sufficient to get wet.
As far as the washing machine goes it's taking to long to complete each cycle, ( wash, rinse, spin.) each action works great.
hope you get a result soon Nigel. :)

I'll stay out of the washing machine conversation as Nigel is a lot more clued up than me.  Regarding the water supply problem, how have you measured your pressure at 1.5 bar ?  Is that at the mains supply to the house or at the input to the boiler ?
A couple of other things that have occurred to me.  You said that taking the filter off the tap improved the flow rate.  Not wanting to teach you to suck eggs but have you tried taking the rose off the shower head?  If you can fill a 10 litre bucket in about a minute with it off then your flow rate is OK so soak the rose in vinegar for about an hour to de-scale it.  You may also find very small stones blocking the holes in the rose.
The other thing is to check that your boiler is of sufficient capacity.  Usually expressed in Litres/minute which indicates how much water at 65 deg C it's capable of producing in a minute.  Anything less than about 10 is only really any good for a single point hand wash.

So how are you getting on with your pressure/temperature problems ?