JanetE Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 (edited) Why am I having such a problem finding a flow restrictor to fit the end of my kitchen taps to keep the Building Inspector happy? I'm looking for a female m22 with a reasonable flow rate of 8/9 lpm. All of the insert only ones that I can find seem to be too deep to replace in the existing tap end and so I am forced to replace the whole end. Also they all seem to come in shiny chrome and our mixers are brushed steel and also don't seem to give a flow rate!! Any suggestions please!! Edited January 15, 2019 by JanetE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 This is just "politically correct" nonsense. So you want to fill the kitchen sink with water to do your washing up. What will a flow restrictor do to "save water"? It will just irritate you as it takes longer to fill the bowl. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan52 Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Could you restrict how far the tap will open instead. Unscrew the handle and move the stopper round so it only opens half way. As soon as the building control guy goes change it back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 This bit of the Building Regs is nonsense. All that needs to be done is a letter from you stating "Notice under regulation 37 that water consumption is less than 125 litres/person/day using fittings approach”. Spend no more time on this! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temp Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Putting a restrictor on the outlet of a mixer tap increases the pressure in the tap. That can cause the seal between the body and the movable part of the tap to leak more. If you have an isolation valve under the sink to make changing the washers easier perhaps just shut them off a bit until the flow rate is within limits. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triassic Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 I usually fit a service valve below the tap and close this until I have the desired flow rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 6 minutes ago, Temp said: Putting a restrictor on the outlet of a mixer tap increases the pressure in the tap. That can cause the seal between the body and the movable part of the tap to leak more. If you have an isolation valve under the sink to make changing the washers easier perhaps just shut them off a bit until the flow rate is within limits. Spot on. I just fitted restrictor washers in the tap connectors, dead easy to do as they just replace the rubber or fibre washer that's in them as standard. Cheap too, and makes some taps a lot more comfortable to use, with less splashing. We had a building inspector who insisted on them being fitted, which I thought was a pain, but the only ones I've since removed are those on the shower and bath, as all the others reduced splashing and made the taps easier to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Can you just turn the supply pressure down at the mains instead? Obvious question, but do they check that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 13 minutes ago, Ferdinand said: Can you just turn the supply pressure down at the mains instead? Obvious question, but do they check that? The problem with that is that it tends to result in a greater variation of flow from one outlet when another is turned on. I had a pressure reducing valve fitted when we had the original thermal store, and found things were much more even when I took that out, when I fitted the first Sunamp (which didn't need the pressure reducer). Fitting restrictors in the tap fittings also has the advantage of lessening the interaction between outlets even more, not that this effect is very noticeable with a manifold distribution system, but every little helps. We've found that the ceramic insert taps, in particular, are a lot easier to control than before I fitted the flow restrictors, but it's perhaps worth noting that our water pressure is reasonably good; it's always between 2.5 bar and 3.5 bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetE Posted January 17, 2019 Author Share Posted January 17, 2019 I think restrictor washers are probably the best solution for us. The mains pressure here is good, about 3bar. Tbh the kitchen taps are far too forceful without any kind of restriction. Thanks for all the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetE Posted January 17, 2019 Author Share Posted January 17, 2019 @JSHarris can you possibly send me the link for the flow restrictors that are suitable. I'm having difficulty finding the correct parts. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 12 minutes ago, JanetE said: @JSHarris can you possibly send me the link for the flow restrictors that are suitable. I'm having difficulty finding the correct parts. Thank you. This isn't where I bought mine from, but they stock the same type of washer-replacement flow restrictors in a range of different flow rates: https://www.aqva.co.uk/Taps/TapAccessories/FlowRestrictors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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