I live in Tucson Arizona (in the Sonoran Desert) almost all year round where the temperature high ranges are 98°F up to 108°F from May to August. Our PVC pipe water mainline is buried 2ft underground from the main street to the house water-meter (the main water line is approximately 75 feet in length). During the high noon, the sun heats the underground water line pipe. Therefore the problem is that the tap water temperature comes out of the showerhead and bathroom faucet at a 105°F to a warm-cool 90°F! The question to the plumber or the engineer: Are there any devices that have been developed or marketed to convert warm water of 105°F to a warm-cool water temperature between 89°F – 77°F from an electric water-holding cooling tank that can produce approximately 22 gallons of warm-cool water. Which can be connected to a water demand line. So I can take approximately a 10-minute cool shower?
Electrical – Water Holding-Tank Apparatus Converting warm water to cool water coming from the main water line that dispenses warm water to a water tank
electricalplumbingtemperaturewater tank
Related Solutions
What you pointed at is the pressure relief valve. Seeing that the pressure is fairly low, it could either need adjustment or be failing.
The pressure relief valve is basically there to release very high pressure before a pipe/filter/faucet relieves it (eg: blows up). It's basically just a spring pushing against a piston.
You can try adjusting it first by turning the end clockwise just until the flow stops. Best to do this at the pump cut-off pressure (which is the highest pressure you'd normally see) -- basically open a tap until the pump runs, wait for the pump to shut off, and then adjust the relief valve. A lot of the valves actually have a ridged edge you can turn, though yours looks like it probably requires a nut/screw driver or pliers.
If that doesn't work, it is probably just that the valve is failing. Could be a cheap valve or have a manufacturing defect, or could be corrosion. Replacements cost a few dollars at any home improvement or plumbing store and are very easy to install (use teflon tape on the threads).
I'm assuming you have a connection like this:
I've seen these fitting leak, but I've never seen them have no flow before.
Generally these compression fittings don't need to be on very tight, because it's the pressure of the sleeve against the fitting that keeps them from leaking. Usually they only take about one half to one full turn with a wrench after being hand tightened.
Things to check:
- Make sure the brass insert is not crushed or bent
- Make sure the sleeve is on straight, has no nicks or other damage, and seats well in the fitting
- Check the tube isn't folded over or crimped (if it is, cut it off a bit past the damaged part)
- The end of the insert shouldn't sit too deep within the valve. Generally the sleeve should be about centered over the insert.
- Check for blockage or dirt in the valve and on the edge of the fitting where the sleeve sits
Related Topic
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Best Answer
This may not be the cheapest solution, but it's still probably cheaper than or close to the price of a cistern plus all the extra plumbing to make it work. Other posters are correct, you don't want to store potable water (unless you want to treat and manage it yourself).
Go on LabX or Ebay and look for a "liquid chiller" or "recirculating chiller". You might be able to get similar functionality with an aquarium chiller, but you need at least several hundred watts of power. Expect to pay $500-2000.
Buy or make a liquid-liquid heat exchanger (can be made with a tube-in-tube design, countercurrent flow) to keep your potable water and your coolant loop separate. Your coolant loop needs antifreeze or antifouling agent, borax will often do the trick.
Do NOT try to do this with a minifridge. Not enough power. You could try to roll your own with a window AC unit. You can dismantle it and CAREFULLY bend the cold coil away from the main unit and dip in in a liquid bath, such as a cooler. Use a fountain pump to recirculate. You'll want to make some sort of confinement to keep the liquid from boiling off too fast.
You'll also likely still need some reservoir to "save up the cold".
If you want to go from ~100F-80F (-10 C) and you have a 8L/min shower, that's 80 degree-liters (aka kilocalories) a minute, roughly 5 KW, if you had to do it in real time.
On second thought, maybe the cistern isn't a bad idea after all. Also, if the water temp at the mains is significantly cooler, it might even be worthwhile digging up the water line and insulating it, if code allows for it, or just re-running it deeper (the latter will likely cost you several grand plus going back and forth with the town)