Advice on shower pump & installation

[nathan.russell]

A quick question that I guess you guys get asked a million times a day !

I want to install a shower in the bathroom over the bath (not in separate shower tray); and I'm currently thinking of a thermostatic shower.

The water pressure in our house is awful, so I know I'm going to have to install a good pump.
Its a 'normal' 2 story house, with the cold water tank in the loft. The hot water tank is in the airing cupboard which is downstairs in the kitchen (not so 'normal' ?)
The bathroom is almost directly above the airing cupboard and hot water cylinder.

I imagine that the pump must be installed on the floor next to the hot water cynlinder in the airing cupboard, with the hot feed for it coming straight of the top of the cylinder ?, and the cold feed being taken from the main feed down from the loft ?
The pumped outputs from the pump would then have to go up 1 floor into the bathroom, then up the side of the bathroom wall to the mixer.

What rating pump would you recommend in this scenario ? The various manufacturers seem to start at 1.4bar, but I'm wondering if this will be enough ? Would 2 or even 3 be better ? (I'm after best performance/shower pressure, but not overkill)

Secondly, regarding installing the pipework up the bathroom wall to the mixer, I am assuming I can channel the wall out to 'sink' the pipework into the wall, plaster and tile over to conceal. Is this OK ?
Given that the walls are brick, I know this is going to be hard work (especially in our current hot weather !). I can use a cold chissel and large hammer (if I really have to ), but was wondering if there is a tool I can hire which would make my life a lot easier ??

Cheers

Nathan

 

[kevplumb]

have a look here

and the connection to the cylinder should be an essex flange not off the top

and bear in mind the bigger the pump the faster it empties the cylinder

 

[nathan.russell]

Are the Stuart Turner pumps really that good ?
I was looking at something like this :
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp;jsessionid=L10JWXFO5K05HCJO2C1CJ0Q?id=70280&ts=45090 (2bar, £169 from Screwfix)
but a comparable model in the Monsoon range will cost me around £325 - twice as much !

Is the Screwfix one a bit rubbish ? (for want of a better term !)


And any views on channeling out the wall for the pipework ?

Cheers

Nathan

 

[kevplumb]

1 have a read on the site and ask yourself who has been at this pump game longest

2 if you are sinking the pipework in the wall use plastic (its easy even a plumber can do it ) and no joints
in the wall
what you get up to in your bathroom is up to you (and a consenting adult)

 

[nathan.russell]

OK, point taken !. I take your greater knowledge, and will look to get a Stuart Turner pump - any idea what rating I should go for in my scenario ?
In the Monsoon range, they appear to do 1, 2, 3 and 4 bar ranges. I want a nice powerful shower so I will buy whatever is necessary for that, but dont want overkill (certainly as they are more expensive than I was originally planning on spending ! )
Will 1 bar be enough ? or should I be looking at 2 bar ? (hope you're not getting to tell me a 3 or 4 bar is what I need ! )

You mentioned using plastic - is this the pipework itself, or something else ? IE. are you suggesting using plastic pipework up the wall to the mixer rather than copper ?
If I use plastic pipes, how do I join it to the other components ? IE. Obviously I can't use conventional soldering, but can I still use compression joints - to connect to the mixer, and to put isolating values in etc.

And what about channeling the wall ? Am I still up for a cold chissel, big hammer and lots of brute force and swearing ? Or will something like a SDS drill with chissel bit do me any favours ?

Cheers

Nathan