Shower pump location

[scottpetrie]

Hi
Im looking at fitting a shower pump in the new year as my water pressure is terrible. The two water pipes from shower both run down the wall from the loft. The hot pipe starts in the airing cupboard next door to bathroom, goes up to the loft, along then down to the shower. The cold pipe comes straight out the loft tank, along and down to the shower. Can I fit the pump in the loft in line with the two pipes which are side by side before they head down to the shower?

 

[stem]

What "water pressure is terrible"? Do you mean the main water supply from the street, or the hot water supply from a hot water cylinder?

 

[scottpetrie]

Just the shower as its gravity fed

 

[stem]

Usually the shower pump is located at the base of the hot water cylinder so that it is fed by gravity (positive pressure). Where you want to locate it this won't happen, so you would need a negative pressure pump. Bear in mind shower pumps are quite noisy and in the roof space it will appear even louder than hidden away in the airing cupboard.

Negative head pumps also cost about twice as much to buy. There's a link to a diagram here, showing how to connect one.

Pump in Loft Diagram

 

[scottpetrie]

Okay thats fair enough. Airing cupboard it is then. Would that mean teeing into the cold pipe in the loft that goes to the shower, running it back down to the airing cupboard to the pump, then back up to re-tap into the existing pipe which goes down to the shower?

 

[fixitflav]

Hi
Im looking at fitting a shower pump in the new year as my water pressure is terrible. The two water pipes from shower both run down the wall from the loft. The hot pipe starts in the airing cupboard next door to bathroom, goes up to the loft, along then down to the shower. The cold pipe comes straight out the loft tank, along and down to the shower. Can I fit the pump in the loft in line with the two pipes which are side by side before they head down to the shower?

As long as the pump is well (say 0.5m) below the CW tank level, you should be OK. The pump supplier will give you the NPSHr, if your system provides that, with 1m or so to spare for safety, it works. Give me a few details - levels, pipe lengths and fittings, flow rate etc, I'll work it out for you.

 

[stem]

It's usually done something like this.

For a balanced supply the cold water is pumped as well. The cold supply coming from the same F&E tank that supplies the hot water cylinder. This diagram shows the shower hot supply coming from an inclined pipe at the top of the hot water cylinder to prevent air bubbles being sucked into the pump causing cavitation. Alternatively special flanges are available that have a special outlet for the shower (eg Surrey flange)