Total plumbing confusion - please help!

[helen_369]

Am totally confused so really hope someone can help. We're decorating our ensuite (just bought the house) and replacing shower etc. We currently have a pump in our loft, a tank in our airing cupboard and an Ikon 60 - 80 CI boiler downstairs where we have to set hot water and heating separately. Know I'm talking in idiot terms and really sorry - I literally know NOTHING about this so just trying to make myself understood! :

Anyway, we had a plumber in to look at our ensuite. Apparently, our tank in the airing cupboard in somehow connected wrongly (another plumber looked and agreed with this separately too) He says we can't now keep the pump in the loft cause that's against regulations - is that true?

Therefore we need to fit a pump in the airing cupboard by tank. Our water pressure in our bathroom is also TERRIBLE. Think this has been fitted in some way wrongly by previous owners as other water pressure is pretty good. We will eventually change the bathroom round so want it set up for another shower in there but in the meantime would like to solve pressure problem. Plumber said he can't guarantee anything would work without ripping it out and looking at pipes but we had two choices..
- either fit two pumps in the airing cupboard and change the pipework so it's correctly fitted.
- Fit a megaflow system (either 170 or 210 apparently)

He did try explain these to me but I am beyond confused about what's best. Mainly want my power shower to work well, to solve the pressure in the bathroom and set it up ready for a shower in there in the future too. What happens if I update the boiler in the future, which I'll imagine I'll have to? How does the megaflow affect my heating? Will I need to service it? Is it dangerous? Just don't understand what makes it worth the extra money really. Does it increase the amount of hot water I can use? Really don't understand so would be so, so grateful if anyone could explain this situation to me in idiot's terms!!!! Thanks so much in advance

 

[gas4you]

Pump in loft not against regs, just the wrong place to fit a shower pump!

It should be at the bottom of the airing cupboard so it 'pushes' the water rather than sucks.

The hw cylinder will need a seperate outlet for the hot supply to the pum and a seperate cold feed from the cold storage tank in loft for the cold.

The 'megaflo' option is always the best but is very costly and you will need a 22mm cold mains supply to it and at least 3 bar and 20 litres/min flow rate to get the most from it. It also needs to be fitted by a G3 qualified installer.

If you are considering an unvented cylinder then DONT invest in any pumps as they cannot be used with an unvented cylinder installation.

 

[helen_369]

Thank you so much for that. Why is a megaflo so much better? Does it just sort the pressure out or is there another benefit to it? And will it be ok to change my boiler later if needs be (it's quite old I think so just preparing for the worst)... also a bit of a pain because we have to set our hot water and heating separately so think there must be a better option..
Thanks again!!

 

[Balenza]

gas4you wrote

If you are considering an unvented cylinder then DONT invest in any pumps as they cannot be used with an unvented cylinder installation.

Why not ?.

 

[gas4you]

A megaflo type cylinder works on mains pressure rather than from a storage tank in the loft, so as long as you have good incoming pressure and flow rate you do not need to have any pumps on the domestic side and all hot taps will be at this good pressure.

Your boiler is totally seperate to this, but all good new programmers have 2 channels, 1 for the rads and 1 for the hot water with seperate times for the on/off periods for each.

 

[gas4you]

gas4you wrote

If you are considering an unvented cylinder then DONT invest in any pumps as they cannot be used with an unvented cylinder installation.

Why not ?.

1) you shouldn't need them
2) the same as a combi cant have a pump on the hot taps, the megaflo will only give what it can relying on the incoming mains pressure.
3) shower pumps should not be fitted to mains supplys, only gravity.

 

[Balenza]

helen_369 wrote

Why is a megaflo so much better?

Its not "so much better" in the slightest.
Its just hyped up thats all.

 

[helen_369]

Ok, thank you. That makes it a bit clearer. Just annoying because our other pressure (apart from in bathroom) is good, so I'm unsure as to whether to bother with the added expense of a megaflo now really. Especially as my plumber is saying he can't guarantee it will fix my bath problem because it may well have not been plumbed in right in the first place...

 

[Balenza]

gas4you wrote

If you are considering an unvented cylinder then DONT invest in any pumps as they cannot be used with an unvented cylinder installation.

Why not ?.

1) you shouldn't need them
2) the same as a combi cant have a pump on the hot taps, the megaflo will only give what it can relying on the incoming mains pressure.
3) shower pumps should not be fitted to mains supplys, only gravity.

Misunderatanding here. I thought you meant a pump cannot be used on the incoming side of the UV.

 

[gas4you]

The downstairs hot taps will have greater pressure due to the simple fact that the cold storage tank is in the roof so is a greater height above them than the upstairs taps. The more height you have = more pressure out of the tap.