Alternative solution to noisy Stuart Turner Monsoon pump?

[DPC]

Hello

We currently have coffin water tanks in loft roof (loft has been converted) and water pressure is boosted to various showers with a Stuart Turner Monsoon pump in the airing cupboard on the first floor next to the hot water cylinder.

Mains pressure measured off the cold water feed to washing machine is 1.25 bar and flow rate is 24/25 litres per min.

We are now really fed up with the noise of the pump (vibrates through the whole house!) and are looking for an alternative solution that will still provide decent pressure to the raindance tyoe shower heads we've got on the first floor and also in the loft bathroom on the second floor.

So is there an alternative? We previously had a Megaflo pre house refurb which seemed ok but then we didn't have the big plate showerheads or loft bathroom to think about then.

Very much look forward to reading your views on what we should do.

Thanks.

 

[Richard C]

That doesnt sound right, are you sure you don’t have a problem with the installation or a faulty pump? All high performance shower pumps generate some noise but the ST Monsoon is one of the quietest compared to others.

 

[DPC]

That doesnt sound right, are you sure you don’t have a problem with the installation or a faulty pump? All high performance shower pumps generate some noise but the ST Monsoon is one of the quietest compared to others.

Thanks, I'll get them to come and take a look at it. If there's nothing wrong with it and that's the expected noise level what other options do we have?

Sound insulation throughout our house is pretty poor so ideally could do without a pump based system.

 

[Richard C]

It would be a mistake to remove the pump as you won’t get any sort of performance to speak of from a gravity system & it will be impossible if you have a negative head loft bathroom as water doesn’t flow uphill very wel l. Not many houses have sound insulation & stud walls are usually the biggest problem; sound insulation is not mandatory except in certain conditions & it’s the main reason I would never consider buying a house with internal stud walls.

Apart from a fault on the pump itself, probably causes of your problem could be incorrectly fitter flexible isolation hoses on the pump, no anti-vibration pad under the pump or mounting the pump on an unsuitable base; badly clipped or unsupported pipe work can also cause resonation.

 

[Agile]

All shower pumps should be mounted in a way that prevents sound being transmittted from the pump body.

I mount the pump on a piece of 50mm paving slab and support that on a resilient material like foam rubber.

The simple answer is that if you much have fancy shower heads and want to use both at the same time then you will have to have the pump.

Unless you have the mains supply upgraded to give a dynamic flow of about 30 li/min @ 1,0 Bar that is.

Tony

 

[DPC]

Thanks for your views chaps.

We're not fussed about running two showers at the same time (did try to tell the builder this as he ripped out our original Megaflo!) so happy to consider all non-pumped options.

Would it be poss to have a separate supply/cylinder for the loft shower with a smaller (and quieter) pump serving just that shower? It's a guest bathroom so rarely used.

Existing Monsoon pump is 4 bar so packs a fair punch - am I dreaming if I think switching back to a Megaflo or similar will give a comparable flow/pressure on the first floor showers to this?

PS Called Stuart Turner. their local engineer is coming to have a look at the pump next Tuesday.

 

[tamz]

did try to tell the builder this as he ripped out our original Megaflo!

That was your first mistake, getting a builder to advise on your plumbing

 

[Richard C]

did try to tell the builder this as he ripped out our original Megaflo!

That was your first mistake, getting a builder to advise on your plumbing

Would that be a similar mistake to asking a plumber to do your drainage work then ; even some plumbers don’t have a clue how to properly design & install a pumped system, their victims visit this site regularly!

We're not fussed about running two showers at the same time (did try to tell the builder this as he ripped out our original Megaflo!) so happy to consider all non-pumped options.

Would it be poss to have a separate supply/cylinder for the loft shower with a smaller (and quieter) pump serving just that shower? It's a guest bathroom so rarely used.

Existing Monsoon pump is 4 bar so packs a fair punch - am I dreaming if I think switching back to a Megaflo or similar will give a comparable flow/pressure on the first floor showers to this?

PS Called Stuart Turner. their local engineer is coming to have a look at the pump next Tuesday.

Why was the Megaflow skipped then? 4 bar is also a very large pump for what you have & proposed usage but over capacity in itself should not be the cause of a problem; before you do anything, wait & see what the ST engineer says.

 

[DPC]

did try to tell the builder this as he ripped out our original Megaflo!

That was your first mistake, getting a builder to advise on your plumbing

I'll clarify that - the 25 stone Chewbacca lookalike that worked for the builder that called himself a plumber! He left us with pipework more like the Wembley pitch sprinklers than heating pipework!

 

[Richard C]

did try to tell the builder this as he ripped out our original Megaflo!

That was your first mistake, getting a builder to advise on your plumbing

I'll clarify that - the 25 stone Chewbacca lookalike that worked for the builder that called himself a plumber! He left us with pipework more like the Wembley pitch sprinklers than heating pipework!

Ahh so the poor builder’s been maligned undeservedly then ; although he's still responsible for the job & should not allow poor workmanship if that proves to be the case.

Interesting to hear what the ST guy has to say but you could always post us some pics in the meantime if you like.

 

[Achy]

PS Called Stuart Turner. their local engineer is coming to have a look at the pump next Tuesday.

Got a noisy pump myself...

Can I ask how much ST are charging to send an engineer out?

 

[DPC]

PS Called Stuart Turner. their local engineer is coming to have a look at the pump next Tuesday.

Got a noisy pump myself...

Can I ask how much ST are charging to send an engineer out?

£70 for call out. Will report back what he says.

 

[DPC]

Right, the Stuart Turner pump man has been and he's confirmed there's nothing we can do about the noise - it's the vibrations going through the pipework and is typical noise level for one of their pumps. On a side note he said the newer ones were even noisier!

So, what options do we have with 1.25 bar and 25 litres per min flow rate to supply rainhead showerheads with decent pressure/flow rate on first floor and second floor?

Have I got enough basic spec for a megaflo set up to work for the first floor and would it be poss to have a second hot water cylinder and pump serving just the loft shower?

 

[Agile]

The simple answer is that if you much have fancy shower heads and want to use both at the same time then you will have to have the pump.

Unless you have the mains supply upgraded to give a dynamic flow of about 30 li/min @ 1,0 Bar that is.

Tony

 

[Nige F]

Right, the Stuart Turner pump man has been and he's confirmed there's nothing we can do about the noise - it's the vibrations going through the pipework and is typical noise level for one of their pumps. On a side note he said the newer ones were even noisier!

So, what options do we have with 1.25 bar and 25 litres per min flow rate to supply rainhead showerheads with decent pressure/flow rate on first floor and second floor?

Have I got enough basic spec for a megaflo set up to work for the first floor and would it be poss to have a second hot water cylinder and pump serving just the loft shower?

Sell me the ST pump - start it @ 99p on eBay. It`ll be worth my while travelling to Surrey from Sussex to get one of those