Bungalow Pumped Shower Feeds

[bmouthboyo]

Couple of questions if anyone in the kno could point me in right direction.

I live in a bungalow and am renovating fmy bathroom. I have a immersion heater fo hot water on ground floor and CW. Tank in attic. Planning on installing a dual 3.0 bar pump for a mixer shower.

1) Is it fine / advised to pump the hot and cold up to attic then along and down into shower area? I could pump the entire hot water system and come up from below when doing the flow but prefer idea of using attic due to future ease of access etc.

2) The pump will output 22mm diameter pipe. Do I need to take this all the way to the shower area then reduce to 15mm which seems to be the standard for showers? Or can I reduce immediately near pump and use 15mm pipe?

3) I see a lot of people use a mix of plastic pipes and copper. What's the general rule for best practice here? Should I take copper all way to shower or can I switch to plastic for the final couple of metres and tricky bends etc.

Thanks

 

[ericmark]

I simply fitted a shower controller with built in pump when I did it.

However the main problem is to ensure if the water supply fails the pump can't drop the water level to a point where the immersion heater is not covered. Or of course suck water from incoming main, we want all water pipes to have pressure in them so any leak is water going out of the pipe, not sucking any water in.

As an electrician I know my limitations, and I got a plumber to advice pipe sizes and routes to ensure a safe system. I would advise you do the same.

 

[Madrab]

Yep ... you need to size it properly ... a 3bar pump will use the stored hot water pretty quickly so it depends on how much storage there is as to how you size the pump and shower output. There is a limiting distance as to how long the upstream and downstream pipework should be too.

Taking it up and over is a well known procedure, it can be problematic though if not plumbed correctly and the take off from the cylinder isn't right. Air locks are the enemy there. You also need enough flow to ensure there is the flow to activate the pump, otherwise you will need a universal pump.

Mixing pipework isn't an issue, again, as long as it's installed correctly. Pump size determines whether it will be 22mm to the outlet or 15mm is acceptable. Usually 3bar would stay at 22mm as far as possible.

There are a few considerations required before proceeding.

 

[bmouthboyo]

Thanks for that Rob.

Being a bungalow I am fairly certain the flow should be enough to trigger the pump, being a positive head. Unfortunately I cannot check the specific flow rate is enough of the planned install as it requires the plumping to pump etc to be installed. Are there any down sides to simply going straight to a universal (negative head pump) if I could fit a positive head pump?

I assume an Essex flange or surrey flange is all that is needed to prevent air locks, as well as ensuring there is no 'high' points in the pipework. Or are there automatic bleeders available that should be fitted at the highest point in the attic?

Next question is more out of interest. If I supplied the pump with x 2 22mm pipe fittings for the inlet, is there a benefit to laying new 22mm pipes for the approx. 10 meters along the attic to get near the shower that then reduces to 15mm, verses having the outlets go to 15mm immediately after the pump? This would then allow me to use more existing pipework.

Lastly, I assume that if a 3 bar pump turned out to be going through our 160L immersion to quickly with the shower we decide upon that there is a way the flow could be restricted to reduce this if need be?

Appreciate the advice you are giving. Great way to get a basic understanding before deciding upon a route to take.