Do I need a shower pump?

[neilikins]

I am having a shower installed in a downstairs bathroom and trying to ascertain if i require a pump. The cold water tank is in the loft of the 2 storey house and the shower head will be approx 9 feet from bottom of cold water tank.
Does anyone know if there is a calculation model I can use to work out if a pump is required? Thanks

 

[Breesey]

I am having a shower installed in a downstairs bathroom and trying to ascertain if i require a pump. The cold water tank is in the loft of the 2 storey house and the shower head will be approx 9 feet from bottom of cold water tank.
Does anyone know if there is a calculation model I can use to work out if a pump is required? Thanks

No you wont need a pump. Unless you want a particularly powerfull shower of course.

 

[Rob]

I work it out to be around 1/3 of a bar. Not great. When a shower pump can easily give 1.5 bar!

 

[gas4you]

Agree with Rob, each storey (approx 10ft) is equal to about 1/3 bar pressure drop/increase.

 

[neilikins]

Thanks everyone for quick responses. Looks like a pump is needed. Does anyone have recommendations for a quiet model?

 

[gas4you]

Never heard of a 'quiet' shower pump unfortunately. Been the subject of many a discussion on here. Suggest you do a search

 

[Breesey]

Thanks everyone for quick responses. Looks like a pump is needed. Does anyone have recommendations for a quiet model?

A pump isn't 'needed' but would give you a more powerfull shower If you want a quiet shower don't get a pump

 

[outmyway]

Interesting thread ..

I'm putting a shower room in my basement and this is calculation just what I'm looking for!!

Drop is 16ft ... so guess about 0.5 bar pressure .. uuhhmm
(cold water tank is in upper portion of airing cuboard above hot cylinder)

Could I put a pump in my basement or is that too far away from the cylinder/header tank to work OK?

 

[Richard C]

Does anyone have recommendations for a quiet model?

 

[Richard C]

Could I put a pump in my basement or is that too far away from the cylinder/header tank to work OK?

You should be OK @ 16ft but check as many of the smaller pumps have restricted maximum static head.

 

[TicklyT]

Whether you need a pump or not depends on the water pressure your choice of shower is designed to work with.

A lot of the brassware on offer is designed to work with mains pressure water, with a minimum pressure of 1 bar, and is sold by people who think a bar is where you go to ask for a bottle of alcopop

Shower valves and heads designed for use at gravity water pressures as low as 0.1 bar are available. They don't pin you against the wall and strip the flesh from your bones with a high pressure jet, but they are capable of getting you very wet very quickly.

If you are dealing with a certain high street bathroom supplier, you may find you need to take an iron bar with you, and use it to explain to the sales erk exactly what one bar of pressure means by applying it just behind their left ear....

I would try to avoid the complication of using a pump on the basis of what isn't there doesnt make any noise, doesn't require an electrical connection and doesn't go wrong, but make allowance for fitting one if it later proves necessary.

 

[outmyway]

I might put a pump in whilst I'm at it.

I'll be tapping off hot/cold from under the kitchen units to route to the shower room below, so can easily site a pump there, plus have electric sockets etc.

 

[Richard C]

I might put a pump in whilst I'm at it.

I'll be tapping off hot/cold from under the kitchen units to route to the shower room below, so can easily site a pump there, plus have electric sockets etc.

In most cases & to work efficiently, shower pumps require their own, dedicated feeds direct from the hot/cold storage tanks, generally in 22mm. Teeing off the kitchen supplies (which are probably only 15mm) is definitely not a good idea; additionally the kitchen cold supply will probably be mains pressure which, again, is unsuitable for most pumped installations.

I would suggest you do a little more research into the general requirements of pumped systems before you go any further.

 

[outmyway]

Thansk Richard.

Your right it would be mains cold water from my kitchen - downstream of my water softner - uhhmmm!

Could I use a pump on just the hot and use the cold at mains pressure?
Or would that cause mixing/thermostat issues at the shower?

My exisiting showers are fed pumps to.from with 15m pipework (which are tapped off the 22mm hot cylinder pipes close by) - which works ok.

Maybe I should stick to a 16ft head giving 0.5 bar - a reasonable pressure shower?

 

[outmyway]

PS: Just thinking ..

My mains cold water supply is high pressure (guessing at >1 bar) .. if I use that with my 16ft head of hot from the cylinder to my basement shower would that give more than 0.5 bar combining the two pressures?

Gues it depends on the mix of hot to cold?