Can a double (hot & cold) shower pump be used as a single? I mean, can it be used on one side (H or C), or is it better to run the water through both sides in series? I.e. in --> out --> in --> out -->.
Double shower pump used as a single
- Thread starter culveralan
- Start date
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You can’t run the pump with one impeller dry it will damage the impeller; but I suppose you could remove the impeller 
. Many dedicated shower pumps must be run both hot & cold together or you will damage the impeller(s). Whole house pumps incorporate a bypass loop & can be run either hot or cold independently but both must have a water supply connected; not sure of the long term effect of running just one side though.
I suppose connecting both sides in series may work for a while at least but you run a big risk of cavitaion on the second impeller by aerated water generated from the first impeller; cavitaion will destroy the 2nd impeller. Don’t know what you’re doing but why not use a single impeller pump
. Many dedicated shower pumps must be run both hot & cold together or you will damage the impeller(s). Whole house pumps incorporate a bypass loop & can be run either hot or cold independently but both must have a water supply connected; not sure of the long term effect of running just one side though. I suppose connecting both sides in series may work for a while at least but you run a big risk of cavitaion on the second impeller by aerated water generated from the first impeller; cavitaion will destroy the 2nd impeller. Don’t know what you’re doing but why not use a single impeller pump
Thank you for your reply, Richard. It's just that I have a double pump... and would need to purchase a single one. The idea of a whole-house pump appeals, however. How does one choose a suitable pump with sufficient capacity and reliability?
Alan
Alan
You need to size the pump output in accordance with the requirements of your particular house by looking at the pressure/flow rate curves of the individual pumps.
Be careful with some pumps, (e.g. Salamander) only the Right” whole house pump has the necessary by-pass loop, I personally have an RHP 100; http://www.salamanderpumps.co.uk/Products/Right_Pumps.htm
The Stuart Turner Monsoon is (IMO) a better quality, quieter but more expensive pump & is suitable for whole house applications;
http://www.stuart-turner.co.uk/products/monsoon
You will also need to determine if you need a positive or more expensive negative head pump. A 2 bar would be the minimum you should consider IMO but it depends on the output you need. One thing you should bear in mind is the larger output pumps, although not overly noisy, can emit a surprisingly irritating drone even when correctly installed. A whole house pump will kick in whenever you turn the taps on (not mains C/W) or there is water demand from an appliance & this could be a problem in the middle of the night, especially if you have children. I installed our Sally some 4 years ago but after using it for a couple of weeks, we found the noise so irritating, we now only turn our pump on when running a bath or showering which sort of defeats the object of having it a bit! I’ve since installed a few ST Monsoons on dedicated pumped shower systems (not whole house) & when the time comes & our Sally finally gives up the ghost (if ever), that’s what I’ll replace it with.
More information on what your trying to achieve would be helpful
Be careful with some pumps, (e.g. Salamander) only the Right” whole house pump has the necessary by-pass loop, I personally have an RHP 100; http://www.salamanderpumps.co.uk/Products/Right_Pumps.htm
The Stuart Turner Monsoon is (IMO) a better quality, quieter but more expensive pump & is suitable for whole house applications;
http://www.stuart-turner.co.uk/products/monsoon
You will also need to determine if you need a positive or more expensive negative head pump. A 2 bar would be the minimum you should consider IMO but it depends on the output you need. One thing you should bear in mind is the larger output pumps, although not overly noisy, can emit a surprisingly irritating drone even when correctly installed. A whole house pump will kick in whenever you turn the taps on (not mains C/W) or there is water demand from an appliance & this could be a problem in the middle of the night, especially if you have children. I installed our Sally some 4 years ago but after using it for a couple of weeks, we found the noise so irritating, we now only turn our pump on when running a bath or showering which sort of defeats the object of having it a bit! I’ve since installed a few ST Monsoons on dedicated pumped shower systems (not whole house) & when the time comes & our Sally finally gives up the ghost (if ever), that’s what I’ll replace it with.
More information on what your trying to achieve would be helpful
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Why mess around with putting the two sides of the pump in series? Seems like it would make much more sense to parallel them up. I'm still not sure why you'd want to do this if the pump is to be used for a shower, mind.
Well that would be better from a cavitation viewpoint but I wouldn’t advise or condone either.
I may have beaten you with my last post but that's what I'm doing my best to establish
Thanks again Richard for your detailed reply. Thanks also to Matthew.
You mentioned it would be helpful for more detailed information about my requirements:
I have a very old farmhouse that had a lot of work done on it (by me) 15 years ago when I first moved in. At that time I catered for my original living requirements, but I also made provision for later conversion... but arthritis curtailed my enthusiasm. I now want to finish off with 2 x en suite bathrooms in other parts of the house. Unfortunately the 2 x CW feeds from the main water tank come from different outlets, since I wanted them to be quite independent. The HW can be handled with one pump. Without it, the pressure seems very low. And nobody seems happy to wait for the shower water to come through. I believe both H & C water need to be pumped to these locations. The wash basins would also benefit from increased water flow.
You mentioned it would be helpful for more detailed information about my requirements:
I have a very old farmhouse that had a lot of work done on it (by me) 15 years ago when I first moved in. At that time I catered for my original living requirements, but I also made provision for later conversion... but arthritis curtailed my enthusiasm. I now want to finish off with 2 x en suite bathrooms in other parts of the house. Unfortunately the 2 x CW feeds from the main water tank come from different outlets, since I wanted them to be quite independent. The HW can be handled with one pump. Without it, the pressure seems very low. And nobody seems happy to wait for the shower water to come through. I believe both H & C water need to be pumped to these locations. The wash basins would also benefit from increased water flow.
Can't you just cap one of the outlets on the CWS tank? I assume right now you have three outlets from said tank, two supplying cold water and one to feed your HW cylinder? That would allow you to use one pump, as intended, with one impeller for hot and the other for cold.
If that's not possible then I'm afraid I've entirely misunderstood your post.
If that's not possible then I'm afraid I've entirely misunderstood your post.
Thank you for your suggestions, Matthew. It has given me food for thought. I shall look at the CWS tank tomorrow and investigate the possibilities.
Thanks also to Chris R for your comments.
Alan
Thanks also to Chris R for your comments.
Alan
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