Salamander Negative Head Shower Pump - frequent hunting.

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Morning All,

A friend suggested I post here as he assured me the members were always freindly and helpful :)

Over the last three weeks, I have noticed that my shower pump has started to hunter 3-4 times per hour. I understand that they re-pressurize every few hours, but it is beginning to get a bit annoying. I phoned Salamander for advice and they told me to turn the valves off and see if the pump still hunts - other forums suggest this is not all that useful as the interruption in the water flow will stop the pump from working anyway.

As part of my homecare agreement with British Gas, I got a plumber out in case there was a leak after the pump in my plumbing system. A guy from Dyno Rod came out yesterday and said that a leak would cause the pump to hunt almost constantly as they are so sensitive. He then opened up water tank cupboard and noticed that the pressure vessel / expansion tank was on its side on the floor, behind the pump, and in front of the water tank. As soon as he spotted that he said that is the likely problem as the balloon (my girlfriends term - not sure if correct!) inside the vessel is likely to need re-pressurising as this particular one needs to be vertical. He also did mention that grit could have got into the pump, but that is less likely.

My query then, is that the pump was installed in Sept 09 whilst getting my bathroom worked on - does this time frame sound right for a problem like this to occur? Also, is it right that the builders who installed it should return and install it properly / re-pressurize the vessel? The Homecare plumber said that a standard plumber would not touch the pump, so would it be better to get a specialist in and if so, does anyone know of a good pump specialist in the Edinburgh area?

Many thanks

Steve
 
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shower pump on an unvented cylinder ? any chance of putting up some pictures of the pump and cylinder.
 
I'll see if the other half can get some good shots and get back to you.

Thanks

Steve
 
I phoned Salamander for advice and they told me to turn the valves off and see if the pump still hunts - other forums suggest this is not all that useful as the interruption in the water flow will stop the pump from working anyway.

I think there is some confusion here! Salamander are asking you to turn off the valve outlets from the pump to see if the problem is caused by a leak away from the pump. For example, a dripping tap. It could be the pressure sensor in the pump. We can't really help any further until you do that test. The builder won't be interested as its over a year from the install. Any competent plumber should be able to diagnose and replace a faulty part.
 
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He then opened up water tank cupboard and noticed that the pressure vessel / expansion tank was on its side on the floor, behind the pump, and in front of the water tank. As soon as he spotted that he said that is the likely problem as the balloon (my girlfriends term - not sure if correct!) inside the vessel is likely to need re-pressurising as this particular one needs to be vertical.

sounds like an unvented cylinder to me, the pump could be pumping into the cylinder but I wondered why he called it a shower pump and why I put a question mark after unvented cylinder, it could be the pump vessel but they are normally fixed to the pump.
 
OK. I tried shutting off the valves to the pumps as per the instructions of the Salamander Technical Helpline. Within 10min the pump activated for a few seconds.

Therefore, does the previous diagnosis from the Dyno Rod engineer stand true? - i.e. is the fact the expansion tank is on its side likely to mean that it needs re-pressurising?

Cheers

Steve
 
Before - one from the cold tank and one from the cylinder.

S

Unfortunately that doesn't really prove a lot, as it could still be a problem with the pump or a leak in the pipework following the pump. As other posters have said before, you need to isolate the pipes going out of the pump if you want to work out where the problem lies.
 
Holy cr@p that's just about in there by the nads wiskers. For starters I would consult the manuals as I would say it fitted incorrectly. The flexis aren't supposed to be bent as they are anti vibration hoses and looking at the install I would say there isn't a flange in the cylinder so could be air bubbles turning it on and off or a leak or finally the filters could be blocked or bits in the flow switches. Good luck anyway
 
I only use Stuart & turner.....................................sounds as though the vessel has lost it's charge , isolate pump , remove vessel & recharge with air pump , pressure of vessel should be noted on data label .........................negative head pumps use a pressure switch as opposed to a flow switch , in laymen terms an undercharged vessel won't activate switch when outlets are closed

Difficult to see but is'nt that a check valve on hot supply to pump? , seems that cylinder is a tad small considering placement of essex flange/secondary tapping. ;)
 
Hi. I have exactly the smae problem with a stuart turner monsoon 4 bar twin pump. Huting occurs every 20 mins or so for about 5 seconds.

One other post has also suggested the vessel may have lost its charge. How does a lay person recharge this vessel or is this a job for a plumber. Does any one know of a stuart turner pump specialist in London or a plumber with experience of pumps that hunt?

Many thanks
 
Hi. I have exactly the smae problem with a stuart turner monsoon 4 bar twin pump. Huting occurs every 20 mins or so for about 5 seconds.

One other post has also suggested the vessel may have lost its charge. How does a lay person recharge this vessel or is this a job for a plumber. Does any one know of a stuart turner pump specialist in London or a plumber with experience of pumps that hunt?

Many thanks

Salamander tell me that you need to:
1) Remove the metal dust cap from the valve on the end of the cylindrical metal pressure vessel.
2) Connect a car/bike footpump to the valve.
3) Pump until the pressure is 20psi.
4) Remove the footpump.
5) Replace the dust cap.
 

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