I have a gravity fed system hot tank in airing cupboard top of stairs/cold tank in loft, due to low pressure off the hot i had a shower pump put in, but y-day as i was having a new sink fitted in the kitchen i had to turn off all the water, when this was all put back on i now find the shower pump will only kick in when the shower temp is on cold and as i turn the temp up the pump gets louder and then turns off
shower pump problem
- Thread starter mart40
- Start date
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its a salamander pump, it has been fitted for about 18mths now, i did have a similar problem before which i found to be due to the flexi hose on the hot pipe being kinked, but once this was straightened it was fine. Its as though not enough hot water is getting to the pump, yet both the in/out pipes into it are warm. The shower works fine if the temp is low but when you turn it up the pump just cuts out, got to be linked to turning all the water off when the kitchen sink was being fitted y-day, but for the life of me i can't work it out.
Is the pump just on the hot water feed?
If so, is it just on the hot water feed to the shower?
Was the water system drained down for the kitchen work?
It sounds like it maybe the pressure sensing switch; if you drain the system down, you should bleed any air from the pump before switching on, running the pump with air in it/the system could/will damage it. The flexi hoses must also be installed straight so there is never any chance of them becoming kinked.
If so, is it just on the hot water feed to the shower?
Was the water system drained down for the kitchen work?
It sounds like it maybe the pressure sensing switch; if you drain the system down, you should bleed any air from the pump before switching on, running the pump with air in it/the system could/will damage it. The flexi hoses must also be installed straight so there is never any chance of them becoming kinked.
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The pump is in the airing cupboard above the hot tank, the cold&hot pipes for the shower have been diverted from loft to come into the pump & then back up into the loft and across and down to the shower. When the sink was being fitted they turned off the cold at the mains under the sink, and then turned off all three valves in the airing cupboard off the hot tank, the shower and pump are fine if the temp is very low, but as soon as i try and turn it up the pump just cuts out.f
The pump has internal pressure sensors which detect when the hot & cold water is turned on & starts the motor; depending on what pump you have, there may also be a bypass loop between the 2 sides of the pump. Because the pump works on cold but stops when you try & turn up the hot indicates you’re not getting sufficient or any flow on the hot water side of the pump to trip the sensor & so the pump stops. When they fitted the downstairs sink, the hot & cold water system pipes were probably drained down. Assuming they have actually turned all of the valves back on again, it sounds as if you may have an air lock on the h/w side, as I said before. Try bleeding the pump by loosening the water connections on each end & letting the water run into an old towel.
If that doesn’t cure it, you may have a basic problem with the way the system pipe work has been installed. If both the pump feed & flow pipes come down from the loft, it sounds as if the system has 2 up & over loops; these must be vented at the highest point or any air in the system gets trapped in the top of the loop & has nowhere to go. If the pump is located above the h/w cylinder outlet, the pump feed should also have an anti-gravity loop. I have attached a link to the Salamander installation guide below which shows layouts using various pipe runs. If this doesn’t help you figure out what’s wrong, I suggest you contact whoever installed the pump.
http://www.salamanderpumps.co.uk/Download/instructions.pdf
Of course the pump itself may have developed a fault!
If that doesn’t cure it, you may have a basic problem with the way the system pipe work has been installed. If both the pump feed & flow pipes come down from the loft, it sounds as if the system has 2 up & over loops; these must be vented at the highest point or any air in the system gets trapped in the top of the loop & has nowhere to go. If the pump is located above the h/w cylinder outlet, the pump feed should also have an anti-gravity loop. I have attached a link to the Salamander installation guide below which shows layouts using various pipe runs. If this doesn’t help you figure out what’s wrong, I suggest you contact whoever installed the pump.
http://www.salamanderpumps.co.uk/Download/instructions.pdf
Of course the pump itself may have developed a fault!
Respect Richard c!!!!!!!!! Tried undoing the fittings and it seems to have done the trick, i don't believe it was fitted correctly in the first place so i suppose i will encounter problems again but at the moment it is back up and running again,
Thanks.
Thanks.
Thanks
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