How To Install A Shower Pump

Planning and Installing a Shower Pump

Posted on Thursday 30th May 2022

Installing a shower pump is probably the nearly mutual way people improve the performance of their showers. If yous're tired of standing under a weak catamenia of water from your shower head, so consider installing a shower pump.

Go along on reading to detect out everything you need to know about shower pumps and how to install them.

What is a shower pump?

Shower pumps are becoming increasingly popular. They are typically installed on systems where the head pressure level is not sufficient to create an enjoyable showering experience.

In a traditional shower fix, water is fed into a hose (or into the unit showtime to be heated if yous take an electric shower) and so travels up towards the shower head and out to shower you.

In travelling up the hose towards the shower head, the water has to fight against gravity - it does this using water pressure. With the water nether pressure, it is able to travel upwards confronting gravity.

The corporeality of h2o force per unit area (measured in bars) required to get the water up to the shower head depends on how far the water has to travel. If you lot don't accept sufficient h2o pressure, then you're probable to end up with a trickle of water coming out of your shower head. Not ideal.

The solution is a shower pump. Typically modest in size (around 30cm on average), shower pumps boost the h2o pressure in your shower pipes past increasing the book of water which is pumped into them.

How practise I know if I require a shower pump?

In that location are few different things y'all can do to measure out your h2o pressure level. I of the easiest ways is as follows:

Ensure all of you taps are turned off (likewise as whatsoever appliances that apply water such as dishwashers).
Get a 1 litre measuring jug.
Turn on your cold tap fully and make full to the 1 litre line of your jug whilst timing it.

Make a note of the time and so employ this calculation:

60 / (time) = (x) litres per minute.

That ways that if it took vii.five seconds for your jug to fill up you simply need to piece of work out sixty divided by 7.v to get 8 litres per infinitesimal.

The general dominion tends to be that if it takes longer than 8 seconds to fill a i litre jug, then your water pressure is too low and as such, yous'll do good from a shower pump!

What types of shower pumps are there?

If you've found that you need a shower pump, you might be wondering what type you require. If that'south the instance, keep reading…

In most cases your choice will be between a positive shower pump and a negative shower pump. Which 1 is correct for yous will depend on what type of h2o system you have in your home.

Positive shower pump

Positive shower pumps are designed to be fed past gravity. To work properly, this blazon of pump requires a distance (likewise known every bit a 'head') of at to the lowest degree 10 inches betwixt the water level in the cold water tank (usually located in the loft) and the pump. This will ensure that you attain the 0.5 litres per minute flow that is required to actuate most positive shower pumps.

If you are going to install a positive shower pump, y'all should also check your cold water tank. It should have a capacity of at least 225 litres (50 gallons) capacity to maintain supply to the hot water cylinder and the shower pump.

Negative shower pump

Less common are negative shower pumps. A negative pump is normally used in situations where the pump will exist located either level with or above the cold water tank, for example, in bungalows where there isn't enough distance between the tank and the pump.

Negative shower pumps piece of work by actively 'sucking' h2o from the cold water tank to feed the shower.

For both of these types of pumps, y'all volition need an open up-vented hot and cold water supply. And then, y'all won't be able to utilize these types of pumps with a combi boiler organisation where there's no stored hot h2o.

Impellers

Some other matter to consider is the number of impellers you'll require. An impeller is a rotor which is used to increase the force per unit area and menstruation of water through the pump. Y'all can purchase shower pumps that are fitted with either single or twin impellers.

A single impeller pump is unremarkably used to pump the hot water side of a water supply, whilst the cold h2o side of the supply is fed by mains pressure level.

If the cold and hot water tanks are widely separated, and so a single impeller pump will exist required on each feed.

A twin impeller pump is designed to pump both hot and cold water. These are by and large used on positive head systems and produce an even pressure from both sides of the supply. They likewise accept the benefit of delivering a more controlled mixing ability (so you'll be able to adjust the temperature of your shower with more than accurateness).

Regenerative or centrifugal shower pump?

Something else to consider is whether y'all desire a regenerative or centrifugal pump.

A centrifugal pump moves h2o using a set of curved vanes. These vanes rotate, edifice up centrifugal forcefulness to force the water out, increasing h2o pressure level. Centrifugal pumps are extremely efficient and are often quieter than other pumps. Where college h2o pressures are needed, multiple impellers tin be added to a centrifugal pump. Centrifugal pumps that take more than than one impeller are sometimes called multistage centrifugal pumps.

Regenerative pumps (sometimes besides known as peripheral or turbine pumps), gather water in a peripheral channel, edifice belch force per unit area every bit the water flows in this channel around the circumference of the pump. Regenerative pumps tend to be cheaper to buy than centrifugal pumps.

Which bar shower pump?

When browsing our selection of shower pumps, you may detect that they each accept a pressure rating. When purchasing a shower pump you should ensure you select the right pressure rating for your shower set upwardly.

Hither are some of the most common force per unit area ratings for shower pumps:

one bar shower pumps - this pressure level rating is great for smaller shower heads where in that location won't be a huge flow of h2o expelled.
i.5 bar shower pumps - this pressure should be used if y'all have a normal shower and just crave a fleck more h2o pressure.
2 bar shower pumps - like ane.v bar shower pumps, a 2 bar shower pump is to be used if you accept a normal shower prepare that needs more water pressure.
2.5 bar shower pumps - if yous desire a power shower or have a larger than boilerplate shower head then a 2 bar shower pump will be required.
3 bar shower pumps - a 3 bar shower pump is nifty for power showers and larger shower heads. The extra water pressure these pumps create means they are ideal for showers that comprise body jets.

Whilst those are the most common pump pressure level ratings, you can likewise find other bar sizes on our store.

How to fit a shower pump

Once you've decided upon the right pump for your shower and h2o system set-upward, information technology's time to install information technology.

When deciding where to locate the pump, position information technology where it can be easily accessed in one case information technology'south installed. This will make it much easier to service it or clean the filters at a later date. If you take a bath, it'south permissible to install the pump underneath - however, you must be able to go quick admission to the pump if necessary.

Shower pump rubber

For maximum safety, ensure that the pump is not positioned in a confined space where it could overheat. This is particularly important if y'all're thinking of installing the pump in an airing cupboard or similar location where it could be smothered by towels etc.

At the other end of the spectrum, pumps tin can also exist damaged past very low temperatures, and so you lot'll have to gene this into your conclusion when positioning the pump.

While on the subject of safety, never ignore regulations when installing an electrical product such as a shower pump. To comply with wiring regulations, an enclosed shower pump must exist sited at least 2ft (600mm) away from the shower tray or basin.

Your shower pump tin be continued to your business firm's electrical supply from a 230v switched spur off a ring primary. Information technology should never be continued to the supply for the hot water immersion heater or any other loftier-load installation that needs a defended supply.

Noise reduction for shower pumps

Sometimes shower pumps tin be slightly noisier than people expect. If you're concerned about noise, you should site the pump on a minor concrete foundation about 2 inches (50mm) thick. This will dampen noise associated with vibration. Alternatively, placing the pump on a concrete edifice block will do the aforementioned chore. Never screw your shower pump to the floor.

Shower pump water supply

You should e'er be able to isolate the h2o supply both to and from the pump. Fit a 22mm full diameter isolating valve to the common cold water pipage that supplies the pump. Pipework should generally be 22mm to reduce flow resistance to and from the pump. Furthermore, all-time practice dictates that the pump should be supplied through 22mm pipework irrespective of whether it has 22mm or 15mm connections.

To forestall air entering the pump, yous should take a Surrey flange fitted to the top of the hot water cylinder if the pump has 15mm connections. An Essex flange should be used with pumps with 22mm connections.

Always make certain you employ the flexible hoses supplied with your shower pump to link to both the incoming supply and the outgoing delivery pipes. Flexible hoses are less decumbent to vibration from the pump and should help reduce noise and foreclose damage to the pump itself.

Make sure that pipework is thoroughly flushed prior to connecting the pump. This will help prevent droppings entering the pump and impairing its operation.

Priming your shower pump for performance

Once installed, the shower pump and the pipework should be primed. Practice this past switching the electric supply off and running a bucket of water out of both the hot and cold sides until information technology runs clear. This will prevent air becoming trapped in the pump once it is commissioned.

To continue looking later on your shower pump, you should read our commodity on shower pump care and maintenance. We've also covered some mutual questions about shower pumps that you may have.

Ollie Lyon

Ollie is a cocky-trained DIY skillful who particularly enjoys kitchen and bath renovations. In his spare time, Ollie enjoys cycling and hiking.

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Source: https://www.plumbworld.co.uk/blog/planning-installing-shower-pump

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