Can i have a shower pump fitted?

[andyken09]

Hi all new user here referred by the tilersforum. I currently have a shower in an ensuite bathroom that works off the hot and cold supply. It has stopped working in that water still comes out but it gets hotter up to number six but then gets no hotter after that. We have had a plumber come in, and to have a look/replace the tiles will need to come off so will be redoing the bathroom whatever happens. We have decided therefore that when we have the new shower fitted we would like it to be more powerful, so thought we could have a shower pump fitted. The hot water comes from a tank and I think the cold water also does as when you switch the water off at mains both cold feeds in the bathrooms (bath and shower) run for ages after the downstairs taps finish there is also an extra tank in the loft. He has told us however that this cant be done and we must have a pressure tank fitted (£4000) or we must have a combi boiler installed £3500 is this correct as I thought you could have a shower pump fitted if both supplies came from a tank?

 

[PlumbBobBob]

hi andyken welcome to the forums. there are a few things we need to know about your system before we can help. firstly how many tanks are there in the loft? what sort of boiler do you have at the moment? what sort of hot cylinder? that sort of thing.

 

[secret squirrel]

Have a look at the salmander pump site, the diagrams that explain on fitting a pump it will explain all,

Simply put yes,

Providing you have a 50 gallon tank in the loft!

 

[Rodolphe]

Hi Andy,

The first thing you need to do is go in your loft and look at what you have there. From what you describe, you probably will find one or two cisterns with cold water in them. One might be quite small and would be for your central heating system, so let's forget about that one.

The other would be quite large, that's your cold water storage for your bathroom. In order to have a pump fitted, this cistern needs to hold at least 50 gallons of water (generally, although it depends on the size of the pump you choose). Those cisterns can be changed, or the capacity increased through the installation of a secondary one if needed.

If there is some space (not all that much) by your hot water tank (I assume it will be in a cupboard somewhere) then there normally should be a way to get a pump working.

I have a pump at home, and I have installed pumps, and there is no requirement for them to have a pressure tank or a different boiler under normal circumstances.

However I have not seen your place and perhaps there are other elements to be considered. In your situation I would invite one or two more plumbers to come have a look and give you a quote.

You can also have a look directly on pump manufacturer's website who often provide a quick guide to select the right pump for your own system, but you still will have to first gain an understanding of how the water is running currently in your home. I know Salamander have quite a clear guide, for example.

 

[erpkid]

Hello,sounds like you have a tank fed system so there should be no problem with a pumped shower either direct ( noisy unit on the wall ) or remote with the pump in your airing cupboard/other location and the mixer over the bath or in the cubicle. However where you need proper advice is sizing. Higher pressure from the pump greater demand on the size of the hot water cylinder , the cold water storage and the ability of your boiler/cylinder to re-heat the water. The plumber you had in may be angling for more work or you may have some installation challenges or restriction in pipe work sizes etc that was seen in your home. Might be worth asking the plumber to explain the reason for the advice in a little more detail and come back here with this so this forum can help - only new here myself but it does seem a good place to ask.

 

[SimonG]

Hi all new user here referred by the tilersforum. I currently have a shower in an ensuite bathroom that works off the hot and cold supply. It has stopped working in that water still comes out but it gets hotter up to number six but then gets no hotter after that. We have had a plumber come in, and to have a look/replace the tiles will need to come off so will be redoing the bathroom whatever happens. We have decided therefore that when we have the new shower fitted we would like it to be more powerful, so thought we could have a shower pump fitted. The hot water comes from a tank and I think the cold water also does as when you switch the water off at mains both cold feeds in the bathrooms (bath and shower) run for ages after the downstairs taps finish there is also an extra tank in the loft. He has told us however that this cant be done and we must have a pressure tank fitted (£4000) or we must have a combi boiler installed £3500 is this correct as I thought you could have a shower pump fitted if both supplies came from a tank?

In answer to your question you can have whatever you want. It's very rare to find anything that's impossible. Sometimes impropable, sometimes expensive but rarely impossible.

From what you have said you could have a pump and a thermostatic shower valve or a pumped shower (looks like an electric shower but runs off of your stored water with an integral pump). If your incoming mains water allowed you could have an unvented cylinder and use it to run the shower with no pump.

However it depends on the situation on site and it sounds like you need a second or even a third pair of eyes to have a look.

The original plumbers suggestions seem excessive, but without seeing the ins and outs he can't be condemned for his answers.

 

[Plum Bob 66]

Definitely go for a few quotes on this one, a change of boiler is a drastic and unnecessary solution to achieve a good shower. From the outset there was allways the possibillity the cartridge in the valve required replacing, a relatively simple job if the valve was exposed, trickier when enclosed.Re shower pumps provided you have a balanced tank fed supply then there should be no problem.As a matter of personal taste I prefer Stuart Turner pumps.Either way a competant plumber should be able to give you sound advice.

 

[PlumbBobBob]

if in doubt where to go for a second opinion put a post [DLMURL="http://www.ukplumbersforums.co.uk/im-looking-plumber-gas-engineer/"]here[/DLMURL] putting your general location there may be someone on here local to you.

 

[thompsonbrown]

it does sound like you have a gravity fed shower and if so there are several options available. first if you are having to replace the shower have a look on you tube at the videos for pumped digital showers. mira platinum, aqualiza quarts are to fantastic showers and really easy to fit these showers come with a built in pump and the shower controller can be fitted anywhere. both showers are available for around £400-£500 if you shop around. sounds expensive but when you take into account buying a mixer shower and a separate pump with additional labor for fitting it usually works out cheaper. i can usually fit a ceiling fed mira platinum in around 3 hrs. just a option to consider. also with any pumped shower as mentioned above several times, make sure your tank is the correct size and if so make sure its clean. wouldn't believe the amount of times pumps fail from blocked inlet filter gauze.... happy shopping.