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Boosting domestic water pressure
Why would I want to boost my water pressure ?
We are increasingly
asked if it is possible to boost the water pressure in a domestic
installation. This is commonly because an existing water main has
had its pressure reduced to combat leaks or new buildings are sharing
an existing water main which cannot cope with the increased demand
at peak times or you have just had a combi boiler fitted.
Can I attach a pump directly to my incoming mains?
NO!
Fitting a pump directly to the main is not possible for two reasons:
- Water Bye-laws specifically
exempt you from installing any pump to your incoming main.
- More importantly pumps
are not designed to ‘suck’ water only to push it and
thus if the existing supply is inadequate then the pump will be
starved of water and provide very little benefit. The pump will
also not be operating efficiently and will be liable to fail prematurely.
How can I improve my water pressure then?
- Firstly you must install
a break tank which will give your pump a reservoir of water to
draw from. For a flat we recommend around a 100 litre tank and
for an average family house around a 250 litre tank. The tank
does not have to be anything special and anything you can buy
from a plumbers merchant is likely to be suitable as long as it
has a sealed lid and you can install a ball valve onto the incoming
main.
- This tank should ideally
be located as low down and as close to your incoming water supply
as possible as the less gravity your incoming water has to overcome,
the faster your tank will refill. Although if the loft is the
only place that you can install a tank then this will suffice,
you may wish to consider installing a slightly larger tank though
to reduce the risk of you running out of water. Please note however
that we do not recommend installing your pump in the loft.
- The pumps we use for
domestic water pressure boosting are stainless steel centrifugal
pumps manufactured by Pedrollo and they are purpose built for
this Job. In most cases we recommend the 3CRm80
pump and there is usually only a need for a larger pump if
the house has more than 2 storeys or a particularly large number
of bathrooms which may be used simultaneously. In these cases
we would recommend the 4CRm80
How is my pump controlled?
If all of
your outlets are at least a metre below your storage tank then a
simple
flow-switch such as the FS150 can be used, if as is more common
some or all of your outlets are not at least a metre below your
storage tank then a BRIO
pressure sensing controller should be used, this will turn the
pump on when it detects a drop in pressure in your pipe work and
stop when the flow stops. Both of these controllers will also protect
your pump against dry-running. If you have a particularly large
amount of bathrooms which may or may not be used simultaneously
then you may wish to consider using the Sirio
controller along with the 4CR80 pump. This allows you to set
a pressure which you would like to maintain through out the property
and will slow down and speed up the pump as more or less outlets
are opened to maintain a constant pressure at all of your outlets
.
I like the idea but I am looking for something easier and neater
to install.
If you are
looking for an out of the box solution to your problem which will
involve the least amount of additional plumbing and time spent on
installation then you may wish to consider one of our all
in one pump and tank solutions. They are a packaged
water pressure boosting solution and incorporate a Diver 75m
or 100m submersible water pump with equivalent performance to the
Pedrollo pumps and either a Brio or Sirio controller. All they require
is for you to plumb your incoming water main into the float valve
entering the tank and from the outlet of the controller to the plumbing
in your house.
If
you would like to discuss your system or require help in selecting
the best pump please call us on 0845 130
3300
to discuss the options or e-mail us using sales@pumpexpress.co.uk |
