new house new shower plumbing All aspects of plumbing questions and answers, help, tips and information

[PFM]

Hi folks

A little help would be much appreciated. Have just bought a new house - where there are 2 bathrooms (1 family & another ensuite). The previous owners half finished the bathrooms so I'm taking over the jobs.

The central heating & water are fed from a glow worm boiler with the old immersion cylinder acting as a hot water reservoir.

They have left x2 mixer showers for installation and a larger 40.5 gal cold water tank in the loft for plumbing in. The original CW tank is in situ (10 gal - i think.) and operating fine.

1. Should I plumb the 40 gal CW tank in line with the original to keep things simple and just increase the volume (CW pressure and flow seems fine).

2. Should I then plumb a shower pump into the HW feed to boost pressure for the showers - problem being that I havent yet found the shower feed routings. Thus I am contemplating putting the pump (Salamander RPS50 at outlet of the immersion (storage) cylinder. Of course this would have the added advantage? of boosting all the HW feeds out from the cylinder.

I'd appreciate some thoughts on what I intend to do - in case there are any school boy errors in my plans

Thanks

[htg engineer]

Combi boiler, connect the shower direct to the hot water and mains cold water, no need for tanks - will give a good shower (pressure)

A combi isn't really that good if it's likely both showers will be used at once.

Are you sure it's a combi ?


htg

[PFM]

Your right - it isnt a combi (only 2 water lines in/out) - and clearly with a water tank in the loft :oops:

[plumbbob]

If you are fitting two mixer showers especially if you intend to use a booster pump then the extra header tank will be needed. Are you sure they are different sizes? The little 10 gal one is probably the heating one? You should already have a 40 gal one up there for hot water. If they are different sizes you may have problems coupling them together as the smaller may overfill.

When joining together take note, the tanks must be couple using 28mm pipe to allow free flow of water. Also most importantly, do not simply add the extra tank. Fit the ball cock in one and the outlet in the other. This is to ensure a flow of fresh water and prevent one tank becoming stagnant.

As for fitting the mixer showers, you do know the cold feed is not from the mains but from the header tank too? You don't connect the cold side to the mains. (There are a few showers about now that you can.)

The pump would normally be fitted in the airing cupboard and boost both hot and cold.

Watch out for negative head (where the distance between the shower head and the bottom of the header tank is less than 1 metre) which may stop the pump from working.