DIY shower pumps.. well almost.

[dennis]

Anyone here installed a whale gulper 220 pump as a shower pump using off the shelf controls? I ask because the pump is only ~£90 but when you buy a kit its ~£700. I think the kit is overkill and includes things like flow sensors and a variable speed controller to stop it slurping ( do they slurp loudly?). I was thinking a flow switch and a run on timer would do if the slurping isn't too bad. Maybe even a level switch in the drain would do the job? Its for a shower for an 87 year old with limited mobility.

Any help appreciated.

[Pete C]

Yes.

The pump or ideally the whole kit can be had more cheaply off Ebay.

If you get the bare 24v pump it should run OK from a suitably rated laptop power supply (off Ebay too)

An adjustable 15v-24v laptop power supply would allow the pump speed to be tailored to the shower flow.

I 'd try a pull switch nearby the shower, I turn mine on when getting in then let it run on until I've dried myself.

If the user forgets and leaves it on, then look at other options. The pumps are supposed to be able to run dry without damage.

cheers, Pete.

[John Stumbles]

Why? You can get a pretty good Salamander pump off Screwfix for about the same money.

[dennis]

Different job, the pump is for the waste water, sorry if I wasn't clear.

[dennis]

Have you any thoughts on using a PIR switch like

looks like it might do what I want. Then it would be pump, PIR and drain, a lot less than the £700 for the dry-deck digital.

[John Stumbles]

You weren't :-)

I think the saniwaste (or whatever they call it) is about £200.

[dennis]

ITYM sanishower, I have one on order from screwfix along with a sanicompact toilet, however I think it will be canceled.. I read the spec and it needs about 130 mm between the bottom of the shower and the bottom of the sanishower for it to work properly. The whale only needs 35 mm so the floor can be 4" lower and I need a smaller ramp/step.

[Pete C]

Doubt it, google 'ip ratings'

Has the person to use it stated a strong preference for something automatic over a pull switch?

One other thing to bear in mind is the non return valves in the pump aren't always perfect, and can let water from the outlet side back to the inlet side.

So it might be /ideal/ to have a narrower hose on the outlet side, and a wider/longer hose in the inlet side, to accomodate any water without it backing up through the shower drain.

The pump has 22mm pipes which should take braided 3/4" PVC hose with a bit of persuasion (heat hose in boiling water). A stepped hose tail will then convert to the size you want.

If you need a low profile trap a caravan accessories supplier may have what you want, but the pump is 'self priming'

cheers, Pete.

[dennis]

Its IP44 so its protected against sprays.

He doesn't know what a shower pump is, I did think of putting the pump on the light circuit so it comes on if he switches the light on.

I don't expect this to be a problem, it only needs to lift 500 mm and then it can fall away to the drain.

22 mm is the size I need, do you know what fittings it comes with?

I can get a wet room trap which is 35mm deep and 22 mm out without much trouble so I will probably use that, thanks.

What I did wonder is if I should just pump it into a washing machine stand pipe, it should be OK.

The loo has to go into a separate 38 mm pipe to the stack which shouldn't be too difficult, I hope.

All this for a temporary fix. ;-)

[Owain]

Two buckets, one small one with holes in base, one larger one.

Stand in large bucket. Fill smaller bucket with water. Hold smaller bucket over head. Empty large bucket out of window into flowerbeds.

Owain

[Pete C]

Have a look at:

I'd expect that the bare pump is just that. Might be possible to get a kit of some sort off Ebay.

cheers, Pete.

[Pete C]

Is it an electric, pumped or gravity fed shower BTW?

cheers, Pete.

[dennis]

Gravity with a Mira thermostatic mixer.

[dennis]

like

> >> It looks like it might do what I want.

So if its 0.6m away from the shower area its OK. I might not do it that way anyhow, I have been looking at a small float switch that I can mount in a piece of pipe in the drain to switch it on/off.

Does that mean I can use 22 mm pushfit connectors on it, I wonder?

[Pete C]

Yes, it's ideal for that.

If the user is infirm, my concern would be what happened if the shower was left trickling.

Some sort of float switch and/or water level alarm on the shower drain might be well worth having.

cheers, Pete.