If we assume i get the 1.4bar [or 1.8bar] Stuart Turner Showermate pump: whilst i know it is recommended to fit it in the loft next to the hot water tank, what problems would i encounter if i had it fitted under the bath instead?
The loft/tanks are directly above the bathroom and as the aim is just to pump the bath/shower mixer and not the rest of the taps [sink, toilet, downstairs hot water] as well, assumed it would be easier it just to plumb it under the bath rather than more extensive plumbing to "pass out" separate feeds to the bath and to pump this feed?
The plumber who would do it usually fits the B&Q pumps under the bath so i thought i better double check as it is at odds with prior advise here.
I had a pump (12V Watermill fitted by houses previous owners) under the bath before I moved it into the airing cupboard due to:-
- Cavitation. The pump couldn't pull enough water through the pipes (22mm ?) if shower valve was fully open and would cavitate and spin very fast momentarily before water flowed back in..Would splutter hot and cold if valve was fully open, not nice. Had to operate carefully with shower valve not fully open.
- Would draw air back up open taps. ie someone turned on a bathroom tap no water would come our, air would be sucked in and person having a shower would get a sputtery splattery shower.
- Suffered from temperature/flow fluctations (leading to cavitation) if someone flushed the loo whilst showering.
Problem most likely due to a too powerful pump being used on 22mm feeds. Should have apparently (according to plumber) use a cheap B&Q 15mm special and would not have suffered from cavitation as not strong enough, though still supsceptable to temperature/flow variations. Oh, and of course produces a crap power shower which is why my houses previous owner had probably fitted a decent sized pump (incorrectly).
On floor of airing cupboard with its own 22mm hot cold feeds from the tank and fed to the mixer valve with its own pipework (22mm except for 15mm in wall) produce a constant pressure and temperature "skin removing" flow of water unaffected by what ever else water wise is happening in the house.
fair enough - but i take it then that this requires additional plumbing to "direct and isolate" the supply to the bath/shower away from the rest of the bathroom [ie sink toilet] and the rest of the house too [ie kitchen hot water]?
apologies if this is pidgin physics but i figured that the pump will pump the water, so for a closed system i am confused why they make such a play on fitting it in the loft [they being the manufacturer instructions] as i would have thought it cold go anywhere along the "route"?
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