Shower to be installed by novice

[carl]

The plumbing set-up in my house is the bathroom cold supply is from th

mains, and the hot water from an adjacent tank. I have been thinking o installing a new 'power shower' by running a new hot water pipe from th tank (using a Surrey flange) and a new cold water pipe from the 2 gallon tank in the loft; and attach a pump in the airing cupboar before it reaches a thermostatic shower. Is this a good idea? Shoul the tank sizes be a worry (only me and missus using shower)? Is thi too much for a first time plumber

-- carl

[carl]

The plumbing set-up in my house is the bathroom cold supply is from th

mains, and the hot water from an adjacent tank. I have been thinking o installing a new 'power shower' by running a new hot water pipe from th tank (using a Surrey flange) and a new cold water pipe from the 2 gallon tank in the loft; and attach a pump in the airing cupboar before it reaches a thermostatic shower. Is this a good idea? Shoul the tank sizes be a worry (only me and missus using shower)? Is thi too much for a first time plumber

-- carl

[Lobster]

Could be - you don't say how big the HW tank is... I once happily fitted a power shower to an existing system like yours, and it worked brilliantly - I was dead chuffed - but only for about 4 minutes, when the hot tank ran dry!

I wouldn't like to comment on what size it needs to be (can't remember what mine was); just relaying my own experience.

David

[r.rain]

I have just done the very same thing in my new wetroom, with a bit of help from a lot of people on this newsgroup. My pump is situated in the loft though, this is where the cylinder is.

Your plan sounds ok to me but I wouldn't like to comment on the tank sizes. I have a 3 bar pump powering my setup and as yet I have not been able to test it properly as the tiler is currently tiling with some gert big travertine tiles. I am too a little worried about the capacity of the tanks, more so the cold water. I would say go for it, it really is not that difficult at all, just make sure you know how to isolate everything in case of emergency, take your time, plan it all properly and ask lots of questions on here :) I found the plumbing very easy and would do it again, I saved myself a fortune. If I do have problems I will simply take shorter showers or replace the cold water tank.

Good luck! HTH Richard

[pacer]

hi, the job itself is not to difficult, but your giving yourself extr work fitting a seperate pump,you can get thermostatic showers nowaday with the pump built into the unit, mira is as good as you will get,yo will also require a electric cable but its only a 1.0mm or simila with a seperate spur to isolate.as to tank size it should be ok, but i you discover your draining the water tank in the loft to quickly shower pump will make grinding noises) try installing a low pressur orifice in the ballvalve which will fill the tank twice as quick. goo luck

-- pacer

[John Rumm]

One trick to remember is that the pipe you add to the cold tank for the shower feed, should exit a little lower than the one that feeds the hot cylinder. That way if you exhaust the cold tank it is the hot that stops running in the shower first, and you get cold rather than peeled!

[Rob Morley]

But there could still be plenty of water in the hot tank when the cold tank is empty, and as it's pumped it will reach the shower.

[John Rumm]

There is the assumption here that the pump is of a type that can cope with a negative head of water - some will stop once this situation is reached.

The pump will be drawing water from the top[1] of the cylinder and hence sucking air in to replace it. This air will rapidly make its way to the top leaving the pump sucking on air...

[1] the slight complication is the surrey flange, since this will be drawing water from a little way down from the top. Hence it will continue to take water for a short time after the cold cistern is no longer re-filling the cylinder. Thus the setting of the position of the draw off points on the cistern will need to take this into account.

[PJK]

When we did this a few years ago we put another cold water tank next to the existing one just to feed the shower, it's really very easy if you have the space because the water, overflow etc. are already there.

Peter.