The Main Component in Your Bathrooms No One Is Telling You About!

An advanced guide to choosing a water pump based on your house structure, for a blissful shower 

Imagine going through every detail you plan for your bathroom. You've chosen the bathroom design, managed to find complementing shower heads, along with hoses, shower arms, radiators, body jets, valves, even the shower waste from the variety of options we offer here at Tapron. But one problem,because you've missed out on the most crucial part of the bathroom design: Pumping, you can blame the gravity, however here is a simple solution: Shower Pumps.

What is the role of Shower Pumps?

Shower pumps are used to increase water pressure in pipes; it can be used to pump out the water and increase the thrust of your shower system. It increases the water volume into the first storage unit where it gets heated (if you have an electric heater). Because of the improved water pressure, shower heads don't dribble and give you the luxurious shower effect you paid them to give!

Pump pressure is measured in bars, where 1 bar pressure is equal to 10 metric static head of water. Each shower is compatible with the given minimum bar pressure mentioned in the description. 

For example​,  this beautiful black matt shower head will require minimum water pressure of 0.5 bars; it is ideal for low to medium water pressure

You can measure the water pressure using a test gauge for more accurate measurement.

You can also measure it at home with a straightforward test; all you need is a 1-litre vessel and a stopwatch. Before you begin the test, make sure all the water outlets are closed. And, follow the steps:

1. Start the timer.
2. Put the water vessel right in front of your shower head.
3. Once the vessel is filled, stop the timer. That's all.

If 1-litre vessel is taking more than 10 seconds to fill up, you might have a water pressure issue. Before you start running away to buy a new water pump, here are some guidelines you must consider to get the ideal pump. 

Try to answer these three​ questions about your existing water pump before ​       adding shower heads into your shopping basket.

1. What is it's Flow Rate?

Apart from water pressure, the water pump performance is also judged on its flow rate. Flow rate is the amount of litres per minute can pump out at the given pressure. 

60 / (time) = (x) litres per minute.

In the previous section you've figured out, your 1-litre water vessel is taking 10 sec to fill, then your flow rate is 60/10= 6 litres per minute.

A cheaper water pump can produce 3 bar water pressure, but the shower head will not perform in its maximum capacity if its flow rate is not enough.

2. Is it Single impeller or Twin Impeller?

Single Impeller: Single shower pump or single impeller is used to boost only one water supply type.It is mostly used to pump hot water supply and usually recommended when you have pumping issues with one water supply type.

Twin Impeller: As the name suggests, Twin Impellers are used to boost both hot and​     cold water supply. They inject both hot and cold water in one system and boost them to shower heads. Because of their sustaining quality, they've remained the most popular choice of the buyer.

3. Basic Pumping Structure in Your House

Figuring this out is a pivotal point in knowing your shower head requirements. Don't worry; you don't have to sit with blueprints or start calling your pumping services, yet! We promise you can do it by yourself; it’s effortless.

Even though the location of the house also plays an essential role in deciding water pressure. For example, if the house is located on the hill, or in rural areas, water pressure is usually low. But most of the pumping structure of any house in the UK can be easily divided into three categories. 

1. Traditional Gravity Fed

It is the most common type of pumping system used in the UK. It is ideal for houses with two or more bathrooms. In A gravity-fed system, the cold water tank will be located in the roof, attic or loft. Second, the hot water cylinder will be located near the bathroom. It is ideal for low-pressure houses, and can quickly work on the solar system. However, storage of the cold water tank takes up a lot of space. The quality usually suffers from low pressure in the hot water tank and can easily break down.  

If you've gravity-fed pumping structure, your pumping needs can be further categorised into positive and negative head/universal head.​          

It is usually determined by the location of the cold water tank to the outlet point. To understand their mechanism, one is pushing the water into your shower head and the other is pulling.

If the cold water tank is above the shower head, a positive shower head is required. It relies on the gravity to push the water from your cold storage unit to the outlet. This flow then further boosts the impeller to pump water.

A minimum distance of 990mm is required above the shower head to allow the impeller to kick into the action.

When your shower heads are above or at the same level as your cold water tank, negative or universal head shower pumps must be used. 

Instead of relying on gravity, when the shower is turned on, they start to pressurise everything in the pipe from the water tank to the mixer valve, ensuring that the system starts automatically.

They are ideal for a flow rate of less than 600ml per minute. 

2. Combi-boiler system

Combi Boilers are the system where a high-efficiency water heater works like a central heating boiler in a single compact unit. It works by taking water directly from the main supply 'as per the requirement'. It usually has only one hot water cylinder located at the house's ground floor and conveys water to the rest of the house. They need a lot less installation hustle and do not use cold water tank storage like traditional gravity-fed systems. They are comparatively cheap and require a lot less space. They are ideal for smaller houses and have no risk of the pipes freezing over winter. 

3. Unvented System

In an Unvented Pumping System, hot water supply will usually be located in an airing cupboard near the main bathroom. They can provide hot water to any number of taps in mains pressure. Due to their built-in feature, they are easy to install and much cheaper. They are highly dependent on cold water main supply. Which means if you don't have cold water, a hot water supply will get interrupted. 

Now, you can finally choose from the type for shower head goes with your needs. At Tapron, we provide easy to install, designer shower heads, which add value to your money and are compatible with your pump's water pressure. Here is the chart to guide you to the best option to go for your detailed planed bathroom. 

To remind you of General Guideline, we have to follow:

Up to 1.0 bar pressure = Low boost

Up to 2.0 bar pressure = Medium boost 

3.0 bar plus bar pressure = High boost

But if you've figured out that your pump can boost somewhere between 2.7 bar water pressure, it means it will fit 2.5 to 3 bar pressure. At Tapron, we believe you deserve the best bath after a long day at work and we are persistent in providing so, from our wide varieties of shower heads.

Let us know which Tapron product you love this season. We love to talk to you.

Chat with us for any query for further assistance.