Use shower pump for whole house

[Newhome91]

Hi all,

We have a gravity fed system and are getting a new shower installed as part of a whole new bathroom fit out.

It's been suggested we could connect our bathroom sink taps to the mains, rather than the water storage tank as it is at present.

Is there any reason why a shower pump can't be used as a whole house pump? I think if we just have the taps connected to the mains we won't be able to blend the hot/cold as the mixer tap is intended to be used.

We have this one:

Salamander 2.0 Bar Twin Positive Head Shower Pump CT75 xTra CT75XTRA

Salamander Pumps' CT75+ Xtra pump is a hard-working affordable pump. Robust, compact and quiet, this pump is the ideal way to boost the water pressure to a single shower. This product is a twin impeller shower pump, suitable for boosting both hot and cold water in positive head, gravity fed...

www.cityplumbing.co.uk

Thanks, hope this makes sense!

 

[John.g]

I'd like to see how that Salamander crossover tube technology works.
Stuart Turner give a 5 year warranty on their Monsoon which isn't bad even when used for whole house use bearing in mind all the above, wonder if they use anything to prevent seal failure etc for closed head conditions.

 

[rpm]

Salamander seem to employ a form of PRV alright, in the form of a by pass tube.

"" The technology behind Salamander’s shower pumps
Pumps, explains the technology inside the products that helps to make them powerful, quiet and compact…

Crossover technology

Salamander’s crossover technology allows its pumps to boost both hot and cold water at the same time, or independently of each other. In situations where a thermostatic shower is running, both hot and cold water will be supplied to the shower. However, as the pump only has one common driveshaft, if only a hot or cold tap is used, both sets of impellers would be turning but only one side of the pump would be supplying water, meaning one side of the pump would be running ‘closed head’. This causes an increase in temperature and pressure in that side of the pump, leading to severe damage.

However, most Salamander pumps have an innovatively placed bypass tube found in bathroom, universal and whole house variants, which allows the excess pressure to be relieved into the open side of the pump, which also brings fresh water into the closed head chamber, stopping the pump from overheating ""

Could you add a link to where you found this John. It makes interesting reading and like you I would like more intel on this cross over tube.
TIA
[automerge]1603014282[/automerge]

The seals will go on the non used/less used side. Seen it a handful of times.

Are we talking rubber lip seals or proper mechanical seals Simon.l

 

[John.g]

Could you add a link to where you found this John. It makes interesting reading and like you I would like more intel on this cross over tube.
TIA
[automerge]1603014282[/automerge]

Are we talking rubber lip seals or proper mechanical seals Simon.l

Could you add a link to where you found this John. It makes interesting reading and like you I would like more intel on this cross over tube.
TIA
[automerge]1603014282[/automerge]

Are we talking rubber lip seals or proper mechanical seals Simon.l

The Grundfos Monsoon has a mechanical seal (see data Sheet)and gives a 5 year warranty, the Salamander, a 3 year, don't know about the seal.

 

[SimonG]

Are we talking rubber lip seals or proper mechanical seals Simon.l

Rubber lip seals.

All the ones I have seen have been on salamander domestic units.

Had a body burst on the cheaper stuart turner models as well.

 

[John.g]

With the pump running with a closed head and because of the check valves then there must be a potential for very excessive pressures due to expansion of the trapped water which is getting hotter.

Maybe no check valve on pump inlet though.