Shower/Bathroom Pump Problems

SMcDDB

Hi there,

Just hoping someone has some knowledge in relation to pumps and how long they should last etc.

I have a 5 year old Controlmatic negative 3 bar pump in my 1 bed apartment that sounds like it is giving up on me. Pressure in hot water at times alright but never any pressure in cold water, unless hot water is turned on at the same time.

I hated having to do this but I called out a plumber (cost me €80, not surprisingly) and he told me that the 'impeller(s) in the pump had broken' and as such I needed a brand new pump. I was hoping he'd tell me it could be fixed but he has advised this is not an option.

I'm about to source a new pump, negative ones are way to expensive but plumber said I would 'get away' with a positive one (they are cheaper, less pressure I think) due to the fact that the tank is up in a high position.

Anyway, my question is: do I really need a brand new pump? I just want to make sure I'm spending a few hundred euro correctly.

Many thanks,

SMcDDB

Joey the lips

If the plumber says you do.......

however i would not agree with him on the negative head. I would imagine stick with the negative head. especiallly if you have a tank thats not any higher up than you.

Why 3 bar. Have you a special type of shower. Can you not use a 1.5 bar like 90% of negative head users....

tmc1000

a negative head pump is only required if sorage tank is possitioned bellow the pump unit go for a good make when replacing the pump it pays off in long run..make sure its 3 bar pressure and is a brass bodied pump

Carlow52

are u 100% sure its NH? Can u post a pic or a serial no as I didnt think they made NH pumps.

What happens, water flow wise. if u cut power to pump and open hot and cold taps?

if no flow => NH,
if trickle flow => PH

SMcDDB

Thanks for your replies.

The water still flows slowly out of the hot and cold tap in the sink but nothing much appears from the bath taps when the pump is plugged out.

It is a Controlmatic model (don't have serial number-I'll try and get a picture) and the tank is positioned up high above with the pump located on the floor. We're in the ground floor apartment with two apartments above us. It has always been quite a noisy pump.

The plumber quoted 500 euro for sourcing and installing a positive head pump.

I have heard about pumps being reconditioned? However, I want to make sure it is reliable for the future so it's probably best to just go for a new one?

Although if I have to get a negative head pump, I probably won't be able to afford it for a while you know.

Joey the lips

tmc1000 wrote: »

a negative head pump is only required if sorage tank is possitioned bellow the pump unit go for a good make when replacing the pump it pays off in long run..make sure its 3 bar pressure and is a brass bodied pump

That information is incorrect. Totally. A negative head pump is required when there is not sufficent amount of distance to create flow between the tank in the attic...Not the cylinder and the shower head in the bathroom. This distance must be a min of 1 mtr( 3.5 feet) and sometimes more depending on the position of the tank in the attic. ie if there is a horizontal run in the pipe the distance higher will need to be greater. 99
% of apartments there is 144 ltrs of hot water v's 317 ltrs of cold. If you put a 3 bar pump into a standard apartment it would be the equivilent of using a granade launcher to kill a fly... Over kill and a waste of money.

breakfast roll

I have sort of the same problem ! The cold water in my shower won't come out !

K.Flyer

Joey the Lips is quite correct in what he says, in addition, a 1.5 - 2.0 bar negative head pump is perfectly adequate for a 1 Bed Apt.

In reply to your question on how long pumps last? ...they don't make them like they used to!!
I was in a house where I installed a shower booster pump 18 years ago and its still going strong without a problem, and these days I am replacing parts in pumps that are less than 4 years old.