Noise from pump driving us mad - options

WithCheesePlease

Ok, so in a nut-shell...

We went from having the tradition immersion + stored hot water tank / cylinder in hot press to ripping it all out and replacing with a worchester bosch combi boiler in kitchen press and a pump in the attic. All good, saved loads of space by getting rid of hot press and you can't beat the instant hot water.

But...

The noise from the pump is driving us mad. To the point where if my wife goes to bed before me I can't run a tap to brush my teeth or even flush a toilet!

It seems that the only water source not going through the pump is water from the mains, which goes to the cold kitchen tap only. Maybe also to the washing machine and dishwasher, neither of those seems to run the pump. All other water seems to come from the tank in the attic, via the pump. Does this sound right?

So my question is:
- should the routing from the attic tank be changed to only go through the pump for the shower? I'm not sure how this would work for other hot water taps (sinks are ok but maybe not running a bath)?
- or should we just get a switch / pull-cord for the pump in the bathroom to only turn it on when having a shower and leave it off at other times so it doesn't run every time we turn on a tap or flush a toilet?

Any suggestions on this would be greatly appreciated.

(Aside, I'm not sure of the make of the pump without checking, not sure if that part is important.)

MOTM

If you haven't done so already, consider intalling a submersible pump. My understanding is that these are very quiet.

paddydriver

With my basic understanding (disclaimer out of the way;)) I would think that gravity will look after taking water from the attic to the taps below it - with some pressure too. Hot water, coming from downstairs up, may need the pump.

Flushing and washing teeth is just cold so probably no need for pump as tank is above you.

My 10c worth.

corkgsxr

Id get it plumbed so basins and toilets are off gravity. No need for huge pressure. Pump will last longer too

WithCheesePlease

corkgsxr wrote: »

Id get it plumbed so basins and toilets are off gravity. No need for huge pressure. Pump will last longer too

Is it ok to have that - even if the basins need hot water from the combi? Is it ok for the basin hot water taps to feed the combi without being pumped for the extra pressure?

peter_dublin

WithCheesePlease wrote: »

Is it of to have that - even if the basins need hot water from the combi? Is it ok for the basin hot water taps to feed the combi without being pumped for the extra pressure?

Hi.

I had a similar issue as the pump caused a hum, I installed 2 75 litre pressure vessels which means we have 150 litres of water available before the pump kicks in to re pressurise them and the system which is plenty for a shower etc. I am currently using a Wilo 603 pump.

who the fug

Get one of these, installed two in penthouse flat we look after 15 year ago

No noise no replacing pumps every 18 months

K.Flyer

A well fitted submersible pump and a large capacity pressure vessel is the way to go on this.
The pump will be very quiet and the vessel will prolong the life of the pump.
It will be a much easier solution than trying to change pipework which is most likely decorated over.

sky6

I know the problem well.
As Peter has said, all you need is a pressurized Vessel fitted close to the pump in the Attic. How it works is the Pump fills and pressurizes the Vessel and the Water pipes.
Then when you turn a Tap on the Water at the Tap is pressurized by the Vessel. This will continue until the pressure drops in the pipes at which point the Pump kicks in again to start the cycle all over again.
The larger the vessel the longer between pump starts. 80 or 100 litre Vessel should be fine. No more sleepless nights.

corkgsxr

WithCheesePlease wrote: »

Is it ok to have that - even if the basins need hot water from the combi? Is it ok for the basin hot water taps to feed the combi without being pumped for the extra pressure?

Hot is supplied off mains so doesnt need a pump

sky6 wrote: »

I know the problem well.
As Peter has said, all you need is a pressurized Vessel fitted close to the pump in the Attic. How it works is the Pump fills and pressurizes the Vessel and the Water pipes.
Then when you turn a Tap on the Water at the Tap is pressurized by the Vessel. This will continue until the pressure drops in the pipes at which point the Pump kicks in again to start the cycle all over again.
The larger the vessel the longer between pump starts. 80 or 100 litre Vessel should be fine. No more sleepless nights.

If its not negative heat its off flow so a pressure vessel will do nothing

K.Flyer

Solution depends on how the system has been set up.
Within an area of poor or unreliable mains pressure some installers are utilising the existing cold water tank as a breaker tank and pumping from it to cold and hot services (hot via the combi) as a means of providing reliable and consistant pressure.
However the the pump siting or choice of pump and its arrangement has created other problems of noise and vibrations which can be very annoying to people livibg in the house.

WithCheesePlease

I think my best bet is to get onto my plumber and ask how it's all set up and what my options are. Now that I've cast my mind back though (thanks to all the suggestions here) I think I can recall some talk of an extra tank in the attic (must have been the pressurized vessel) but was told by the plumber that because of the height of the cold water tank in the attic and how a pipe would feed down to this extra tank before going through the pump and down into the house there wouldn't be enough of a drop in height for the water to travel down the water pipe from the big tank with just gravity, so I think that's why that may have been ruled out.

Anyway, the easiest thing would just be to ask my plumber who installed it all in the first place and see what he says...