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PUMPS BSEE


WHY BESPOKE CAN BE BETTER… when boosting low water pressure


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What do you think of when you hear the word ‘bespoke’? Perhaps, a well tailored suit or a bespoke fitness regime. Both have been designed to your exacng requirements, so you are likely to get a much beer end result. The same can be said when designing a system to boost water pressure. Tailoring your approach to both your property and your client’s requirements will ensure sasfacon for all, writes Nigel Harris, director, Pump World


s with any project, it is important to first consider your goals: what pressure do you want to achieve throughout the


property? Would you like a system that allows multiple showers to work simultaneously at the same pressure?


Next, think about the property and client specifications: what is the budget? How many floors are there? How much space is available to store pumping equipment? Where will the pumping equipment be stored? What are the dimensions of doorways and access points? How many water outlets are in the property? What are the pressure ratings of these water outlets? Is the property in a hard water area?


Conducting this research before starting your specification process is vital to understanding the property and client you are working with, and therefore puts you in a much better position to achieve that all-important end result of good water pressure. Now, it is time to do some calculations. To select the right booster pump, you will need to work out: calculated normal demand flow rate, calculated peak demand flow rate, static height difference between supply tank water level and highest outlet in system, required pressure at the highest outlet, friction losses at peak flow rates, and percentage of pump redundancy required for emergency cover at peak demand.


Systems and pressure


If all that sounds rather confusing, here is a quick breakdown of how water systems and pressure work: boosting water pressure requires increasing the mains water pressure that comes into the property. When boosting the mains pressure above 12 litres per minute, you are required by most water authorities to use a water storage tank (or break tank) with a


booster pump. Water storage tanks and booster pumps are typically located in a garage, basement, or utility room.


Measuring the static height difference between the water level in the water storage tank feeding the booster pump, and the highest- located tap, shower, or bath in the property is paramount for ensuring that the aforementioned water outlet receives just as much water pressure as every other outlet in the property. You will also need to determine how much pressure that particular outlet requires to work. For example, a large four-storey property may need at least 3.0 or 4.0 bar pressure to adequately operate a rain-head shower with body jets in an attic-converted en-suite. Next, we need to consider the size of the interconnecting pipework. If the pipework is too small, as may be the case in older, period houses, there will be significant friction losses, leading to a drop in pressure through the system. By adding your friction loss figure to the static height of the building and the top-floor outlet’s required pressure, you can calculate the duty head pressure required; that is the number of litres a booster pump can deliver per minute at a particular pressure. For example, a Smartpro Single 12e-SM booster pump delivers a typical duty of 115 litres per minute at 4.0 bar.


Pump redundancy


The final figure to calculate is the percentage of pump redundancy for emergency cover at peak demand. For example, if you are boosting a property that cannot operate without water for any period of time (like a hospital or nursing home), a pump set with Duty, Assist and Standby options could be the best and most reliable option.


Think of ‘Duty’, ‘Assist’, and ‘Standby’ as names for each pump you require. ‘Duty’ is the main pump. ‘Assist’ is the pump that assists the ‘Duty’ pump, and ‘Standby’ is the pump that takes over if either or both the ‘Duty’ and ‘Assist’ pumps fail. There is a range of options you can choose between with Duty, Assist and Standby. u Duty and Assist – the two pumps share half the load each, ensuring no one pump is overworked – twin pump option u Duty and Standby – the Standby pump will kick in if the Duty pump fails – both pumps can operate at full load – twin pump option u Duty, Assist and Standby – spread the load between the two pumps (Duty and Assist) and have that extra peace of mind that if one or two pumps fail, the Standby pump is ready to take over and maintain full duty – trio pump option


uPump World’s Systempro whole house boosting package solution. Variable speed pumps have been selected to ensure up to 70 per centenergy saving whilst the pumps are running


VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.bsee.co.uk


Now that you have gathered all of the necessary information, you can start narrowing down your options. Let’s say, there are three types of booster set that will deliver your required duty head pressure. The first option is a variable speed pump – higher initial cost but, in the long term, energy-saving and quiet-running.


uThe Smartpro Twin 14e  SM: duty, assist and standby. Application: Water supply and pressure boosting for residential and commercial applications


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The second option is a fixed speed pump – more budget-friendly but potentially less energy efficient and noisier. Both of these options require a separate break tank.


The third option is a mains boosting package solution, which includes booster pump and break tank as an all-in-one set. Again, you will need to choose between variable speed and fixed speed but this is an excellent option if your client is lacking storage space.


You may also be required to specify a cylinder or water softener for your client’s property. Cylinders are used in boosting systems to store and heat pressurised water ready for use when required. Water softeners are specified when the property is in a hard water area, and the system is in danger of damage by a build-up limescale. If you need a hand with


specification, Pump World offers an independent booster system specification service to help contractors put together the right products for these types of projects because, much like a well-tailored suit, going bespoke will ensure a good end result and a very happy client.


To select the


right booster pump, you will need to work out: calculated normal demand flow rate, calculated peak demand flow rate, stac height dierence between supply tank water level and highest outlet in system, required pressure at the highest outlet, fricon losses at peak flow rates, and percentage of pump redundancy required for emergency cover at peak demand.


’ www.pumpworld.co.uk/Specify BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER DECEMBER 2018 19


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