ShowerPower Booster
Information Leaflet
ThisveryquietefficientshowerboosterhasachievedacclaimfromUniversities for its clever use of science. It continues to win prizes and grants. Our pump is different because it is unique (nothing else comes close). It is the only in-line shower boosterwhichcan‘intelligently’boostyetnotimpedeexistingflows,withnoriskof cavitation, or burning out when it runs dry, or when it runs against a closedvalve.These are all problems we have solved with this invention and our rivals have not.This amazing new solution is a brilliant way to solve an age old problem – dribbly taps and showers.
Shower Power Booster
AllShowerPowerBoostersarefactory testedto5barspressureandtheflow
switchescheckedtobeworking.Pleasecarryoutchecksbeforefittingjusttogivepeaceofmind beforeyoufit.WehaveputmanyvideosonYouTubetohelpyou.Justtypeinthetitleofthevideointoa YouTube or Google search, all video titles are listed below in red.
‘SHOWERPOWERBOOSTER–Prefittingchecks’
Plug in the 3 pin plug into a standard plug socket. Plug the male connector from the transformer directly into the female plug which comes directly from the back of the motor (white barrel). If the pump runs then all is well with the pump and transformer.PLEASE NOTE THAT WHEN FITTING THE SPBDO NOT HOLD THE BARRELWHILSTYOU TIGHTEN THE COMPRESSION JOINTSAS THIS MAYOVERSTRESS THE PUMPAND CAUSE FRACTURE.
If on a horizontal pipe make sure you can fit the pump so the white barrel is not higher than the pipe.
If fitting on 22mm pipe do not push the 22mm pipe in too far or it WILL BLOCK THE PUMP INLET.
‘Shower Power Booster – Flow Switch Check’
For the SP2, with the power on - unplug the male transformer socket from the back of the white motor barrelandplugitintotheonlyotherfemalesocketwhichishangingloosefromtheflowswitch.The lightontheflowswitchshines constantly.Connectupthemaleplugfromtheflowswitchintothefemaleplugfromthewhitemotorbarrel.Blowandsuckrepeatedlyfor4secondsthroughthefitting whichshouldspintheflowrotor(unseen).Thelightontheflowswitchfllashesquicklyandthepump turns on – all is well.
Shower Power Booster is different!
How can a small pump doing the same job as a pump X20 bigger be otherwise?
Thank you for buying this product – visit our websites and tell your friends about us.
Our customer helpline number is 0129877211
Manufactured Under License InThe UK UK Patent Granted
Invented By
Alan Wright BSc(Hons)CEngM.I.C.E
ShowerPower Booster - Fitting Instructions
AShowerPowerBoosterwillimproveflowsandpressuresinanexistingsystemwithout overwhelmingwhatyoualreadyhave. Youcanfitashowerpowerboosterinanypositionbuton a horizontal pipe rotate the pump down to stop it trapping air.Remove 115mm of pipe, insert thepump.Usejointingcompoundverysparinglyasitwillfoultheflowrotor.DO NOT USE PTFE TAPE. ‘Shower Power Booster – HowTo MakeACompression Joint’
OurChromefinishedpumpsaredesignedasslipjointswhichmakefittingthemveryeasybutmakesureyoudonot pusha22mmpipetoofarintothefittingandblockthefeedtothepump!
If you have old imperial size pipework (Southern Ireland, Australian, New Zealand, India, and those with oldVictorian plumbing systems), you may need imperial olives (available if pre-ordered from our web site).Youwillneedcopperinsertsiffittingonaplasticpipe.
ForGravity Pressure Systemsa single Shower Power Booster on your hot feed shouldbalance a lower cold pressure. A good mixer tap will control hot and cold with a pressure differentialof4to1.We havedesignedthepressureandflowofourshowerpowerboostertocomplement a gravity system for gravity hot and cold so that a single pump will not normally causeimbalance.Ifhotandcoldsuppliesareverylowpressurethengoforbalancedflow (One automatic switch on the hot controlling 2 pumps (hot and cold)).You can always try a singlepump on the hot and upgrade later.
For awholehousesolutionfitoneofourpumpsonthe22mmhotpipenearthe cylinder.Italsoworksgreatonindividual15mmpipestoindividualtapsandshowers.Ifyoufititnearthe hotwatercylindereverytapandshowerinyourhousewillbenefitfrombetterflowsand pressure.Ifyoufititonapipewhichjustfeedsasingletaporshowerthenthattapor shower will continue to flow even if someone turns a tap on elsewhere in the house.
Fit the pressure booster under the bath - it is fully water tight, low voltage, and safe.
Power Supply‘Shower Power Booster – Explanation Of Power Supply’Take a spur off the lighting rose and fit a 3 pin socket to plug the transformer in so it comes on and off with the lights.
Use an existing 3 pin plug socket (we provide the plug).Aremote control on/off is also availablethrough our shopping cart.
For a mixed gravity / pressure systemwhere the hot is gravity fed and cold is mains fedyou should only need one pump to increase the pressure on the hot and it should balance with the cold. For very high mains pressure or a mixer unable to balance, an upgrade to a double boost will sort it.
For electricshowers‘SP2 – Shower Power Booster For Electric Showers’fitashowerpowerboosteronthecoldfeedtotheshower.Itworksif you have low mains pressure below 0.8 bars (8metres head).Asingle pump adds 4 metrespressure but a double boost adds 8 metres.An electric shower is an ‘instantaneous’heater so a9.8 kW electric shower gives can only heat a maximum of 4.7 litres a minute, a 12.5 KW shower gives 6.0 litres.An electric shower shuts down if the pressure is too low and a shower power booster solves this. If you want more water than an electric shower can heat, then the shower itself will cut down the pressure and no amount of boosting will help.
For Combi Boilers‘SP2 – Shower Power Booster For Combi Boilers’the shower power booster needs to be on the hot water pipe after theboiler.This pump is ideal if you have a dribbly tap or shower in any system and the pressure waslost over a long pipe run.The shower power booster is the only pump you can buy that will boost the hot pipe from a combination boiler but it is also for boosting individual taps and showers so ifyou are running more than one tap or shower at any time it is likely to deactivate the pump and waterflowwillreverttowhatitwasbeforeyoufittedthepump.Ifyoufitthepumpclosetothe combiboiler, it will boost every tap and shower in the house. If it is just a single tap or showerwhichisgivingyoutrouble,thenfittingthepumponapipededicatedtothattaporshowerwill give you the best results.
FOR CHALLENGING SITUATIONS:-If you have the wrong mixer tap or shower mixer for agravity system (some mixers are described as ‘ideal for combi boilers’but need a minimum of 0.5 bars pressure), change the mixer tap to one that needs 0.1 bar (1 metre head).There are plenty of great mixer taps out there so check thespecification.
For challenging situations you can always add a second shower power booster in series to ‘double boost’the pressure added.
FullyAutomaticFlowSwitch.Wewereunabletobuyaflowswitchwiththehighefficiencyandlow resistance we wanted so we had to make one ourselves.Amagnetic rotor and a hall detector giveusahightechsolidstatesolution. Wecurrentlyhavethreeflowcontrolswitchessuppliedtocustomers:
Programme One -GrreeeenLLEED
This program works for all situations where air entrainment is not an issue.The switch detects water movement every half a second and if in every half second period for 2 seconds the water moves then the pump is switched on. When you stop using water the pump switches off.
ProgrammeTwo -YeelllloowLLEED
The switch detects water movement every half a second and if in every half second period for 4secondsthewatermoves,thenthepumpisswitchedon.Whenyoustopusingwatertheflow
switch switches the pump off for 8 seconds before it starts looking for another 4 seconds of waterflow.Forhouseswithairtrappedinthepipeworktheairexpandsandcompresseswiththeextrapressure provided by the pump. When the pump stops or the pressure changes when you open another tap in the house, the air expands and pushes water past the pump.The pump thinks you want water so turns on, compresses the air again, so the pump would run continually.The newprogramme allows the system to settle down and reset ready for the next time you need it.
Programme Three - Reed LLEED
A20 second delay after pump stops instead of 8 seconds so that your system can fully settle down.This is a special that will only be supplied to customers with excessive air entrapment in their systems.
Program Four - BlueLLEED
Two second delay with a 20 second delay between pumping cycles. Suitable for systems with air entrainment and for both positive and negative head situations.
CONSTANT LIGHT - POWER ON
SLOW FLASHING LIGHT - TRANSFORMER FAULT
FAST FLASHING LIGHT – PUMP RUNNING
Fault Diagnosis, Serviceability,Warranty & Returns
(Searchtitles in red on YouTube to see these videos or visit our website)
‘Shower Power Booster - Fault Diagnosis’
‘Shower Power Booster -Air in Systems’
‘Shower Power Booster Pump Motor Replacement’
‘Shower Power Booster Upgrades and Repairs’ ‘Shower Power Booster - Warranty and Returns’
PumprunningbutnodifferenceinflowHaveyoufitteditonthewrongpipeorbefore the vent pipe from the hot water cylinder to the cold tank? Simply run the tap or shower and feel the pipe to see if it gets hot. If the tap runs hot and the pipe gets hot as well – it’s the right pipe.If the vent pipe to the cold water tank gets hot the pump is the wrong side of the vent pipe. Is the 22mm pipe pushed in too far and is blocking the pump port? Iffittedonahorizontalpipe,thepumpbarrelshouldbeflatorabovethecentrelineofthebrassfitting.You should be able to see through the clear plastic connectors to tell if air is present. Loosen thecompressionjoints,rotatethebrassfittingsothatthepumpvoluteisnolongerahighpoint– tighten the joints again.
Pump Running all the While
Check ‘HowTo Wire UpAShower Power Booster’‘Shower Power Booster - HowTo Wire UpAShower Power Booster’
Smallpiecesofdebris,limescale,andevenbitsofplasticandloftinsulationcanfinditswayintoa hot water system. Debris in the non return valve can cause the pump to run all the while and the pump will stop boosting the water - the fault can easily be cleared with a simple biro. ‘Shower Power Booster - Blockage in Non Return Valve’
Pumprunningbutlittledifferenceinflow
Is the 22mm pipe pushed in too far so it is partially blocking the feed to the pump? Is the mixer tap suitable for gravity pressures?The pump will work with good and average mixer taps, but a small number of shower and tap mixers need a huge amount of pressure to work.Atypical shower mixer (manual or automatic) will need 1 metre head (0.1 bar), to work.ASPB adds a further 3 metres head so you have 4 metres head which is 4 times the minimum –AGREAT SHOWER. It is possible to buy shower mixerswhich need a minimum of 5 metres head (0.5 bar) and I have even come across a customer who bought a tap which needed 2 bars (20 metres head).These high pressure mixers were developed for the European Market where many have showers running off mains pressure. SPB will improveany shower or tap and we have sold many SPBs to people who have high pressure shower mixersandarehappywiththesmallerincreaseinflowwegive.
The pump is running slow then fast then slow
The water pressure increases when the pump runs slow and then it drops when the pump runs fast if the pump is starved of water. When the pump starts up it will take up to 9.2 litres a minutebut if there is not 9.2 litres a minute coming from the hot water cylinder, it will take water from theexpansion pipe.The water level in the expansion pipe drops until you draw air into the pump.The pump is unable to pump because the volute is full of air and starts to spin quickly.The water fromthe cylinder is now reaching the pump faster than it is pumping away so the water level in the expansion pipe rises the SPB re-primes and starts pumping – the cycle repeats.
The main causes for the pump starving are:
•Existing valve shut or faulty.You turned the cold water feed to the bottom of the hot water cylin-deroffwhenyoufittedthepump–didyouturnitbackonagain?(youwillnotbethefirsttohavedone this!)
Standard valves are clockwise close – anticlockwise open.
•Sediment in the hot water tank? It is possible that sediment which has built up over a number of years accumulates in the bottom of the cylinder and reduces throughput.
•Is the hot temperature too hot? –If the hot water is above 60 deg C then mixer taps shut down to protect you from being scalded (the pump pulses in a similar way to a starved pump).
The hot overwhelms the cold at the mixer tap:
Good mixer taps will balance dif-ferentialpressure up to 4 and 5 to one but occasionally some will not. We had one customer who had noproblem for months and then suddenly the mixer tap went wrong. Feel the cold input to the mixer and if the cold feed gets hot then this is the problem and there are solutions:
•Buy a second shower power booster for the cold (existing customers can upgrade from an SP2 to an SP21S at a significant discount).
•Double Boost the hot (existing customers can upgrade from an SP2 to an SP21S at a significant discount).
•Buy a new mixer
SP2 runs intermittently when a Mixer Tap Runs
Theflowswitchwillturnthepumponwhentheflowratetoatapexceeds1.8litresaminute.AmixertapmixeshotandcoldwatersoitisimportantthattheSP2isfittedonthehotfeedwhenfittingaSP21Sbalancedflow.IfyoufindtheSP2iscuttinginandoutwhenyouoperateamixertap/showermixeritcouldbethatthehotwaterflowisclosetotheminimum.Torectifythisyoucouldfindthatdecreasingthetemperatureofthehotwaterisallyouneed(sothemixercallsfor
morehotwaterandlesscold).Tocheckiftheflowswitchisoperatingcorrectlymeasuretheflowatwhichthepumpcutsinasitmaybethereisaobstructionintheflowswitchwhichisinterfering withtheflowswitchrotor.Iftheflowratecannotbeimprovedbychangingthewatertemperatureandthe1.8litresaminutecannotbeachievedthentheflowswitchcanbebypassedandtheSP2 operated as a SP1 (manually activated)
In November 2014 we introduced the SP22S with a power bridge which uses 2 fully automatic pumps. When the flow switch on the hot or on the cold activates, both pumps pump together. This can overcome the effect of ‘hunting’ mixer valves as a balanced flow and pressure is achieved even when the hot or cold flow falls below 1.8 litres a minute.
Problems or advice?Yournewshowerpowerboosterisveryeasytofitbutifindoubtpleasegiveusacallortherearefittinginstructions,installationvideos,andlotsofinformationonourwebsite:
Information Videos
Search titles in Red on YouTube to view or visit our website
General Fitting Hints
(SearchTitles In Red On YouTube to see these videos or visit our website)
‘Shower Power Booster – Which PipeToFit it On’.
Ifindoubtastowheretofitthepump,thisvideoisamust.
‘Fitting a shower power booster – avoid trapped air’.
Onhorizontalpipesthewhitepumpbarrelshouldberotatedflatorangleddown.
‘Shower Power Booster – HowTo MakeACompression Joint’
Do not use PTFE tape, and use compound very sparingly or not at all.
‘Shower Power Booster – Draining Pipes’.
IfindoubtastohowtodrainthepipestofittheSPB,thenthisvideoisforyou.
‘How to convert a 22mm shower power booster for 15mm pipe’
3 part adaptors are supplied with every pump we supply.
‘TheBenefitOfAGoodMixerTapOrShower’
Avoid a lemon!
‘Replacing an Existing Power Shower with a Shower Power Booster’.Usingtheexistingflexiconnectorstoanexistingpowershower.‘Shower Power Booster –Avoid Blocking Inlet Port to the pump’.
ForeasyfittingtheSP2isdesignedwithaslipjointbutbecarefulnottopusha22mmpipeintothefittingtoofar.
‘Shower Power Booster – How do I tell gravity cold from mains cold’
Product Videos
(SearchTitles In Red On YouTube to see these videos or visit our website)
‘ManualActivated Shower Power Booster SP1’Gravity Systems ‘SP2 – FullyAutomatic Shower Power Booster with Flow Switch’ ‘SP22D – Two Shower Power Boosters with Flow Switches’‘SpareTransformer For Shower Power Booster’
‘SP1 – Shower Power Booster (Manual) For Electric Showers’ ‘SP21S – Shower Power Booster Balanced Flow’
‘SP4 Radiator Booster (From Shower Power Booster)’ ‘Shower Power Booster High Performance Shower hoses’ ‘SP2 – Shower Power Booster For Electric Showers’ ‘SP21S – Shower Power Double Boost’
‘SP4 – Reconditioned Shower Power Boosters’
‘Shower Power Booster High Performance Shower hoses’ ‘SP2 – Shower Power Booster For Combi Boilers’
‘SP11S – Shower Power Double Boost’‘Spare Shower Power Booster Pump Motor’
‘Shower Power For Negative Head’– Radio Remote
General Interest Videos
(SearchTitles In Red On YouTube to see these videos or visit our website)
‘Shower Power Booster – New Invention’
A38 second summary
‘HowmuchadditionalflowwillIgetwithashowerpowerbooster?’ ‘Shower Power Booster – How do I tell gravity cold from mains cold’ ‘Shower Power Booster – Quiet In-Line Booster Pumps’
Abrief product summary 2 minutes and 4 seconds
‘HowToincreaselowwaterflowinashower/bath’Demonstrator made for appearance onDragons Den ‘Shower Power Booster – Explanation Of Power Supply’ ‘Shower Power Booster History Of British Plumbing’
An explanation asto why Britain and Southern Ireland are different from the rest of Europe.
‘HowAShower Power Booster Flow switch Works’‘Shower Power Booster For Negative HeadApplication’
Ideal if you have a fortic tank or a shower in a loft conversion
Pump Specification:
Weight of Pump 180 grams
Weight including Brass Fitting 625gms
Size Of Pump 75mm x 35mm
Length Of Brass Fitting 150mm
Maximum Head 5.2 metres to 6.0 metres
Typical output at 5 litres a minute = 3.1 metres head
Power Consumption at 5 litres a minute = 12.6 Watts
Power Consumption pumping against closed valve = 9.5 Watts
The 12 volt pump is brushless with neodymium bearing and has a 3 year replacement parts warranty. The pump can be replaced by simply screwing out the old motor and screwing in a new pump