Ask The Expert - Shower Waste Pumps

Welcome to the latest edition of ‘Ask the Expert’, where every month Shaun Hunt – Technical Manager of Impey Showers will be addressing issues relating to level-access and specialist showering for those with disability needs.

This month we will be looking at:
Shower Waste Pumps.

In the June edition of Care Agenda we introduced shower waste pumps and how they are used to overcome the lack of a gravity drainage system.

This month we will look at shower waste pumps and their features and benefits.

There are many shower waste pumps available on the market and their performance in terms of flow rate, control, noise output and reliability can vary greatly from model to model.

It is important to consider these factors when deciding the most suitable shower waste pump for your needs.

Shower waste pumps can be roughly categorized into 3 tiers and it is necessary to budget accordingly:-

Standard
Reliable pump, basic features, noisy operation

Mid
Reliable pump, variable speed technology, quiet operation

Upper
Reliable pump, variable speed technology, quieter operation, high flow rate

Some shower waste pumps (typically in the mid to upper level category) have a plug ‘n’ play feature which allows them to be connected directly to an electric shower and directly monitor the water flow rate passing through the shower. The pump then varies its speed to match it, this results in much quieter operation.

Those without such a feature will require a separate flow sensor to be plumbed into the water supply pipe to the shower.

Many shower waste pumps are designed to work with a specific shower (plug ‘n’ play) and are often available as a package if required, although there are also shower waste pumps that are compatible with a wide range of showers and these tend to fall into the standard level category.

The wide range of Shower Waste Pumps available mean that Impey can usually provide the most suitable one for your needs, basic pump, digital pumps (Plug'n'Play) and high specification Digital Pumps.

Whatever your requirements our experienced Technical Team at Impey will be pleased to advise you.

Coming up next month......Thermostatic Mixing Valves (TMV’s)

Creating a level-access shower floor in a concrete screed.

Welcome to the latest edition of ‘Ask the expert’, where every month Shaun Hunt – Technical Manager of Impey Showers will be addressing issues relating to level-access and specialist showering for those with disability needs.

This month we will be looking at:

Creating a level-access shower floor in a concrete screed.


In order for a level-access shower floor to function correctly it needs to have an accurate drainage gradient to allow the water the drain effectively and the surface needs to be even to prevent pools of water forming.

When creating a level access shower floor in a concrete screed there are 3 main options.

Firstly, the wet screed can be shaped manually by eye. This can be incredibly time consuming and if the installer is inexperienced or in a rush to finish the job then there is the risk that the gradient will not be correctly formed which can lead to problems and call backs.

Another option is to chase out the solid concrete screed and retrofit a level access shower floor former such as a Level-Dec Advance.

Finally, and bar far the best option, is to use a level-access shower floor former designed to perfectly shape a wet concrete screed and provide efficient drainage.

Impey offers a product called Level-Grade which is the only product of its type available on the market. Level-Grade is a plastic matrix which when assembled and secured to the subfloor has a built-in gradient profile which guides the trowel of the installer to create a perfect drainage.

After Level-Grade is set into position and the waste trap and drainage pipes are connected the installer places shutters around the outside of the matrix and then fills it with a wet concrete screed mix and uses a float to shape the surface to the profile.

After the concrete has dried the shutters are removed and the remaining floor screed can be poured so that it finished flush with the outer edges of the shower floor area.

The shower floor can then be finished with slip-resistant vinyl, or tanked with a membrane prior to tiling.



Coming up next month.....

Choosing a suitable shower floor solution

Impey Healthcare - Ask The Expert

[caption id="attachment_28" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Pictured above: Shaun Hunt accepting the star product award for Level-Dec Advance at Naidex 2011 "][/caption]

Welcome to the latest edition of ‘Ask the expert’, where every month Shaun Hunt – Technical Manager of Impey Showers will be addressing issues relating to level-access and specialist showering for those with disability needs.
This month we will be looking at:
Pumped drainage for showering.

When considering the provision of a wetroom or shower-tray facility the lack of a  suitable gravity waste drainage system need not be a barrier to a successful installation. This is because Impey Showers can offer a range of pumped waste options which can over come almost every situation. Lack of a suitable gravity waste can be caused by a number of issues such as floor construction (re-inforced concrete) lack of access to the floor below (in an apartment) or lack of proximity of soil and waste services.

Shower waste pumps overcome these problems by utilising shallow waste trap adaptors. The pumps work by sucking the water from the waste reservoir to the inlet on the pump head and blowing it out through the outlet to a waste or soil pipe that can be some distance from the facility.

There are a number of pumps available to choose from and selecting the one most suitable for the situation at hand relies on a few considerations, the type of shower being used, (electric or mixer valve), the flow rate from that shower and budget.

Most electric showers produce a flow rate of approximately 8 litres per minute and the Impey Whale basic shower waste pump the (SWP) can be used in this instance with a Flow Switch connected to the incoming cold mains to the shower. When the water passes through the flow switch it sends a signal to the 24 volt pump transformer to switch on. Where a mixer valve is used a mixer valve conversion Kit is available including an additional Flow Switch which will raise the capability of the pump to 12 litres per minute.

These pumps are economically priced and their only drawback is that the speed the pumps operates at can not be sensitively adjusted.

As the pumps suck the water from the waste they can occasionally suck air which can result in noise.
To prevent this digitally controlled pumps are available which can adjust the speed of the pump with precision and maintain an equilibrium of water over the waste thus removing any noise. This is achieved by using a digital flow sensor on the feeds to the shower connected to a digital transformer. The Impey smoothflow pump is ideal for mixer showers (up to 12 litres/min) and the Dry Dec 20 (available from our Aqua Systems Division) can pump up to 20 litres per minute.

In addition  to these a range of digital shower pumps is available designed for exclusive use with electric showers including the Instant Match Pump which can be wired directly to a suitable Electric Shower without the need of a flow sensor. Operating the Shower automatically switches on the pump and controls the speed.

Where other facilities in the bathroom are required to be pumped to the waste outlet such as a washbasin and WC, a Macerator will be required, the Impey Showers waste pump can be simply connected to it using the top entry on the Macerator.