A leak free joint is easy if you understand how a compression joint works. Putting plumbers mate or tape on the wrong component can cause a leak. We have chosen compression joints for ShowerPowerBoosters because they are the easiest joint to fit and avoid leaks.

Many joints in plumbing need PTFE and Plumbers Mate to make a joint leak free. A compression joints consists of the following:
Nut, Screw Thread, Compression Olive, Sealing Face(s).

The Nut and Screw Thread
The function of the nut and screw thread is to compress the compression olive against the SPB sealing face and around the pipe. Putting PTFE or Plumbers Mate on the screw thread makes it difficult to tighten the joint and can mean you have a leak. Use more tape and you have more of a leak. Here is a picture of what not to do:-

All pumps come with ‘in the box options’ to fit onto a 22mm pipe or 15mm pipe. For 99% of our customers everything in the box is all you need to fit the pumps but it is easy to fit the the pump to 28mm, 3/4 inch, 1/2 inch, and many other pipe sizes and materials after a trip to your local plumbers merchant.

FITTING TO 22MM

Too much plumbers mate or tape can block the filter so we advise you to use tape and plumbers mate sparingly. Plumbers mate or tape on the right components is essential for some customers.

There are just two surfaces which need to seal the joint so a smear of plumbers mate on these two surfaces would no go amiss.

All ShowerPowerBooster are provided with a mesh which is held in place with a black rubber surround. This has 100% to do with holding the mesh in place to prevent particulates blocking the flow switch. This has nothing to do with stopping the joint leaking.

The filter is simply held in place by the rubber surround and you can easily hook it out and replace it with your little finger, a pensil, or a pen.

It is obvious that too much Plumbers Mate or PTFE could block the filter but a little bit of PTFE or Plumbers Mate on the olive is useful. There should be no leaks and in theory no ptfe or paste is required but if you are a belt and braces type like me then PTFE and or paste will help but only if applied to the olive.

For those that think I put too much PTFE on the olive in the photo and I should have just put a thin smear of paste on the olive then yes I agree. The use of PTFE shows up well in a photo whereas a thin smear of paste would not plus all I had in my plumbers box was PTFE. PTFE works as well so hence the photo!

Fitting a Shower Power Booster to 15mm
A ShowerPowerBooster is supplied with a 3 part reducer so you can fit the pump on a 15mm pipe as well as 22mm which standard copper and plastic sizes in the UK. If you live in Southern Ireland or you have old imperial pipework you can replace the 22mm UK olive with a 22mm to 3/4 inch conversion olive or replace the 15mm olive with a 1/2 inch olive.

As well as the compression olive compressing around the pipe the compression olive compresses against the inside of brass taper and the outside face of the brass taper seals against the fitting. I illustrate the sealing surfaces below by wrapping ptfe around the olive and outside of the taper. In reality Plumbers Mate spread very sparingly all over the olive and the inside and outside of the taper is the more practical solution.

22mm Chrome Plated Compression Nut – The chrome plated compression nut screws down and compresses the olive to create the seal. It is important that the screw thread is not encumbered by either plumbers mate or tape as this will stop it creating the force required to compress the olive and correct the ovality of the existing pipe if this is required.

Compression Nut Conversion Insert – This is part of the 3 part reducer supplied free of charge with a ShowerPowerBooster and it is only required if you are fitting to 15mm or 1/2 inch pipe. It transfers the force from the 22mm chrome plated nut when screwed clockwise to the olive. It is fitted between the 15mm olive and the nut. It is important that this component is not encumbered by either plumbers mate or tape.

15mm or 22mm olive- The olive fits copper and plastic pipe and always benefits from plumbers mate or tape being used on it.

22mm to 15 mm Taper –This is part of the 3 part reducer and is only required if you are fitting to 15mm or 1/2 inch pipe. The outside of the taper seals against the inside of the showerpowerbooster which is also tapered and this this is a component which always benefits from plumbers mate or tape being used on it.

This post is dedicated to to Jay Scabling & Neil Rogers in answer to very similar questions they raised on the 28th September 2019