The Shower Power Booster and the Salamander Home Boost, and the Salamander Combi Boost all recognise when pressure and flow needs boosting and boosts the pressure of the incoming mains water accordingly. All these pumps can legally be fitted on an incoming service pipe because unlike cheap Chinese Imports they comply with UK water regulations
Salimander Home Boost £280
Salimander Combi Boost £220
SP21S £150
The SPB and Salamander limits the flow to below the stated 12 litres a minute. The Salamander achieves this with more complex and expensive electronics than a ShowerPowerBooster.
A ShowerPowerBooster uses a fraction of the power usage of the Salamander, and it is cheaper, and it is easier to fit. Please read my blog before deciding what is right for you.
Run a full bore tap from the service pipe or cut the pipe to check if with a unrestricted flow you can physically get 12 litres a minute from the pipe then a pump that pumps up to 12 litres a minute is fine. If you cannot and there is not 12 litres a minute to boost then the Salamander will not work. No pump can pump more than this maximum without creating a dangerous suction in the incoming pipe which will drag in contamination.
A good shower needs enough water to wash away the suds and enough pressure to give a nice forceful spray pattern. We aim to give 6 litres a minute and a minimum of 3 metres head to achieve this and the SPB achieves this with ease. Perhaps you only need to boost to the maximum of a SPB which is about 9 litres a minute and as such a maximum free discharge of 12 litres a minute is perfect.
For making sure an electric shower works well (typically 4.5 litres a minute), a Shower Power Booster is perfect.
For a Combination Boiler you need to consider if you want to boost more water than for just a single shower or tap used at one time.
Output From Combination Boilers
24 KW Combi Boiler gives 11.5 litres a minute (2 showers)
30 KW Combi Boiler gives 14.5 litres a minute (2.4 showers)
42 KW Combi Boiler gives 20.0 litres a minute (3 showers)
If you have a Combination Boiler which is dropping out due to low pressure and you only want to run one shower or tap then the SPB is for you. If you want up to 12 litres a minute this is the legal limit for a pump on a cold water mains feed and might be provided by other pumps such as the Salamander Home Boost.
The legal limit is there for a reason and if you have several consumers pumping 12 litres a minute from the same service pipe then you will exceed the maximum and cause negative head in the service pipe thus possibly pulling in contaminants. On a shared service on neighbour may ‘steal’ all the water which might be why you are now suffering?
Features of SPB
Boosts mains water pressure and flow
Simple to install
Compact size
Water fitting regulations compliant
Salamander Home Booster Specification
Max Head 1.6 Bars
Maximum Boosted Flow 12 l/m
Typical Boosted Flow 12 l/m at 1.2 bars
Noise 46 Db at 1 metre
Power Usage 230 Volts at 1.8 Amps (414 Watts)
Dimensions 175 x 110 x 195 mm
Weight 3.114 Kg
Warranty 2 years
Vertical Orientation Only
Shower Power Booster Specification
Max Head SP1 and SP2B = 0.55 Bars
Max Head SP21S = 1.1 bars
Maximum Boosted Flow 9.5 litres/minute (*) Typical maximum boosted flow 6 to 8 litres/minute
Optimal Boosted flow 5 to 7 litres/minute
Noise 50 Db at 0.1 metres Power Usage 15 to 30 Watts Dimensions 150mm x 42mm x 125mm Weight 0.18 KG Warranty 3 years Orientation – Fit at any angle (*) Shower Power Booster is designed to be optimal for showers and taps using 6 litres a minute and is perfect for the USA where the maximum legal flow rate for showers is limited to 9.5 litres per minute.
Alan Wright
BSc(Hons) CEng. MICE
Inventor Of Shower Power Booster
