Tip:Surge dampers are usually fitted vertically, with the connection at the bottom. Two types of switches

There are many different types of water pumps, including submersible pumps, irrigation pumps and circulation pumps. Although all pumps operate differently, generally speaking, pumps can be divided into three main categories. There are the self-priming pumps, centrifugal pumps and underwater pumps. These will pump both hot and cold water at the same time or individually, they are designed to be used on gravity fed water systems.

Central Heating / Circulation pump

Tip:Sometimes water is left but its level has fallen below the inlet of the hose or pump. Shrouded in safety A central heating pump provides heating systems with (hot) water. Did you know that a standard central heating pump is responsible for 10% of your energy costs? Start saving up to 70% with our central heating pumps! Macerator pump

Centrifugal impeller pumps create a vortex of water with the pressure increasing towards the outside of the impellor, they are harder to install and instructions should be read carefully, the benefits of a centrifugal pump are a greater volume of water at the same pressure as a regenerative pump and quieter in operation.Depending on your battery’s charge and related factors, some motors in diaphragm pumps operate with an irregular pulsing action, which affects the smoothness of the water flow. Typical use for a negative head pump would be loft conversions, low head (distance between shower head and bottom of cold storage tank) and whole house applications where a variety of devices are pumped. Pumps are used in whole house pumping for several reasons, to boost the mains water supply via a break tank system where insufficient pressure or flow is available from the mains water. It would be quite common to boost all of the hot and cold water from tank fed supplies to the complete house due to modern styled taps showers and mixers needing a higher pressure to operate nowadays. Today’s caravans boast a wide variety of fresh-water system components and are better equipped than ever before. However, routine servicing is essential to ensure that yours works as it should. To avoid damage, most models have an interceptor or strainer fitted to the intake side of a diaphragm pump. A Shurflo pump has a clear casing so you can see whether any grit has been intercepted. Some are madein solid plastic but either way, inspecting and cleaning the filter is an important part of routine pump maintenance. Practical owners can undertake this – if the pump iseasy to reach.

Tip:Flexible supply cable should be 2.5 sq mm in cross-sectional area (21.5 A). It typically has 36 strands. Don’t replace — repair Assuming your caravan hasa charged battery and all the appropriate fuses are intact, the power to run a water pump’s motor is usually activated atthe 12V control panel. In my caravan the entire 12V supply is controlled by one switch and there’s a further switch with a tap pictogram. Simple! I was fooled recently by a new touch-screen panel whose pictogram looked nothing like a tap, a pump or a drop of water – and its owner’s manual was missing.

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These are most commonly used to pump the hot side of a water system (gravity fed) where the cold water is mains fed. An garden water pump is a self-priming pump that is generally used for irrigating garden and lawns. These pumps can be used with any type of water; from tap water to groundwater and from pond to ditch water. Water pressure pump Some replacement taps – like my lever-operated mixer tap from Whale – are supplied with pre-connected cables that are ready to couple-up with a caravan’s wiring. However, you are not obliged to use these because this type of tap can also be operated in conjunction with a pressure switch that has been installed in the supply pipes. Alternatively,a pressure-sensitive switch is often installed within the casing of a diaphragm pump. Typical use for a positive head pump is where you want to boost a slow flowing device such as a tap or shower but there is at least 1 liter per minute of water flowing.

Tip:An electrician might temporarily link the two cables – which is what the switch does – just to confirm the pump motor responds. Detecting a change Tip:Undoing a grit filter casing to retrieve and cleanthe mesh inside often needs strong fingers. Steady as she flows

Shower Valves and Mixers

Having removed the curved plastic activation plate, you then gently prise the microswitch upwards and away from its seating. The pair of cables attached to its spade terminals will still be in place and are folded underneath. It’s thena matter of replacing the faulty switch with a new one – whichis easier for people with micro-sized fingers. Other makes of lever switch can be harder to dismantle, while ‘throwaway’ taps are totally sealed. Unlike submersible models, diaphragm pumps can be repaired or completely overhauled. New ‘o’ rings, for example, may be needed, a job best left to specialists. Some pumps are easy to take apart but difficult to reassemble. The tiny pistons are moved up and down by a ‘wobble plate’ and, because grit can seriously damage the chambers, Whale supplies complete replacement headsas a pre-assembled unit. They are also used as a separate hot and cold pair of pumps, these are used where the cold water storage tank and hot water cylinder are not close in location to each other so for practical reasons two pumps would be used instead of a twin pump.