Someone on here told about having their boiler dump water and they knew about it in the middle of the night because the water pump was running.

My boiler dumps without the pump running. Does that mean I have a micro-switch (?) system rather than a pressure-switch one?

And if that's the case, does it mean that i should not use a trigger shower?

I fitted an Ecocamel head to the shower, 1 with an integrated on/off valve, but I haven't used it yet.

I don't know anything about the van you list in your profile but it sounds like you have an immersed pump if you have purged the truma boiler of water and the pump hasn't engaged.

You could always turn on a tap and trace where the sound of the pump is coming from. Start at the boiler housing and listen there If there is a bean can sized object in there that has lots of pipes coming from it and if it's humming away then you have a pressurised system. If it is a muted sound coming from inside your freshwater tank then you have a submersible one that works on a microswitch in each of the taps.

If you have a microswitch system then you will need to turn on your shower mixer tap before the trigger mechanism will work on your shower head.

Terry

If your boiler can dump all the water from it without the pump coming on then I'd say you almost definitely have a micro switched system as a pressurised system would see the "dump" as a pressure drop and kick in to try and re-pressurise the system.

Assuming that it is a micro switch system then my own advice would be not to use a trigger head shower attachment. Reason for this is that when you release the trigger to stop the water, the pump will continue to run (until you turn off both the hot and cold taps that normally control the shower).

This would mean that the pump would be trying to pump water with nowhere for it to go, something that could well damage the pump. If using the trigger head is essential then the possibly you could consider fitting an inline pressure switch and creating a pressurised system.

Not sure that I agree with that Phil as using the trigger on a shower head will be no different than turning your tap down till there is only a trickle coming out and the water pump only pumps at one speed.

Thanks folks - it's definitely a submersible system but I hadn't realised that that meant it was definitely a micro-switch system!

That would be my fear Phil.

I'd be inclined to agree with Phil on that one Bill, cos you wouldn't just be turning it down, you'd be closing the outlet altogether and if the pump is still running and creating pressure I think something's going to give - that shouldn't!

Any idea what the house system is likely to be? I've a gas condenser boiler. Could I use the trigger head on that? Not much point really cos I don't usually shower with the shower head in my hand and I'm not under the same pressure (sorry!) to conserve water.

Inline pumps as used on pressurised systems are diaphragm pumps which are 'positive displacement pumps', which means that each action of the pump shifts a certain amount of water. It's a smoothish pulsing action, further smoothed if you have an accumulator fitted as well.

A submersible pump is usually a centrifugal type, with vanes spinning in the open base that grab the water and compress it into the pipe. This type of pump can run for some time without the water actually flowing, as the water surrounding it keeps it cool. As long as it isn't forgotten, I'd have thought that the main shower tap could be opened to activate the pump and set the temperature, and then the flow controlled by the trigger head.

Simplest set-up, which I have, is a lifting mixer tap which does it all.

Don't know what your shower tap is like, but ours has a single lever at hip level, which swivels left/right to select the temperature and pulls out towards one to open the flow, so just nudgeing it back in with elbow, or a*se, closes it, leaving both hands free unlike a trigger-head. Then pull it out again to re-start the flow

So if you do not have this type, you could change to this type for similar control to a trigger.

Geoff

My tap is like yours Geoff, going up and down to turn on/off. But it's quite hard to turn it off and on without changing the temperature a bit - then you've to waste water while you get it right again
Thanks Tuggers, might give it a go then.

That's Ok Jean no problem.