Month: August 2015

Q&A with Saniflo Pumps

Here at Anchor Pumps, building long lasting relationships with all of our trusted manufacturers is extremely important. Saniflo is the latest brand to join the Anchor Pumps family and to celebrate, we sat down with Ann Boardman, Customer Services & Marketing Manager to find a little more about the trusted manufacturer, their range of products and future plans for their brand and product ranges.

Saniflo

1) How long have you worked for Saniflo Pumps?
I’ve worked as part of the Saniflo team for over three years now.

2) What do you think makes Saniflo such valued a manufacturer?
As the innovator of the macerator principle over 50 years ago, Saniflo are the leaders in the field of macerator pumps and lifting stations and all of our products are designed and manufactured by our parent company in France. The beauty of our products is that they offer not just a pump, but the possibility of a whole new bathroom or kitchen solution.

3) How has the range of products changed / improved since you joined the team?
The Development team are constantly looking at product improvements and new product solutions. In the past few years the professional range of products has gone from strength to strength and enabled us to reach into bigger commercial market sectors with the new lifting stations that we have introduced. E.g Sanicubic XL, Sanicubic 2 Pro, Sanicubic 2 Classic.

4) What is the main focus for Saniflo in the next 2015/2016?
Our focus is to elevate our commercial lifting station business to the same level of success as our domestic range business.

5) How would you describe the brand in 3 words?
Market-leading, reliable solutions.

Shop the full range of Saniflo products online today at Anchor Pumps!

10% Off Lowara at Anchor Pumps

Lowara is far and away the market leader in the field of efficient, reliable pumping appliances, and now Anchor Pumps have made the best better still by offering a 10% discount on our entire range of Lowara products.

Manufactured in Italy to the highest standards, Lowara pumps offer solutions for water, fire protection, HVAC and wastewater, covering a vast range of applications, including domestic, agricultural, light industrial and commercial.

From high-efficiency wet rotor circulators for domestic heating systems and powerful suction pumps to multi-stage centrifugal pumps for larger residential properties or submersible designs for trouble-free sewage handling, you’ll easily find a model within our range of Lowara pumps that perfectly suits your needs.

For example, the hugely popular Lowara range of DOC submersible drainage pumps is renowned for being sturdy and offering consistently high levels of performance, whether deployed in water reservoirs, sump pits or draining tanks.

Constant innovation within the company means Lowara pumps are some of the most advanced on the market. Fabricated from stainless steel to eliminate any risk of contamination, all Lowara products utilise laser welding technology to provide seals that are highly robust but also respectful to the environment. With more than four decades of experience in the water pump market, Lowara products have proven themselves time and time again in some of the most demanding environments around.

This fantastic promotion applies to all the Lowara pumps in our current product range, but does not include items already on sale, accessories or spares.

To claim your discount, simply use the code Lowara10 at the checkout page.

5 Things you need to know before buying a shower pump

Shower pumps boost domestic water pressure and the performance of a shower. They can be adapted to anyone’s personal preference for a shower: some people like high-velocity water hurling at them, while others prefer water coming down like gentle rainfall.

Shower Water Pressure

The following steps provide a guide to buying the correct booster pump for your home;

Step 1. Check the nature of your domestic water system. Under British regulations, you cannot connect shower pumps to the main water supply. They have to be connected to a system that is gravity-fed. This is where the water to the pump is supplied from a header tank or cistern. Often these are located in the attic of a house or at a high level in a single-floor apartment. You cannot connect a shower pump to a combi boiler. These boilers are fed directly from the mains and work at their maximum output. If you need to boost this output, you have to buy a new combi boiler.

Step 2. Check the power and performance of the pump you will need. Shower pumps are rated in terms of the pressure they operate at, in bar or the equivalent to one atmosphere, and the volume of water they eject in litres per second. Pressures of up to 2 bar are sufficient for a one- or two-person household and up to 4 bar for a family.

Step 3. The volume of water delivered by the shower pump should be compatible with the capacity of your home’s water system. You cannot use a high-performance shower pump if it is connected to a very small hot-water cylinder. The storage tank could empty on two minutes – hardly enough time for a good shower to start.

Step 4. Check the size of the pipework in your home’s water system. The pump comes with piping connections of 15mm and 22mm diameter. The larger diameter can deliver twice the volume of water than the smaller diameter. But the pump’s connection must fit with the rest of the house’s plumbing Never connect a 22mm pump to plumbing with a diameter of 15mm.

Step 5. Choose a quiet and level location for the pump, as even the most expensive pump will vibrate and make a noise when operating. Place it on a rubber or polystyrene pad to dampen the noise.

Does My Central Heating Pump Need Replacing?

Central heating pumps are an integral part of your heating system, and if you’re having problems with it, this could be a sign that your pump needs replacing.

Central Heating Pump

Problems with Heating Pumps
There are a number of reasons why your heating pump can fail, including the build-up of sludge, which can cause the pump impeller to wear out, or the pump may have dried out. In these cases, your pump will need to be replaced.

Before you decide to replace a heating pump, you should check that there isn’t another problem, such as an electrical fault. To do this, first isolate the supply of electricity from the consumer unit. Remove the cover and ensure that none of the fuses have blown. You should also look for any loose connections between the wires and the pump terminals. These should be connected properly and securely.

Removing and Fitting Central Heating Pumps
Firstly, you need to ensure that the electrics have been isolated and the boiler is switched off. Wait for the system to cool down if it’s hot – and if there are valves at the sides of your pumps, these need to be closed. If there aren’t any, or the valves have seized, you’ll need to completely drain the system before proceeding. Ensure that the replacement pump is the right size, and check which direction the pump flows. You can now disconnect the pump from the electrics.

Undo the flow side union nut. You may get a small amount of water coming out, but if there is any more the valve might not be closed. Repeat this on the other side and then you can take the pump out. Clean the valves if necessary and fit new washers.

To fit the new pump, put it in place and make sure the flow direction is the same as previously. Connect it loosely to each valve and make sure there is no cross-threading, as this can cause a leak. Tighten up the union nuts and then open the flow side isolating valve to check there are no leaks. Do the same on the other side and the central heating pump is ready to use.

At Anchor Pumps we stock a huge range of central heating pumps from leading manufacturers, including Grundfos & Lowara.

Summer Flooding Tips to Protect your Home from Floods

 

More than five million people in Britain live with the imminent danger of being flooded from the sea or rivers. The risk of urban floods caused by extreme rainfall or poor drainage is also a risk for many. Here are a few simple steps that will protect your home from the worst of flooding.

Submersible pumps

Firstly, check with the Environment Agency on your property’s flood risk. Other private agencies and the Association of British Insurers also have maps of flood risk areas. This will help you to prepare for the flooding threat.

Start with the exterior of the house to stop any floodwater from entering into it. You can install front and back doors with built-in flood protection. Otherwise, stock up on sandbags that you can place outside the door when a flood is forecast.

Protect airbricks in the external walls with special covers that you can buy from DIY stores. These covers can easily clip in place.

If floodwater does enter the home despite this protection, you have to be able to protect carpets and furniture. Floodwater usually rises through the cellar or crawl space of a house. This is where submersible pumps find their use. The best strategy would be to seek the advice of a flood risk experts, who know where to locate submersible pumps so that they expel floodwater from below the house before it rises through the ground floor.

Floodwater will also rise via pipework and the toilet and even through washing machine outlets. So it is important to block these once a flood has been forecast. These problems can be solved by installing backflow valves on the drains and outlets and a toilet bung in the bowl to stop floodwater from rising up there.

Floodwater will always exploit the easiest entrances into any building. Check for any cracked bricks and mortar on the external walls of the house to ensure that these will not become floodwater inlets.