Essex Flange for a Shower Pump

[Jonplumb]

All interesting stuff...
Recently I was asked to survey a job to check whether a positive or negative head pump was required for a shower installation job required, . this is what I found!
View attachment 35925

FFS!! Did you run like hell? !!!

 

[Jim Goodenough]

FFS!! Did you run like hell? !!!

Not half.... said there's no way I'm touching that - replaced electric shower instead.

 

[fixitflav]

I want to install an Essex Flange to the cylinder for a shower pump. (Cylinder is surrounded by shelving plus is about 15 years old and has overlapping pipes at top connection so I'd prefer to drill a hole in the cylinder and leave the older connections alone)
The flange I have is the E1R type

3/4 inch with no compression fitting. Can I use male couplers on either side of this type of flange to connect 3/4 inch pipe to and from the cylinder? Or would you solder some suitable brass threads onto the outside of the flange to convert it to a compression fitting type flange? Is it advisable not to have a compression fitting inside the cylinder submerged in water permanently? Would really appreciate any advice. Thanks very much in advance!! (Sorry for sending PMs of this to a few guys!! My first time using this!)

Why add a connection to the cylinder, with possible problems? You could take it from the HW cylinder vent pipe in the loft, and put the pump up there. Cold to pump direct from the CW storage tank. As long as the pump is > 0.5m or so below CW tank top level it's OK. Usually the pipes from the pump can drop conveniently straight on the shower inlets. They do say the vent pipe should be at 45° and the pump suction taken off downward (there are pics somewhere on the forum) to avoid risk of air into the pump. I don't know whether that's essential, once things have settled down there shouldn't be any air, and traces entering the pump won't hurt it.
I have a gravity shower piped that way (tee'd straight off the vertical vent pipe) and it works fine.

 

[dan_the_plumber]

You obviously don’t live with hard water!
Leave tank full to crack open immersion, as you say to maintain integrity of wafer thin copper.
Then whip off top connection, bung hose pipe in and suck away! Syphon out tank in minutes - but via draincock at bottom amongst all the sludge it takes hours!
Plus no worry of drain cock weeping afterwards.
To finish off , 9 iron or wedge through immersion hole and oik out the scale with aid of wet vacuum.

Personally I’d use a sandwedge and a putter on my approach to the immersion hole