Installation of Surrey / Essex Flange - Into existing cylinder

[Chrismw1989]

Hi,

Im installing a bathroom and the shower i have selected will need to have a pump installed to provide sufficient pressure. I have purchased a Stuart Turner 2.0 bar monsoon pump. I plan to cite this in the airing cupboard.

We have a traditional vented hot water system with cold water storage tank in the loft and a hot water cylinder in the airing cupboard. Ideally i want to re use the existing cylinder for now rather than installing new.

So my questions are as follows:

1. Essex or Surrey Flange - I'm leaning towards a surrey flange as i think this would be easier to install rather than draining the entire system down. In addition im not sure how easy the immersion heater would come out if i went down the route of installing an Essex flange? Any comments appreciated...

2. Here is a picture of the existing installation. I believe that the tank has a male connector, and therefore a surrey flange (With female thread) would fit straight in. Is there any way of telling from the attached photo?


This is the first time ive installed one of these, albeit im fairly hands on when it comes to the DIY front. Hopefully the install is fairly straight forward.

Any other comments would be appreciated that i should take on board.

Please let me know if you need any other info to comment.

Thanks
Chris

 

[lame plumber]

your going to have to drain the water storage vessel in the attic anyhow to install a cold feed to the shower pump, and when you do this youll be able to install the surrey flange. Just have lots of towels and know what valves you need to turn to isolate if things leak.

 

[tamz]

You don't take the immersion out to fit an essex flange.

A tin opener and a spanner are all you need (a pencil comes in handy too :smile

 

[lame plumber]

ha ha missed that about the immersion, you lose the surrey flange if you drop it in that hole, best you call a plumber

 

[Chrismw1989]

Thanks for the replies.

From on the instructions I had read online it seemed to suggest that to install an essex flange you needed to remove the immersion heater to drop the valve and washer I'm through the centre on a metal wire?

Is it possible to just install the essex flange via the hole drilled in the side? If so this may not be as complicated as I first thought.

Noted about out draining the cold water tank.

Thanks

 

[tamz]

It fits in through the hole you drill using a split washer and a wire to hold it.

You'll be easier with a Surrey. The treads on your cylinder are female.

 

[Mike Jackson]

I prefer Warix flanges.

 

[Plumbstar Tom]

Essex flange is the better choice but its more difficult to install

 

[cr0ft]

Essex flange is less restrictive and arguably will pull less air into the pump than a top mounted flange. Salamander state the S flange can't be used on some of their more powerful pumps due to it being quite restrictive compared to the Essex flange. An Essex flange is, as Plumbstar says, a bit trickier to fit. That said though, I would be comfortable getting my apprentice to do one so I wouldn't say they are that tricky.

 

[Bunker]

That cylinder looks old and leaky and is prob full of scale so I'd suggest just replace with a new stainless one which will come with a secondary tapping for your pump.

Also isn't that stat a bit high?