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Low Water Pressure on Upper Floors? Booster Pumps Are the Ideal Solution

Are your upper story tenants complaining about not enough water pressure? This is a common issue for taller buildings in New York City. The higher up you go, the more water is fighting gravity, so you have a greater propensity for water pressure problems. You don’t have to live with the complaints, however. Booster pumps are perfect for solving the problem of low water pressure on upper floors. Here’s what you should know if you’re having water pressure problems.

Causes of Low Water Pressure

Rule out issues not related to building height

Before discussing booster pumps, we always want to eliminate any causes of low water pressure that aren’t related to building height. Some reasons you may have low pressure include:

• Clogged pipes (blockage or encrustation causing narrowing)
• Water leaks or broken pipes
• Old or clogged showerheads and taps
• Low pressure where the municipal water enters the building
• Pump failure or need for adjustment (e.g., circulator pumps)
• Wrong size pipes or pumps installed for demand or size of building

It may be that, instead of a booster pump, you need to have pipes cleaned or replaced. You might also need a water filtration system to catch sediment and reduce hard water, or you may need to have your water distributor pumps adjusted or replaced.

How Booster Pumps Work

Understand the basics

Once we have determined that you need a booster pump, we want you to understand how they work. Water booster pumps supplement existing pumps where the force of gravity prevents adequate water pressure. They work with buildings with rooftop tanks too, as gravity still pulls water downward, resulting in lower floors having better pressure.

Not only that, booster pumps even out the pressure between floors, so every unit has consistent water pressure. The New York state building code requires that minimum pressure is maintained at 20 psi or above, but ideally it should be between 60 and 80 psi and not drop below 35 psi.

Factors Involved in Booster Pump Installation

Water source and distribution plumbing

Before installing a booster pump or series of booster pumps, we examine where your water is coming from and how it is distributed throughout your building. Street-level water supply requires a different approach than water coming from an elevated rooftop tank.

We check to see if pressure relief valves are needed to avoid too much water pressure, which causes wear and tear on plumbing. Sometimes other features are required, like cut-off valves to prevent pump damage if the pressure were to drop suddenly.

Calculating flow rate

Your booster pump needs to be able to supply your entire building during peak water use times, which are usually early morning and after work at night. We look at the number of fixtures in total, such as showers, taps, toilets, and appliances, used in all your units to calculate peak flow rate expressed in gallons per minute (gpm).

Building height

Next, we figure your building height into the equation. With each successive floor, water pressure is lost because city water enters your property at a static pressure. There is also pressure lost to friction in the pipes, and this accumulates with height.

The height of the building is a factor in calculating your property’s total dynamic head, or TDH:

TDH = elevation head(1) + friction head loss(2) + pressure head(3)

1 – vertical distance the water will be pumped

2 – pressure lost to friction due to pipe diameter, material, etc.

3 – water system maximum operating pressure

Filtration systems and hot water heaters also need to be included in the equation sometimes.

Accommodating the dynamic head

Finally, we figure out how many pumps you need and where they should be positioned to accommodate the dynamic head. In very tall buildings, like high rises, we create pressure zones or use booster pumps in a chain to achieve the pressure needed.

New Booster Pump Technology for Your Benefit

Convenience and improved function

Booster pumps have come a long way in the last decade or so. Whether you’re installing booster pumps for the first time or upgrading old pumps, you are sure to be pleasantly surprised by recent innovations:

• Lifespan-extending soft start and stop features
• Ultra small footprints for limited space
• Variable speed motors to meet roller-coastering water demand
• Touch screen pump controls
• Smart pump technology that diagnoses problems and alerts operators
• Pumps that can be integrated into automated building systems

These might seem like small changes, but they translate to freeing up manpower for building staff and cost savings for owners. For example, by reducing a booster pump’s speed during off hours of low water demand, you can save on energy use. The relationship is not one to one. Even slight speed reductions can shave energy use in half.

If you’re having water pressure problems in your property, Antler Pumps welcomes the opportunity to talk to you about using booster pumps as a solution. We’ve installed them in numerous New York City properties over the years, including in high-rise buildings, and owners are thrilled with the results, including no more complaints from tenants.

To learn more, call us at 212-534-2500, or use our easy online form to schedule an appointment at a time that’s convenient for you.