Tag
Water pumps
16 articles
ArticleWater pump not pumping water: hums but won't start, what to checkWhen a water pump hums but will not start (the shaft stays still), the cause is almost always one of four things: a failed capacitor (the most common), a seized shaft or impeller f…
ArticlePipe size for a 3-storey house: main riser, branches and fixturesA 3-storey house usually takes a 32–40 mm main riser from the rooftop tank (32 mm for 2–3 bathrooms, 40 mm from 4 bathrooms or when many fixtures run at once), 25 mm branches for e…
ArticleHow to wire a fan capacitor and a single-phase pump capacitorThe correct way to wire a fan capacitor is: connect the two supply wires to the common wire and the run wire, and connect the capacitor between the run wire and the start wire. A s…
ArticleHow to Install a Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV) on a Home Water Supply: Measuring Pressure, Choosing and Positioning the Valve, Setting It and Fixing Common FaultsA client on a lower floor of an apartment block says the taps "explode" when opened, the washing machine hose burst last month, and the water heater's safety valve drips every even…
ArticleHow to Install a Whole-House Sediment Pre-Filter on the Main Water LineSand in the shower head, a brown film in the toilet cistern, an RO purifier that clogs its first cartridge in a few weeks: these are signs that particles are travelling through the…
ArticleHow to wire mechanical and digital timer switches for signboard lights and water pumps: choosing the type, wiring, setting the schedule and when a contactor is neededA shop sign needs to be lit from late afternoon until late at night, a water pump needs to run at set times, and garden lights need to switch themselves off when the owners go to b…
ArticleTaps spluttering air and water flowing in bursts because of air in the pipes: finding the cause and bleeding air from water supply pipes correctly"The water came back this morning, but when I open the tap it keeps spluttering, the water spurts out in bursts and splashes everywhere, flowing and stopping." Plumbers often get c…
ArticleWeak shower flow: 7 steps to find the cause, from the shower head to the roof tank and the water heater“My shower just drizzles, I can never rinse the soap off.” “The cold water is strong, but as soon as I turn on the hot water it gets really weak.” “On the ground floor the water gu…
ArticleCleaning and flushing rooftop water tanks and underground cisterns: 7 safe steps, disinfecting at the right time and handing over to the customer"Lately our water smells fishy and there's yellow sediment coming out of the taps", or "We haven't flushed the tank for years and want both the rooftop tank and the underground cis…
ArticleRooftop water tank overflowing or not filling: checking and replacing mechanical float valves and electric float switches correctlyThe two most common calls about rooftop water tanks sound like opposites but share the same culprit: "Water is pouring from the pipe on the roof into the yard and the pump runs non…
ArticleWater pump runs but delivers no water (pumping from an underground tank or well): checking priming, the foot valve and strainer, suction-pipe air leaks and the impeller“The pump is humming away, I can feel it vibrating, but when I open the tap from the rooftop tank there isn’t a drop.” Plumbers get this call a lot in the dry season, especially in…
ArticleMain stop valve or isolation valve leaking or seized: checking, on-the-spot fixes and replacing the valve the right way"My main valve is leaking at the stem under the handle, and when I try to shut it, it won't turn." This is a very familiar call for plumbers, especially in houses that have been li…