Automatic Booster Pump while anyone is using the shower(s)

I did not have an access panel behind the shower (plan to add it in the future).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0991W598Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So, there is a switch to select OFF/AUTO/ON, With Flow Auto Switch for my test I keep the switch in AUTO mode, and every time I use any water at my house the motor turns on.

1 Like

Could you let me know what motion sensor do you have?
How long do you have it? I'm thinking about noise in the bathroom that could damage the sensor soon, I have an exhaust fan.

So, there is a switch to select OFF/AUTO/ON, With Flow Auto Switch for my test I keep the switch in AUTO mode, and every time I use any water at my house the motor turns on.

[/quote]
And as an aside, is it not the case that you'd wish this pressure boost in other situations like when you are running the outside faucet/hose?
[/quote]
I only need this pump running for showers (I have two bathrooms), about outside faucet/hose may in the future.

[/quote]
As boring as this might be... I can see the benefit of putting this on a relay controlled by HE by time windows, or more flexibly, a collection of buttons located where you might want to "turn on the boost".
[/quote]
I am looking for a solution easy to use.

I use an old Lowes Iris v2 Motion sensor. It has been fine for about 2-3 years now. I added a bit of heat shrink tubing to the PIR sensor to restrict its field of view just to the shower area. Works great for our needs.

2 Likes

I use an Aqara motion sensor above the bathtub/shower. It has been in place for ~2 years, with no issues.

I would strongly recommend leaving it in this mode for the primary reason that it is the mode that is least likely to damage your plumbing. I don't know what the pressure of the incoming water is, or what it gets boosted to, but I have heard it said that copper sweats should not be exposed to more than 80 psi.

If you control it manually using an automation, there is the danger that an automation to turn the pump off may fail. Should that happen, it could place your internal plumbing under severe stress.

1 Like

:point_up_2:

This ! I was just working through this scenario in my head thinking, "in AUTO this thing is sensing the pressure drop, in manual ON it's just going and going and going....what if some little glitch causes the OFF to fail to be communicated/acted on".

Someone might step in and correct the assumptions here but if you orchestrated this HE control I would leave the pump in AUTO so that when it is powered ON/OFF it STILL has the built in pressure sensor turning it off if need be. (Which re-reading @aaiyar that is what he was saying :thinking: )

3 Likes

My Idea is to keep in AUTO mode plus automation by HUBITAT.

Mainline pressure with pump OFF: 50 PSI/Shower head: 35 PSI
Mainline pressure with pump ON: 65 PSI/Shower head: needs to check

1 Like

Was this pump a recommendation from your plumber? How far away is the shower-head from the service entry point? That seems like a pretty big drop in pressure. I guess I would be concerned that there's a lot of residue/gunk buildup in the pipes within your house. Any galvanized steel piping?

2 Likes

No, I called the city water to be at my home, the only concern they are about my water softener, but I bypassed, and the pressure is still low on my showers.

It is a 2 stories house, 14 years old all CPVC pipes,

Mainline water provides by the city -> 51 ft->Water Softener (1 Floor)->5ft->Water Heater (1 Floor)->25ft Master Bathroom(2floor)

1 Like

May I ask where do you install the motion sensor? I have a shower with a curtain.

May I ask where do you install the motion sensor? I have a shower with a curtain.

Stick them to the shower wall or wallboard just above it, behind the shower head and angled down into the shower area so that they are only "seeing" the shower. I don't have one in the shower now, but in our old shower I had one positioned like that and it worked for years w/out issue. Also an Iris v2, but any motion sensor should be fine in that location.

1 Like

Same here. Two showers, with curtains. The curtains/liners are enough to prevent the motion sensor from detecting people on the other side. We keep the curtains mostly closed, with about 2 inches of gap on each end when not in use. I put my sensors at about the same height as the shower head, in a back corner. As soon as we open the curtain, the dedicated light over the shower turns on. If Motion stays detected for about 2 minutes, the exhaust fan turns on. Once there is no motion detected in the shower for 5 minutes, the light turns off. After a total of 10-15 mins, the exhaust fan turns off.

I also use the “shower motion detector” as a secondary sensor to keep the main bathroom lights on while taking a shower.

Here is a crude overhead sketch, with the “S” being the shower head, “M” is the motion sensor, and the wavy part at the bottom being the shower curtain.

1 Like

Motion sensor is red. Curtain is "wavy". The motion sensor is angled to be away from the door, and it "oversees" the shower.

2 Likes

You could have your vet put an RFID chip in her neck and put a sensor at the shower door.

1 Like

If you’re considering a vibration sensor (rather than a motion sensor), you’ll want it to be physically in contact with the shower head so it can pick up the vibrations from the flowing water.

Goal: enable the Automatic Booster Pump while anyone is using the shower(s).

Sengled NB7 plug to give you control and feedback of the pump operation.
Monitor the shower area with motion sensors.
Monitor the shower room occupancy with smart light switches.
Monitor the hot water usage at the source.

Put it all together in a rule. :wink:

I will make a test on this way.

1 x GoControl WAPIRZ-1 Motion Sensor on Shower wall
1 x Kasa KP115 connect to Booster Pump

Simple Automation Rules

I use a flow paddle switch wired to a contact sensor to monitor a water-to-air heat pump's water line to be sure the solenoid has shut completely.

Liquid Flow Switch, Flow Detector 3/4" MPT, Normally Open:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WY86UD2

1 Like