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Mains Inlet Booster Pumps

Do you have poor water pressure coming into your home? Can you not keep your boiler at pressure? Then these pumps are the solution for you. In order to pump from the mains inlet, a pump cannot pull more than 12 litres/minute from the mains supply. These pumps are all advertised as complying with regulations in order to ensure your house achieves the best pressure that it can at the mains inlet.

How Do Mains Inlet Booster Pumps Work?

Diagram showing the placement and application of a mains water booster pump

Mains inlet booster pumps sit just after your cold water mains inlet to support flow into your whole property. Your requirements will determine the size of the pump you need, but no mains inlet pump will give you flow rates above 12 litres/minute.

As you can see in the diagram, typically these pumps can supply outlets directly or they can supply heating systems such as combination boilers.

Are You Allowed To Fit a Pump to the Mains Inlet?

In the UK, the Water Regulations specify that you can only install a pump on your mains inlet so long as the flow rate does not exceed 12 litres per minute. So any pump that advertises itself as a Mains Inlet Booster Pump must adhere to that limit. At PlumbHQ we keep on top of this for you and have made sure that all products that we recommend are compliant.

What if I want flow rates above 12 litres per minute?

If you want flow rates higher than 12 litres/minute, you will need to install a break tank or explore other options, like an unvented cylinder. In these instances you effectively store a large volume of water (cold or preheated) that can then be pumped around your home at whatever pressure you want.

What causes low mains water pressure?

It is not unheard of for home in the UK to have poor water pressure at the mains. Several things can contributing factors:

Water Supplier Issues

Disruptions or ongoing work by the water supplier can temporarily affect water pressure in the local area.

Poor Mains Water Pressure

Though unlikely, your local water authority might generally have low water pressure. As silly as it sounds, if you're on a hill, this could also affect localised water pressure.

Frequently Asked Questions

As long as the flow rate doesn't exceed 12 litres per minute, the Water Supply and Fittings Regulations state a pump can be fitted to the mains inlet in properties in the UK.