When to Use a Booster Pump

Booster pumps increase water pressure and improve flowrates in pumping systems. They’re typically used for tall commercial and residential buildings to ensure higher floors have sufficient water pressure. Booster pumps are also used for industrial and commercial applications when a lone pump can only transport water to where it’s needed at inadequate pressure. In addition to ensuring acceptable water pressure, boosters help prevent cavitation within pumping systems by providing a constant flow.

Positioned between a water source and endpoints for usage like toilets, taps, showers, faucets, and baths, a booster pump receives water from the source before pressurizing it to a point where it arrives where it’s needed with ample water pressure. Booster pumps are only one part of a larger pumping system, working with the source pump to regulate pressure. Knowing when a booster pump is necessary to augment water pressure and flow can help evaluate a pumping system’s effectiveness.

Identifying When Booster Pumps Are Needed

A pumping system requires sufficient pressure to deliver water to plumbing fixtures or other endpoints. To work efficiently, there must be enough force to push water through the piping to reach all fixtures within a building or facility. Though there are other ways to increase water pressure and flow rates, installing a booster pump is often the best choice. Booster pumps are normally the most efficient and cost-effective method for improving water pressure, while they’re also easily installed and reliable solutions.

The booster pump gets its name because it “boosts” water pressure. Booster pumps augment the flow from the water supply to where it’s needed, and they’re typically installed inline or below a water storage tank. A booster pump can work independently to enhance water pressure or with multiple pumps working in series or parallel. Numerous factors can lead to inadequate water pressure within a building.

Factors that affect water pressure include: 

• Diameter of piping
• Distance water must travel
• Gravity (how high the water must be pumped)
• Type of plumbing system
• Water pressure that the municipality or other entity supplies

A booster pump features a spinning wheel with attached blades called an impeller, which pushes water through the piping system to create higher flow rates. Water flows into the booster pump, causing the impeller to spin and push the water from the pump into the piping system. The more quickly the impeller within the pump rotates, the higher the water pressure. Booster pumps sometimes have controllers that adjust the impeller’s speed, thus regulating water pressure and keeping the flow stable.

Is a Booster Pump Really Necessary? 

A booster pump may need a few indicators, such as if plumbing fixtures are experiencing significantly low water pressure. Booster pumps could also be required if there are fluctuations in water pressure or if the flow has stopped completely. Installing a booster pump also depends on the type of building or facility, as taller and larger structures are more likely to need one. Numerous factors can impact water pressure and flow, rendering the installation of a booster pump an unwise investment.

Before committing to installing a booster pump, first consider the following: 

• When piping gets obstructed, there will be a significant drop in water pressure and flow, which is often a problem with older piping systems.
• Pipes that are too small or a plumbing system that’s badly designed can also affect water pressure and flow. 
• It could be as simple as a half-shut valve causing a drop in water pressure; boosting it involves simply opening the valve fully.

These represent the three most common situations where water flow and pressure are affected, but a booster pump isn’t the correct solution. In the above cases, it may even lead to excess pressure that can damage the pumping system.

Flowrates, Water Pressure & Booster Pumps 

A booster pumping system may be required when there’s insufficient water pressure and flow. While different localities have their own sets of values required for plumbing fixtures, having a baseline on flow rates and water pressure requirements helps determine the need. Below are some figures for plumbing fixtures, including the minimum flow rate in gallons per minute (GPM) and minimum flow pressure in pounds per square inch (PSI).

Industrial & Commercial Applications for Booster Pumps

Though booster pumps can be used domestically in single-family residences to keep water pressure and flow consistent, they’re typically used in high-rise residential and commercial buildings. Yet there are other applications for which commercial and industrial facilities may also require booster pumps. While the exact application may vary, the booster pump’s basic purpose involves increasing the water pressure and flow to plumbing fixtures.

These pumps may be installed in buildings used for industrial and commercial purposes that have been retrofitted, or for new construction, but their purpose remains the same. The best booster pump to use depends on where it’s to be positioned, along with various other factors. These include the necessary water pressure, booster pump location, desired flow rate and the number of plumbing points. Many water treatment plants also feature filtering or reverse osmosis systems that require booster pumps.

Types of booster pumps used for industrial and commercial purposes include: 

• Water pressure booster pump: Positioned near a building’s water tank, when water levels drop, this booster pump switches to the municipal supply line to allow pressure to build up before switching back once water levels reach a certain level. 
• Submersible well pumps: For facilities with deep wells, submersible well pumps may work best, as they can last up to 25 years and offer considerable energy efficiency; however, they tend to be more expensive and are more susceptible to corrosion because they’re submerged. 
• Jet well pump: Properties not connected to a municipal water source can benefit by using these relatively inexpensive booster pumps, designs for which function in shallow or deep wells.
• Irrigation booster pump: Similar to water pressure booster pumps, these are different primarily due to the fact they draw water from a pond or well rather than the municipal water supply.
• Centrifugal well pump: Inexpensive and requiring little maintenance, these simple well pumps provide a solution for shallow wells; as water pressure boosters, the pump’s small size makes it easy to install in tighter spaces.

A reputable commercial or industrial pump supplier can advise what type of booster pump would work best for a specific application. A high-pressure head is necessary for moving water against gravity, whether uphill or to the top floors of a skyscraper, with one application ensuring that sprinkler systems have enough water pressure. The booster pump also has other industrial and commercial applications for which it can be used.  

Industrial Booster Pumps

Various types of manufacturers use water pressure boosters in their pumping systems to ensure water is available at higher pressures for various processes, which can include cleansing or chilling applications. They’re used in facilities that treat water as pressure boosters to transport water during treatment and for distribution.

Other industrial applications for booster pumps include:

• Feeding boilers
• Filtering operations
• HVAC systems
• Reverse osmosis

In fact, any industrial process that requires a high pressure of the fluid it’s transporting will benefit from a booster pump. The agricultural industry, for example, uses booster pumps to distribute water from wells, ponds, or other water sources for irrigation.  

Commercial Booster Pumps 

While the first few floors of a high-rise office building may have enough water pressure, booster pumps ensure that even the top floor gets water at high enough pressures. This is not only so that taps, toilets, urinals, and other plumbing points have satisfactory water pressure. Booster pumps provide sufficiently pressurized water to feed sprinkler systems should a fire occur on higher floors. Larger hotels and resorts can benefit from the consistent water pressure booster pumps can provide to kitchens and restrooms.

Ask Hayes Pump About Water Pressure & Booster Pumps

As the largest distributor of municipal, commercial, and industrial pumps in the Northeast, Hayes Pump represents numerous suppliers of pump-related products. In business for well over a century, our company has built a solid reputation in the industry, delivering pumping solutions for a wide array of applications. With the most extensive inventory of pump products, we have what you need for your fluid handling needs. To learn more about the booster pumps or other products we supply our customers, contact the pump experts at Hayes today.