Showers

[cideruk]

No not Golden Shower 

But those you wash under in the bathroom

Can someone who is in the know explain

Will an eclectic shower match a mains or power shower pressure wise?

What decides on what Kw an electric shower should be?

Presume a 10Kw shower will cost more in leccy but be more powerful than say an 8Kw one?

Will it need a higher rated fuse?

TIA
 

[PunterNumber69]

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Best would be pressurised mains shower, then power shower, then mains or electric shower deeping on how good your water pressure is

[cideruk]

Have just mains now in en suite and main bathroom and seem okay.

But I thought just in case we had a problem with the combi boiler it would be handy to be able to wash, hence idea to move to electric but I hate showers with weak pressure.

[PunterNumber69]

Have just mains now in en suite and main bathroom and seem okay.

But I thought just in case we had a problem with the combi boiler it would be handy to be able to wash, hence idea to move to electric but I hate showers with weak pressure.

I hate electric showers. They have a limited life until they scale up inside and then you have to replace them.

[cideruk]

We have soft water up here, so should last longer than Midlands / South

[GingerNuts]

I know little about these but a quick Google says a 10kW electric shower will need a 10mm² cable from your consumer unit to the shower and a 45 amp Residual Current Breaker with Over-Current.

If you don't have these things already how much would it cost for an electrician to sort out?

An 8kW electric shower requires the same size cable but a 40 amp Residual Current Breaker with Over-Current.

[cideruk]

Not sure, am a bit clueless re DIY

It'll be ancient electrics - Victorian terrace

[GingerNuts]

Seems like you need the advice of an electrician who can see what cabling and supply you have.

[lamboman]

I think an electrician might give better advice than armchair experts,they will probably charge you for it though.

[PunterNumber69]

Not sure, am a bit clueless re DIY

It'll be ancient electrics - Victorian terrace

From the link I added:

Electric shower kW power ratings explained….

What is the kW rating of an electric shower all about? What does it mean, why does it matter and how do you know which one to choose?

Let’s return to our lesson on how electric showers work for a minute. The cold water is passed over a heating element. The temperature control dial on your shower actually controls how long cold water is passed over the heating device for - the longer, the hotter.

So, when you increase the temperature setting, you might sometimes notice a slight dip in pressure as the water flow slows down to increase heat.

This is where the kW rating comes in. The higher the kW rating, the faster your shower can heat water to a hotter temperature. This means that the water can maintain a more consistent pressure - resulting in a better shower experience!"

It also talks about the cable and plumber or electrician requirements.

[cideruk]

I think an electrician might give better advice than armchair experts,they will probably charge you for it though.

It is being fitted by a plumber / electrician

I was just wanting real advice from those that have done it in the past

[PunterNumber69]

It is being fitted by a plumber / electrician

I was just wanting real advice from those that have done it in the past

I had a shower pump fitted by a plumber but he did a small amount of electrics. A lot of new houses which have combis have electric showers as generally combis can't provide enough hot water if you have two showers running at the same time as combis heat the hot water on demand. 

[cideruk]

Cheers

In the past with regular mains shower even someone having a drink of water or flushing the loo would be enough to knacker up the pressure in the shower 

[GingerNuts]

Cheers

In the past with regular mains shower even someone having a drink of water or flushing the loo would be enough to knacker up the pressure in the shower 

Presumably you're having a pump fitted.

[cideruk]

Presumably you're having a pump fitted.

Haven't in the main bathroom and the pressure there is okay as long as nobody else in the house turns the tap on

Although it is weaker than it could be as swmbo chose one of those huge shower heads, not sure why..?

[Blackpool Rock]

From the link I added:

Electric shower kW power ratings explained….

What is the kW rating of an electric shower all about? What does it mean, why does it matter and how do you know which one to choose?

Let’s return to our lesson on how electric showers work for a minute. The cold water is passed over a heating element. The temperature control dial on your shower actually controls how long cold water is passed over the heating device for - the longer, the hotter.

So, when you increase the temperature setting, you might sometimes notice a slight dip in pressure as the water flow slows down to increase heat.

This is where the kW rating comes in. The higher the kW rating, the faster your shower can heat water to a hotter temperature. This means that the water can maintain a more consistent pressure - resulting in a better shower experience!"

It also talks about the cable and plumber or electrician requirements.

Yes there's actually a lot of factors to consider -
My current house has fantastic water pressure so i've got a "mixer" shower which runs straight off the hot combi boiler water mixed with mains cold, best shower i've ever had and it doesn't break every couple of years needing replacement only to find the new shower is a different size when fitted and you have to have the wall retiled etc 

My previous house had an electric shower which basically heated cold water however the shower wasn't a high wattage, wasn't a problem in the summer when you don't want the water as hot anyway and it's coming into the system already at 20 degrees.
However mid winter just when you want a decent deluge of hot water to shower in the flow rate dropped drastically to get any hot water out as the same power unit has to heat the water from 5 degrees

If you're going for an electric then get a high wattage one, oh and a plumber told me 20 years ago not to get a Gainsborough shower as apparently they aren't reliable or weren't back then (assuming you believe what any plumber tells you, sucks teeth, Mmmm that's going to cost  )

[Doc Holliday]

As BR hinted at your starting point is determining your mains pressure into the property. This will vary considerably and will govern how you proceed.

Your finishing point is what you actually want out of a shower in terms of water temperature and 'power' and what other water usage is likely to run concurrently.

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Everything in between is somewhat complex and very individual case by case and as others have said you need good professional advice.

I have done quite a bit of DIY plumbing and electrical installation over they years for myself and family and no two households are the same. You frequently have to compromise.

In terms of a retrofit electric installation the cable run has to be considered. This single cable will run all the way from consumer unit to the bathroom and it may be fairly straight forward, or an absolute pig in terms of degree of difficulty (and therefore cost) and potential damage to floors walls etc and remedial work to reinstate.

This cable run will be exactly the same spec if the rating is above 7kw. The latter unit only requires 6 mm cable but is probably best to put 10mm in anyway to future proof for upgraded kw units. In addition you mention your property and electrical installation is 'aged' so you need to ensure you domestic supply is fused above 60 amps or this will also need upgrading if you intend installing a 40 amp shower.

If you want a real 'power blast' of a shower beyond average mains pressure you would need an individual shower pump, but these can really only be installed on gravity fed hot water systems (hot and cold tanks) and not a combi boiler system.

Get good 'on the ground' advice tailored to your property and what you actually want out of a shower, and be prepared to compromise.

EDIT and yes limescale is the enemy of all showers but especially the electric variety.

[maxxblue]

Will an eclectic shower match a mains or power shower pressure wise?

It will do whatever you want it to. 

[Watts.E.Dunn]

We've had electric showers in the past here two of the poxy things.

Now replaced with a MIRA Event type unit a Mixer shower and its fucking bliss that is:)

Yes you do need to take a hot and cold feed BOTH at the same pressure off the hot water storage tank NOT the main's incomer.

Enough hot water and pressure like a fire hose just that inbuilt pump is, and all good enough in the me and a visiting girl:)

[cideruk]

Looking like this is going to be a lot of a faff / costly just to have the back up option