Very confused... please help.

[matt_d]

Hi all. We recently bought our first house and really miss having a shower I had originally planned on getting a brand new bathroom, but called Dolphin and ended up getting quoted 6-7k!

Anyway, just going to get a shower put in for the time being, but had no idea there were so many different tyes, and so much to consider.

Basically, I want the best I can get without spending more than £500. Ideally I want one with a regular controlled temperature, and the kind of power that makes me lean into it so I don't get knocked over. We have a Potterton Prima F boiler downstairs, a hot water tank in the airig cupboard, and a cold water tank in the loft I think, although I always figured it just came straight from the mains supply. I have no problem with having to remember to put the hot water on before taking a shower.

Was thinking a mixer shower with a bump to give it a kick up the bum. Is this a good idea or am I really really confused?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Matt

[Dan_Robinson]

Quote:

called Dolphin and ended up getting quoted 6-7k!

Don't let that stop you - get a local independant to quote - a basic bathroom should not be much more than 4K unless you are going OTT...

How high is the top of the cold wate tank from the proposed shower head? a shower pump is an easy answer but you won't get much for £500. A basic bath shower mixer - £80, cheap/reasonable pump £200 PLUS VAT; cost of installation will depend on layout, but ideally you need to separate out the loo from the pumped cold supply.

Are you planning on a DIY or professional job?

[matt_d]

My plan, if you can call it that, was pretty much to buy a shower then pay someone to fit it. The £500 was for the goods only, I didn't expect it to include fitting.

Was looking on the MFI website and they seem to have a pretty good sale on.

Does a pump and mixer sound like the best option?

Matt

[ChrisR]

What does the £500 cover?

You can get a cheap box-on-the-wall power shower, ie pump and mixer, from abut £150. Performance from those is pretty good.

[Nige F]

matt_d wrote:

Hi all. We recently bought our first house and really miss having a shower I had originally planned on getting a brand new bathroom, but called Dolphin and ended up getting quoted 6-7k! Anyway, just going to get a shower put in for the time being, but had no idea there were so many different tyes, and so much to consider. Basically, I want the best I can get without spending more than £500. Ideally I want one with a regular controlled temperature, and the kind of power that makes me lean into it so I don't get knocked over. Matt

First thing you want to price is a big new hot water cylinder to supply all that water @ fire-hose pressure/volume...possibly half your £budget

[weareleeds]

Mira event is a pretty good power shower (cabinet type)

[matt_d]

OK, maybe I've been naive. Let's look at it differently...

I want to spend arond £500 on a shower (excluding fitting). What's the best I can get?

Matt

[matt_d]

Oh, and thanks for all the comments so far

[chrishutt]

Matt, you ought to give a figure including fitting and all plumbing modifications because some shower options may be cheap to buy but expensive to install, and vice versa.

For example it sounds as if you have tank fed hot water and mains cold. You could fit a venturi shower (e.g. Treviboost) without altering anything much, but it might not give the power you desire. It's possible to pump just the hot water and mix with mains cold in the shower (with modifications to cylinder connection), but it is frowned on a bit.

You might need to increase your cold storage tank capacity a lot and run a new cold supply to a powerful twin pump to get the performance you need, but this will be expensive even if the shower valve itself is quite cheap.