All I want is a decent shower

We currently have an electric shower with a low flow rate /pressure (the whole house has a really low flow rate) and I can't face the prospect of going through another winter like last year's with such a dodgy shower.

Last year we replaced the shower with a new one because the previous one died and this made no difference (i.e it isn't a case of limescale buildup within the shower etc).

I want to replace the electric shower with something a bit more beefy and I'm looking for advice on what to go with.

We have a combi boiler (Bosch 30cdi) which normally should be fine for a mixer shower but I can only get a HW flow rate of 7l per minute out of it into the bath. This is probably because we only get a flow rate of 9/10l per minute from the mains supply (I've tried each of the taps in the house to verify this). I've checked with my neighbours and they get a similar flow rate so I think it is a waste of time to approach the water company to see if they can increase it. (They only need to provide 9l by law anyway).

Ideally I would like to get some sort of HW storage solution with a pump to provide me with a shower that I can look forward to instead of of dread.

Ideally if it is something that I can plumb in myself (or wont cost a fortune to get installed) then all the better, but the priotity is getting a decent shower.

I've had a look at Heat Banks and Thermal Stores but these seem to operate with mains pressure. Is that correct? I've seen quotes of 30l per minute with these but surely that is governed by the mains flow rate???

Are there an other options worth considering. Perhaps a pressurised storage system or something similar?

There are only 2 of us in the house and whatever system I go with only needs to provide water for showering as the boiler takes care of everything else.

Thanks

vard0 said:

Are there an other options worth considering?

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The 'normal' solution is probably a standard indirect vented hot water cylinder and cold tank with a power shower pump. Given your paltry mains flow, the cold tank would need to be quite big (bigger than the HWC). I think power showers require a water meter.

If you have a modern condensing boiler, you might want to modify it to increase the temperature for heating hot water. By law, I think stored hot water must be heated above 60°C for over an hour to kill legionella bacteria. However, condensing boilers might not reach maximum efficiency for central heating unless the average temperature between flow and return is less than 45°C.

I don't know if you could just install a cold tank and pump to replace the combination boiler's mains water feed. That might avoid the need to store hot water above 60°C.

There is actually quite a lot to consider and your family's health, wealth and safety might be best served by a professional pipe strangler.

depending on the layout of your home i would also go for a direct hwc run it off the emersion/thermostat and install cwst and pump the water thru
bob

Cylinder, cold water storage tank and a power shower or a pump and thermostatic mixer are the only way to go here I think. It will be expensive (several hundred pounds) so it depends just how desperate you are for that nice shower

Hi
The electric shower with a pump as part of the unit would be a cheaper option. You would still need a separate tank - I think - and the shower would not be as strong as a power shower but the flow rate is at least consistent. Triton are one supplier I know of.

Can combi-boilers take a pumped feed from a cold tank?

Thanks for all your replies.

The way to go seems to be a HWC and a cold water storage tank.

As this will only be supplying a shower and not the full house what size HWC should I be looking at?

Can you give me a rough guide as to how much it may cost to install everything (parts and labour) except the shower itself as I know these can vary wildly in price.

Everything will be going up in the loft where the boiler is. Plenty of room up there.

Thanks