Best Type of Shower - Power Vs Cost!

[JTaylorUK]

Hi,

I'm just about to rip my bathroom out and install a new one, including a shower. I've spent the weekend looking on the screwfix website and am now more confused than ever!!

I live in an all electric house, so no boiler, just a large HW tank right next to the bathroom, and a CW tank in the loft (1 floor above).

I want a shower that really pumps through the water (might wake me up in the mornings!) and was thinking about a seperate pump installed in the cupboard with the HW tank (I can make simple connections to both H and C pipes there), then connect to a standalone shower.

So, questions:-

1. Will a cheap Salamander 1.5bar pump give adequate grunt, or do I need a bigger one?

2. What type of shower works best with a pump (manual mixer, thermostatic mixer, etc) as the prices seem to alter hugely!!

3. Is this the best system for me, or have I completely confused myself.

4. If the pump is a good idea, can I simply power it up by taking a spur from the immersion, or does it need to be powered direct from the fuseboard.

5. I take it shower pumps operate by demand, ie. they fire up automatically when you turn the shower on?

Ok enough questions for now, please set me straight if you can, before I have a nervous breakdown!!

[Softus]

JTaylorUK wrote:

1. Will a cheap Salamander 1.5bar pump give adequate grunt, or do I need a bigger one?

1.5 bar is fine, but a cheap pump will be a false economy.

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2. What type of shower works best with a pump (manual mixer, thermostatic mixer, etc) as the prices seem to alter hugely!!

That's a non question - the issue is whether or not you want thermostatic control or to have to fiddle with the temperature knob yourself.

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3. Is this the best system for me, or have I completely confused myself.

If you already have stored hot and cold water then a pumped thermostatic shower is your best option.

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4. If the pump is a good idea, can I simply power it up by taking a spur from the immersion, or does it need to be powered direct from the fuseboard.

Neither. Heavy load appliances that are on for long periods should have their own dedicated circuit, but a pump can be wired to a spur from your ring circuit (aka ring final circuit).

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5. I take it shower pumps operate by demand, ie. they fire up automatically when you turn the shower on?

They don't "fire up", but they do switch on when flow to the shower is detected. If your head of water is inadequate for a positive pressure pump, then there are alternatives, e.g. a negative pressure pump.

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Ok enough questions for now, please set me straight if you can, before I have a nervous breakdown!!

OK then - take some Prozac.