Getting rid of electric shower, what alternative?

Joined
17 Sep 2010
Messages
24
Reaction score
0
Location
London
Country
United Kingdom
I have a combi boiler and an electric shower.

There's never enough pressure in the mornings for the electric shower to work properly so we end up being frustrated and annoyed. Standing in a cold shower with no pressure isn't the best start to the day :)

So we want to change things. The two alternatives as I see it are:

1. We get a normal mixer-tap style shower and run a hot water pipe from the bath to the shower and let it run off the combi boiler. This will give us warm water but will do nothing for the crap pressure.

2. We get a hot water tank in the loft. Possibly only linked to the shower. Not sure how we could use the combi boiler for this though. Maybe get an electric heated tank?

Thoughts?
 
Sponsored Links
A indirect, Fortic cylinder with a decent size cold section as opposed to the standard hot/cold combination, heated by the boiler and/or an immersion heater, then fit a twin impeller shower pump with a mixer.

Cylinder manufacturers like Newark Copper Cylinders will make specials within a few days….if asked nicely.
prodThumb63524.jpg
 
Thanks for your reply.

I'm trying to work out how much this is going to cost. I've looked around for these tanks but I don't know what I should go for.

I'd like to be able to get at least 30 mins of hot water in the shower before the tank empties. A pump would be good but I realise that it might make the hot water run out too quickly.
 
why not fit a tank fed electric shower then you won't get a pressure issue in the morning or worry about hot water supply.
 
Sponsored Links
That's actually a very good idea. Not sure why I didn't think of that.

So essentially I could leave the shower fitted as it is, and just add a cold water tank between the water supply and the shower?
 
So essentially I could leave the shower fitted as it is, and just add a cold water tank between the water supply and the shower?

No cause you won't get the pressure an electric shower needs. ie 1 bar pressure.

cause your shower you have now should be connected to the mains pressure you have 2 options.

1. keep the shower add a cws in the loft and fit a pump then you get your pressure needed. and not up/down like your mains supply.

2. fit a cws and change the shower to one that has a internal pump designed for tank feed. ie mira elite st.
 
The first question needs to be, what is the pressure/flow rate from hot and cold taps like?

Lots of elec showers have hopeless pressure/flow possibly because the shower is low powered and maybe scaled. Because of their design, elec showers have to slow the water a lot, to be able to heat it as it passes through the unit.

If h and c taps have good flow (run each tap full on into a bucket for one min. then measure number of litres to get l/min flow rate), then just fit something like a thermostatic mixer shower. Will be cheapest option.
 
yes it does work.
whats a T90XR if it isn't a tank fed electric shower ?
As I read it the OP was going to leave the original mains fed shower in situ, add a tank and feed it from that.

The OP said:
So essentially I could leave the shower fitted as it is, and just add a cold water tank between the water supply and the shower?
That's what wouldn't work.
Unless the tank was about 20 stories above the shower.
 
Before another brawl breaks out, it might be worth clarifying just what the situation is. "Lack of pressure" may well be lack of flow which is an almost universal problem with electric showers.

If the shower is crap (which it is), but the mains pressure is good (which it may or may not be) then the solution is very simple. Hook up a standard pressure-balanced (or thermostatic) shower to the combi. Done. Remind the missus not to fill the kitchen sink while you're rinsing your privates ;)
 
The issue is the pressure. In the mornings the electric shower is unusable but in the evenings it is often perfect. We often end up sitting in the bath with a hose attachment because the combi boiler is much better at coping with the lower pressure.

We could hook up a mixer shower to the combi boiler instead, but the average morning pressure is low so washing hair is quite difficult. Plus sometimes it is so low that even a normal shower is difficult.

How about if I put a cold water tank/cistern in the loft and then a fairly low pressure pump between that and the shower? The shower is a "Triton Aquatronics style" I think, so if I can find out the optimum flow for it then choose a pump based on that.
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Sponsored Links
Back
Top