Best solution for a decent powerful shower?

[clueless78]

I am clueless what to even start enquiring about with plumbers (hence the username!). My goal is just to have a really decent powerful shower that isn't too hot!

I'll set the scene:

I have a 3 bedroom, two storey house with one bathroom.

There is a combi boiler in the garage but this only works for central heating (which works perfectly), since I bought the house the hot water from the taps only works 5% of the time, this isn't an issue as a) the shower is electric b) I never wash up by hand as I have a dishwasher and c) I've always washed my hands in cold water as I have sensitive skin.

When I first moved in I had a plumber out (under a home insurance policy) and he said the heat exchanger was probably all sludged up, the boiler is 20 years old so beyond economical repair.

For the reasons above I've not prioritised replacing the boiler, however the shower situation is now doing my head in!

The electric shower has 3 settings - cold, medium and high. On the medium setting I have it turned up to 7/10 most of the year and the flow isn't great but is acceptable and the temperature is OK for me at number 7.

During the winter, as the mains water is colder, I need to turn the temp up from 7, however the higher you go the less the flow becomes. So this means I need to change the shower to the 'high' setting for a better flow, the problem with this is that even at temperature 1/10 it's too hot for me. Which leaves me on medium setting and temperature 10/10 with a piddly flow.

Also just to mention there is still a cold water tank in the loft which feeds the bathroom sink (and maybe the bath?), I'm told this is unusual and should have been removed when the combi boiler was fitted. I believe the house did have a hot water cylinder at one stage but this has been removed.

So, my aims are - a really powerful shower with decent flow that's nice and warm but not boiling hot. If it makes a difference it's an over bath shower and not a separate one.

Please could anybody advise as to what set up I should be looking at getting installed?

Many Thanks

 

[ChloeRadshaw1]

Honestly but an electric shower for £100 and habe it fitted for £50. That’s the easiest and cheapest solution

 

[JohnD]

powerful shower

not an electric one, then.

In your case, the temperature and the amount of flow are both dependent on your boiler. In winter, one or both will be reduced.

if you had a cylinder there would be other options.

 

[clueless78]

Honestly but an electric shower for £100 and habe it fitted for £50. That’s the easiest and cheapest solution

I already have an electric shower though and at the 'high' setting (for a decent flow) it's too hot for me. How would that be different with a different model?

Edit: I don't mind spending money on this, the boiler is on it's last legs so will need replacing sooner rather than later in any case

 

[JohnD]

updated above

run your shower into a bucket. Time it to fill. Calculate litres per minute delivered. It's possible you have poor flow and this might be due to, for example, limescale in the head, so take the head off and try it again with the open hose end. See if temperature and/or flow improve.

If you buy a new boiler, a modern combi can typically deliver about 12 litres per minute of hot water (depending on your plumbing) which is much much more than any electric shower.

 

[oldbuffer]

1. You are never going to get a really powerful ("hotel style") shower with an electric shower.
2. They heat the water as it passes through the heater inside them.
3. The quantity of water which can be heated instantly is limited by the power (kW) of the shower unit.
4. The power of the shower unit is limited by the cable connecting it to the electrical supply, and beyond that by the main fuse into the property. The best you can get is around 10.8 kW
5. To make the water hotter, the shower has to reduce the rate at which water flows through it.
6. The flow rate at the shower head for a 10.8 kW shower at a temperature of 38 degrees, will be of the order of 4 litres per minute (lpm).
7. The flow rate available from even a modest combi at the same temperature, allowing for blending hot and cold and assuming a decent incoming supply will be around 12 to 15 lpm.
8. Perhaps consider getting the combi fixed and using that to run the shower?

 

[clueless78]

updated above

run your shower into a bucket. Time it to fill. Calculate litres per minute delivered. It's possible you have poor flow and this might be due to, for example, limescale in the head, so take the head off and try it again with the open hose end. See if temperature and/or flow improve.

If you buy a new boiler, a modern combi can typically deliver about 12 litres per minute of hot water (depending on your plumbing) which is much much more than any electric shower.

Thanks, just performed the test...

The shower on medium setting with temp 7/10 (my normal setting) was 3.6 litres in a minute

The shower on high setting with temp 1/10 (too hot for me) was 5 litres in a minute

 

[JohnD]

with or without the head?

If you stand back from the shower a bit, the water will not be so hot, as it loses heat to the air.

 

[JohnD]

shower on high setting with temp 1/10 (too hot for me) was 5 litres in a minute

that surprises me. Can you check it?

 

[clueless78]

8. Perhaps consider getting the combi fixed and using that to run the shower?

Thanks, that was my plan but I realise I didn't make that clear in the post - apologies! The plan is to get the boiler replaced but I didn't know if a combi or other type would be best, or what type of shower I need to be looking at getting as in do they need a pump or are they straight from the combi.

I've just checked the flow as advised by another poster and I'm getting 3.6L per minute at the setting I currently use, the higher setting is 5L per minute but it's irrelevant as it's too hot for me.

 

[clueless78]

Thanks, just performed the test...

The shower on medium setting with temp 7/10 (my normal setting) was 3.6 litres in a minute

The shower on high setting with temp 1/10 (too hot for me) was 5 litres in a minute

that surprises me. Can you check it?

The medium, temp 7/10 is 37.8 degrees. The high, temp 1/10 is 44.8 degrees.

The shower head is only a few months old, no visible limescale and I tok the head off to look at the inlet too.

 

[JohnD]

The high, temp 1/10 is 44.8 degrees.

and five litres a minute? More than I would expect.

 

[ianmcd]

what is the make and model of your combi boiler ?

 

[clueless78]

what is the make and model of your combi boiler ?

It's a Glow Worm Swift flow

 

[clueless78]

and five litres a minute? More than I would expect.

Even 5L per minute seems low compared to what a combi boiler has been quoted as delivering above though, I wouldn't describe the 'high' 1/10 temperature setting as powerful in any way and in any case I can't use that setting as it's too hot.