Electric shower - options for increasing pressure?

[flameport]

I've got a Mira Vie electric shower but the pressure isn't great at all.

Same as all electric showers. It's inevitable when you only have 10kW or so to heat the water.

(The bath has a shower attachment off the taps and the pressure on via (from the boiler) and with a similar shower head is excellent).

That is because your combi boiler probably has 30kW of power available for the hot water - 3x more than the electric one.

The answer is to fit a mixer shower, which will involve installing a pipe for the hot water from the shower location to the boiler.
Note that although this will result in a decent shower, you won't be able to use it at the same time as the other one, which is probably why the electric thing was fitted in the first place.

 

[newbuildinstaller]

Was that copy and pasted from earlier in the thread???

People are starting to repeat what has already been said and others are talking carp (£200 mains pump??? for electric shower???)

Just remember
1- you can NOT pump your set up in anyway (that would be worthwhile)
2- your best shower would be a theromo mixer but boiler would struggle with both at same time
3- A bigger electric shower would need a 10mm cable AND IT WONT MAKE A MASSIVE difference BUT WILL cost £200+
4- The cheapest would be to keep what you have (It was spec'ed for a reason)

 

[Johnwayne2]

(£200 mains pump??? for electric shower???)

Never said it was for an electric shower mate, said it was for increasing pressure if your incoming mains is low,you can site it before the appliance,look it up, `new` gas installer.

 

[bolshy]

My understanding of the original problem was poor flow from the shower when at a decent temperature to shower in. It may be worth trying a Pulse Eco shower spray head first with the existing set up. Good water velocity with a lot less flow and no aeration.

 

[Johnwayne2]

By the way you can indeed buy an electric shower with integral pump making it a more powerful shower or power shower,ignore any advice saying otherwise,best thing to do is check the water pressure at the pipe feeding your shower,this can be reduced severely by pipe runs, bends and general bad plumbing. It doesn`t matter how big the kilowatt size of your shower is, it won`t give you the PRESSURE required if your plumbing is bad. You can boost your incoming main with a pump again ignore previous advice to contrary:

Flo~mate offers a simple solution to boost incoming mains water pressure without the need for a cold water break tank and is designed to be connected directly to the incoming mains. Flo~mate is fully WRAS approved and operates within the current UK Water Regulations.

At times when there is insufficient mains water pressure, Flo~mate is designed to ensure that the pump will deliver an additional 1.5 bar to any existing mains pressure at a maximum flow rate of 12 l/min, meeting the requirements of most combination boilers.

Flo~mate also features a built in bypass, which means that when the mains pressure exceeds 1.5 bar, the performance is not restricted. The pump will automatically start when a flow rate of
0.6 l/min or more exists.

 

[mogget]

Nice advert for flo-mate there.

Can you explain to me, if the mains pressure has fallen so low that it no longer satisfies the design flow for the shower, how the water doesn't overheat?

 

[Johnwayne2]

I`ll answer that question as soon as you tell me how many electric showers you have fitted. Judging by your question, my guess would be not many.

 

[mogget]

No, I'll admit I haven't fitted hundreds, but I've never heard of a modulating electric shower before.

 

[Johnwayne2]

Why are you referring to showers in boiler terms?? modulating electric shower? you haven`t fitted any showers luv. End of.

 

[mogget]

It's very simple - for a shower not to overheat at less than its design flow, it would have to modulate. Which it won't, as it's an electric shower, not a boiler. It seems that went over your head. Anyway it's late and I'm off to bed.

 

[Johnwayne2]

Electric showers don`t overheat luv. Sorry. Unless it`s specifically built in, like a Myra Advance etc.. they don`t tend to overheat,I`ve never been to a shower that has overheated, not many plumbers have,it`s a theory in your head because you have never fitted one. It`s nice that you have read a book but I`d leave it there if I were you.

 

[seco services]

Electric showers don`t overheat luv. Sorry.

Do they not. One of the most common faults on a electric shower.

 

[Johnwayne2]

No it isn`t. Depends on the shower and what you would term as an overheat.

 

[newbuildinstaller]

newgasinstaller= gas reg for 8 years plumber for 11 years, full four year apprentiship and HCVA 2010 plumber of the year winner .

Johnwayne.

a shower with a pump inside needs a stored source of water to pump??? and a hot and cold feed

a electric shower cant be pumps as even if you can raise the flow/pressure the temperature will be lower as the shower can only heat X amount of water to a certain temp.

Can you explain why pumping a cold supply to a shower will make the performance better. The mains is obviously fine as he OP has a combi shower that works fine. Read the post mega shower fitter or are you out fitting more flowmates to electric showers?

 

[Johnwayne2]

a shower with a pump inside needs a stored source of water to pump??? and a hot and cold feed

Ha,ha, what an idiot, does it mate? Redring do an electric pumped shower,so do Triton with a single cold feed from a header or seperate tank. Here is an electric pumped shower from Mira :

With its integral pump, Mira Elite ST has all the convenience of electric showering but from a low pressure stored supply. Take your certificates back son.

a electric shower cant be pumps

Take it you meant that an electric shower can`t be pumped, they can, and are.