electric showers

[londonboy123]

i'm trying to understand electric showers i little bit:

they can be fed fom the mains OR from a cold water tank can't they? oviously they only need a cold feed into them.

but can they be very dangerous: i have heard that if the stat inside ithem goes faulty, and another tap is turned on (cold tap)you can get burned!!? is this true? thanks for any help.

 

[seco services]

most are mains some now are tank fed.
if you run a mains one from a tank you'll need to get 1 bar which is the tank being 10m high.

they don't have a stat they have a tco (thermal cut out) which if the elements get to hot due to lack of flow the tco cuts the power to them.

 

[londonboy123]

thanks for your info. so basically if you want one, you'll need a pump or have to run it from the mains? as 10m head is not really possible !!!

if cut out fails it can be quite dangerous ? i mean through being scalded? i did hear that something failed and when the cold tap downstairs was turned onthey got badly burned?

 

[seco services]

you can now get tank fed ones if mains not possible. so forget the pump.

or have a power shower that use gravity hot/cold and has its own pump in the unit.

as you say tco fails but i've never had one failor seen one fail so the chances i would say are rare.

you can get a bit of difference if someone turns on a tap, but you can also get thermostatic ones now that cure that problem.

always check the incoming mains pressure first as it maybe be below 1 bar at peak times so the shower will be not good in that situation. as the micro switch will not activate and the heating elements won't heat in that situation.

 

[londonboy123]

thanks for all your help. been really understandable and top notch

as you say gravity fed power showers (with integral pumps) are good now, and easier than installing an electric shower and a normal shower wita salamander pump!

i suppose testing at peak times using a pressure gauge is a good idea. as you say 1 bar min to work, so if peak times it is below then it is pointless.

i take it the tank fed electric showers require a lot less pressure? and not as high as 1 bar - a most people do not ave their cold water tank 10 metres above the shower rose!!

 

[seco services]

tank fed like the triton t80si it has an integral pump built in tostill give performance.

 

[londonboy123]

oh right - an electric shower, tank fed and with an integral pump!! sounds ok actually. i take it these showers state tey are designed to be fed from the tank ... or just desined ous witow pressure?

one last got a presure gauge at the moment, but saw one in b & q and one on the screwf websie, but they say 3/4" for use with washing machine tap only (on srewfix) and the b & qone said for use with threaded taps. the b & q one wbout £20. do they fit standard tap/mixer tap spouts ??

 

[seco services]

threaded taps being w/m garden taps 3/4 bsp

 

[londonboy123]

sorry if this sounds ignorant!! : i knw bath taps are 3/4" bsp also, but this is usually the thread into which the tap connector joins the supply pipe. when you say washing machine/garden taps are 3/4" bsp do you mean the nozzle/spout? sorry i have never used a pressure gauge before but will hopefully buy one this weekend!

 

[seco services]

http://i.pbase.com/o6/60/687660/1/93815718.gGPkjkfp.Picture021.jpg

unscrew the brass end and screw your pressure gauge on.

 

[londonboy123]

link does not work !!!

another query - do ou have to get an electrician in to install the pull cord for electric showers?

if for eg the shower knackers is a straight swap easily enough to do, i mean with the electrics side? or is it tricky? they look nice but seem to me quite fiddling to fit! - how to they even stay on the wall are they just screwed on?