Electric water heating systems

[shabbaranks]

Hi guys,

I'm looking to put a shed type building in my garden which has passed all planning etc. Because we will need heated water what would you suggest? Potentially we could have electric showers over the basins and then boil the kettle for hot water for washing up etc but ideally I would like to fit something which will manage everything (a bit like a boiler but obviously boilers are gas).

Can anyone suggest how to overcome this little problem the most economical way? So for the wash basin it'll need a feed from what ever which will allow us to mix hot\cold as per a mixer type shower.

Thanks

 

[flameport]

How much hot water will be required, and how often?
What electricity supply does the building have?

 

[shabbaranks]

Not too sure how much hot water is required exactly but its going to be a fair amount. Washing hair all day and for cleaning in a sink requires a fair amount of water. The electricity supply is yet to be fitted but will be a form of high capacity armoured cable.

 

[muggles]

An LPG fired boiler probably wouldn't be much more expensive to install, and will be much cheaper to run. As above though, without knowing your hot water demand or the capacity of the electricity supply being fitted it's hard to advise. What will the shed be used for?

 

[Tay7]

Are you opening a hairdressers?

 

[shabbaranks]

Yeah sorry I thought I put that in the original post. So as you can imagine hot water is used a lot

 

[muggles]

Ok now we're getting somewhere. How many shower stations will there be? Any other hot water appliances besides the kitchen sink? What fuel does the heating and hot water in the house use?

 

[OwainDIYer]

immersion heater and sufficiently sized cylinder. Load of only 3 kW which will reduce the cable size and hence cost. Hairwashing sprays don't need a lot of flow rate. Thermostatic mixing valve should be used for scald protection.

Electricity at Work Regulations will apply, and the Water Regulations will also apply and will affect the supply to the handsprays.

 

[shabbaranks]

Yeah sorry I should have said what application it'll be used for. Initially there will only be one hair rinsing station but we might install a second in the future. Other than that we'll need hot water in the kitchenette and toilet. The house has had feeding a boiler but this building will have its own water feed t'd off from the mains feeding the house. What capacity immersion would you say is adequate and most cost effective? Thanks