Showers

             It is important to choose the right type of shower for best performance.

                                                  Electric showers are supplied from the main water

                                        pipe so their pressure comes from the water supply

                                        and their heat from the heater inside the casing.
                                       

                                        Their advantage is that they are always available

                                        without heating a tank of hot water, but if your

                                        hot water system itself is instantaneous (a combi

                                        boiler or thermal store system) bear in mind that it

                                        may cost more to heat the shower water by

                                        electricity than gas. On the other hand an electric

                                        shower can still be used if there is any interruption

                                        to the use of the gas boiler.

                                        They have to have their own cable from the fuse

                                        box so installing a new one may involve disruption to 

                                        decorating in the hall or stairwell.

Mixer showers use the hot water from your

hot water system, whether that is an

instantaneous system (combi) 

or storage system (hot water cylinder).
They have no casing, just a valve on the

wall and the slidebar or rose.

 

They mix the hot water with cold water which should come

from the same source so as to be at the same

pressure.  The shower pressure depends on

that source, either the main (if you have a combi or

unvented hot water cylinder)                         

                  or the cold tank (if you have a low

pressure system.)

In the latter case the pressure will depend on the

height of the tank above the shower rose or handset.

 

If your hot water comes from a cylinder or store,

this will have to be at a certain temperature before

a satisfactory shower can be obtained.

If your hot and cold water supplies to the bathroom are at low pressure, a pump can be added to a mixer shower to create a power shower. Power showers usually have more force than an electric shower.  The pump is usually  housed in the cylinder cupboard, under the bath etc.

Power showers are also available with the pump in a casing on the wall, looking not unlike an electric shower.  Their disadvantage is that they are sometimes noisy in operation.

In recent years there have been advances in shower controls. Digital showers are now available and showers with a memory which lets each member of a household keep their preferred setting, or allows a shower to be set in advance for a user who
may have difficulty with the controls.
As with sanitaryware there is now a huge range of styles available and several manufacturers make mixer showers and taps to match.

 

In many Edinburgh bathrooms the shower has to go over the bath, but if you have the space, a separate shower can be installed. Wet rooms and some types of tray installations are usually best where there is space below the floor, but there are also pumped wastes to allow level access installation on upper floors.

 

Shower repairs

Spare parts are normally available for about ten years from when the shower was last produced.