Showers: Types and What Your Home Can Support

HOME · GLOBAL

Showers: Types and What Your Home Can Support

Mixer, electric and power showers, water pressure, and installation rules

The shower that suits a house is determined by its plumbing rather than by preference, and buying the wrong type is an expensive discovery.

Find out what system you have

A combi boiler heats water on demand with no cylinder and runs at mains pressure. A gravity system has a cold tank in the loft and a hot cylinder, and runs at low pressure. An unvented cylinder runs at mains pressure.

That single fact determines which showers will work. A shower requiring high flow on a gravity system will disappoint.

The types

Mixer showers blend stored hot and cold and suit combis and unvented systems. Electric showers heat cold mains water as it passes and work on almost any system, delivering a lower flow.

Power showers add a pump and are only for gravity-fed systems. Fitting a pump to a combi or mains-fed supply is not permitted and does not work.

Electric shower ratings

Quoted in kilowatts — commonly 8.5 to 10.8. Higher ratings heat more water per minute, so a higher kilowatt shower gives a better flow rather than hotter water. Check the incoming electrical supply can take it.

Thermostatic control

A thermostatic valve holds temperature when another tap is used and cuts out if the cold supply fails. It is a genuine scald protection and worth insisting on, particularly with children or older people.

Installation and regulations

Electrical work in a bathroom is notifiable in England and Wales and must be done by a qualified electrician. Zones govern what can be fitted where, and everything must be correctly bonded.

Water regulations also govern fittings and backflow prevention.

Shower heads and enclosures

A rainfall head looks impressive and needs the flow to support it; a handheld is more practical for cleaning and for children. Many people end up with both on a diverter.

Check the enclosure tray waste and that the door opening suits the room, since an outward-opening door needs clearance.

Ventilation

An extract fan run during and for a while after showering prevents the damp and mould that otherwise ruins a new bathroom within a couple of years.

Scalding and older or very young users

Stored hot water is kept hot enough to kill bacteria, which is hotter than skin tolerates. Thermostatic mixing valves limit the outlet temperature and are strongly advised where children or older people bathe.

Run a bath cold first, then add hot, and test with an elbow rather than a hand.

Water use

A shorter shower saves more than any appliance choice, and an efficient head reduces flow without obviously reducing the shower.

WHERE TO BUY

Ready to shop Bathroom Deco? Use the link below to visit the official store.

→ Shop Bathroom Deco — official site

Visit this site