Replacement shower options

Llyllyll

I currently have a Gainsborough electric 'Style 400x' shower (8.5 kw) which

• has be turned up very high to get any sort of heat out of it
• makes a loud humming noise when it's on

It's 6-7 years old and am happy to get a new replacement. I've read the Plumbing Masterclass and other plumbing related threads here but am not that much wiser now.

The shower is in an upstairs bathroom which is fed from the cold tank in the loft and I do not have a combi boiler. I'm assuming a straight swap for another electric shower is the simplest route but

• what/where exactly do I need to check to see if the current setup will accept a 9.5kw or 10.5kw shower
• even if the setup will accept a 9.5kw or 10.5kw shower is there any noticeable difference (compared to the price difference in the power output of the showers)

When I asked the plumber (a good while ago now) about a replacment shower I seem to recall him suggesting the Triton T80si (8.5kw). Are these a good option? Any other advice and/or suggestions greatfully received.

Thanks.

Edit - Also been looking at this Triton T80XR...

allan673

think you will have to stick with an 8.5kw shower.
as the wiring needs replacing/etc for a bigger kw shower. thats what i was told anyway. im sure someone with electrical/plumbing knowledge will be more helpfull though.

Officer_Dibble

I think you'd need an electrician to come and look at. As far as I understand it, the regulations about cable width depend on length of run, what the cable's going through, etc, you can't just remove the shower and say that as it's 6mm cable (or whatever) it's good enough for a 9.5kW shower.

As far as I know, in most cases for a 9.5 or 10.5kW shower you'd need 10mm cable, and if the wiring was done for a 8.5kW shower so long ago, you're unlikely to have it.

sparkiedave

Check what fuse/mcb is in the fuseboard/ consumer unit it should be 40amp for an 8.5kw @ 230 volts (36.95 amps to be precise), you also need to find out what size cable your current shower is being fed by, and do you have an RCD on the circuit?

thescouselander

Are you sure its fed from a tank - electric showers are normally mains fed.

Next, if your going to be doing this yourself its best to get a shower that has the same layout for joining the feed pipe and electrical cable - this will make life a lot easier for fitting the new one. Different makes of showers take the water feed from different directions/sides of the unit so the holes in the backing plate are different.

As already pointed out you cant just put in a more powerful shower. When I did ours we had a 8.5 kw shower - turns out the cabling and circuit breaker were OK for a 9.5 KW unit but not 10KW or grater. You'll probably need 10mm cable for a 9.5 kw or higher shower.

jockster211

Its impossible to tell whether you can fit a higher rated shower, and yes there is a noticeable difference. Some things to think about & any qualified 'spark' will confirm with a site visit......

• As previously stated you will probably need 10mm or even 16mm for a higher rated shower.....depends on distance from your consumer unit & what the cable needs to go through to get to the shower.
• What is your incoming capacity.......most new homes are 100A, but some older homes are only 60A. So this might depend on what other electrical stuff you have in the home, eg electric oven, electric heating, etc
• You may need a new shower consumer unit if your homes consumer unit is of an older type...expect this to cost an additional £40ish for materials
• In terms of brands, I like Mira (great after sales support) and Triton (good reliability). I've also put in a few Gainsborough's and not had any issues.

Make sure you get the correct safety paperwork from your installer. This depends on where you are in the country.

Jockster

Llyllyll

Thanks for the replies. First step is to get a Leccy in then...