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Shower Trouble - which one to choose?
Comments
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from reading up and gathering advice from other MSE'rs robv i think we have a gravity system. there is a cold water tank in the loft and hot water tank in the bathroom.
By power shower i mean getting a shower with the pump built into the unit, looks a bit like an electric shower. As I said this isnt really the route i wanted to go down but the plumber is advising against a mixer shower and pump. We dont want to get electric as the cable needs to run from the mains box which is at the other end of the house.:j Norn Iron Club Member No. 343 :j0 -
If it helps - Looking to replace a shower myself and found an idiot's guide to showers on the Which? site on the free section.0
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A properly installed good quality pump should be quieter than a power shower with built in pump. You will be standing right next to the pump which is just inside a plastic case with a power shower, a separate pump can be installed further away.
Sounds like the plumber has not correctly installed the other pumps previously or thinks it will be easier to fit a power shower. The power showers I have seen in the past do not seem to be very good quality. A separate pump and mixer should be more reliable, quieter and look better.0 -
from reading up and gathering advice from other MSE'rs robv i think we have a gravity system. there is a cold water tank in the loft and hot water tank in the bathroom.
By power shower i mean getting a shower with the pump built into the unit, looks a bit like an electric shower. As I said this isnt really the route i wanted to go down but the plumber is advising against a mixer shower and pump. We dont want to get electric as the cable needs to run from the mains box which is at the other end of the house.
Hi
He would have to power a powershower as well still have the same electrics!
the aqualisa quartz is a brilliant shower and just as easy to fit as a powershower if not easyer, if this one is a bit expensive have a look at the visage range from aqualisa they are the same pump unit as the quartz just loads cheaper last unit i got for £268 + vat but i also got a free button worth about £50 this button can switch the unit on from out side the shower area.
Regards jamie0 -
This may be a really silly question but I'm sure you've all gathered my OH and I are quite green on this subject!!
I take it a power shower will heat the water in the same way an electric shower does? i.e there doesnt have to be hot water there in the tank all the time?
I know this prob seems like a really simple question but we never thought buyin a shower would be so difficult!!:j Norn Iron Club Member No. 343 :j0 -
Another quick question, does the pump (if we go for that option) have to go beneath the bath or can it go in the attic beside the cold water pump. I didnt think this was an option but was suggegsted yto us by someone else.:j Norn Iron Club Member No. 343 :j0
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Our plumber has given us 2 options, power shower i.e built in pump, or mixer and separate pump.
As previous post said our query was over the noise level of the separate pump, our plumber advised against this as he says they are quite noisy. We dont want to go down this route if in a months time it is driving us crazy and we want to pull it out. and again if you go with mixer and separate pump can you only have a shower when theres hot water in the tank?:j Norn Iron Club Member No. 343 :j0 -
If you have the seperate pump,Will you not then be getting rid of your Electric shower witch then allows you to use the supply for your pump.
Yes with the pump you only got the water in the tankOH THE JOYS OF BEING SELF-EMPLOYED!! Can Travel,Will Work For Free!0 -
I would agree with Canucklehead on this one the Aqualisa Quartz Digital pumped unit is a great bit of kit, sold quite a few of these now and the installers that have fitted them recommend them highly.0
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Our plumber has given us 2 options, power shower i.e built in pump, or mixer and separate pump.
As previous post said our query was over the noise level of the separate pump, our plumber advised against this as he says they are quite noisy. We dont want to go down this route if in a months time it is driving us crazy and we want to pull it out. and again if you go with mixer and separate pump can you only have a shower when theres hot water in the tank?
A shower pump uses the domestic hot water so needs hot water in the tank.
Power showers (like this one : http://www.screwfix.com/prods/37709 ) are just the pump and mixer valve inside a plastic wall mounted unit, they do not have a heater, so they also use hot water from the tank.
Due to the limited space inside the unit the pump in a power shower is smaller than a separate pump, so they are less powerful.
I would choose a separate pump and mixer valve as it looks better, will perform better and should be more reliable. A separate pump should not be noisy if installed correctly. If you have a house with plasterboard internal walls you might be able to hear it, but a power shower will cause vibration through the walls and I would have thought it would be more of a problem.
If you change to a combi boiler in the future you can keep the mixer and remove the pump, a power shower would have to be removed and a mixer installed.
A power shower needs an electricity supply into the bathroom like an electric shower, but the cable can be thinner and possibly connected via a fused spur to another circuit. An electric shower (heating type eg. 9kW) needs thick cable and a separate circuit breaker in the fuse box.0
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