How much to fit a replacement electric shower?

Giraffeseeker

Hi all,

I moved into my house 3 weeks ago and after a week the gainsborough electric shower went cold - I know it's a cheap make of shower and so I guess it's just unlucky that it went a week after I moved in. Anyway, now it's pay day I've bought a new shower but I need someone to fit it - do I call an electician or a plumber? and how much should I expect to pay?

Thanks

Canucklehead

tintingirl wrote: »

Hi all,

I moved into my house 3 weeks ago and after a week the gainsborough electric shower went cold - I know it's a cheap make of shower and so I guess it's just unlucky that it went a week after I moved in. Anyway, now it's pay day I've bought a new shower but I need someone to fit it - do I call an electician or a plumber? and how much should I expect to pay?

Thanks

Good afternoon: call a plumber who can do electrics. How much depends on where you are in the UK and if any remedial works will need to be done i.e is the new shower the same wattage as the old, same pipework etc.

Best bet...get someone in for a quote (preferably recommended by a source you trust) or find one here.

HTH

Canucklehead

zfrl

You will need to ensure it is the same kw as the old one or you might need a plumber & an electrician.

macman

How do you know it's not easily fixable-it might be something that can be easily fixed without needing a new shower. Is the pump still running OK?

Giraffeseeker

Yes, the one I bought is the same wattage as the previous one, I thought that would be the easiest and most cost effective way.

Macman, the shower is running, but is running cold. I've taken the front off and all the wires look OK, ie not burnt out or anything, and the valve that drops down to trigger the water heater is doing what it should, but still no heat, so I assume the heating element has gone. Is there anything else I could check? I thought if I got someone out and they could fix it I could take my new shower back for a refund.

macman

Probably is the heating element then. Can be fixed but I wouldn't bother on one of those. Fitting a new one is easy if the entry points for the cable and cold water feed are in the same positions on the new shower. If they're not (say cold water feed is on right, and was on left), then it involves redoing the supplies and making good the tiling etc. So not always a simple swap.
Please make sure your shower is on a dedicated circuit and is fitted with a proper RCD device. Far too many bodged shower installs around, so use this opportunity to ensure that it's all safe.

Giraffeseeker

macman wrote: »

Probably is the heating element then. Can be fixed but I wouldn't bother on one of those. Fitting a new one is easy if the entry points for the cable and cold water feed are in the same positions on the new shower. If they're not (say cold water feed is on right, and was on left), then it involves redoing the supplies and making good the tiling etc. So not always a simple swap.
Please make sure your shower is on a dedicated circuit and is fitted with a proper RCD device. Far too many bodged shower installs around, so use this opportunity to ensure that it's all safe.

Thank you, found 2 very local plumbers on the site mentioned above so I will call them for a quote.

Canucklehead

tintingirl wrote: »

Thank you, found 2 very local plumbers on the site mentioned above so I will call them for a quote.

Hi...excellent! Let us know how you get on.

Canucklehead