Shower Woes..............**sob**

taurusgb

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Hello All

Our Mira advance shower has finally given up the ghost and needs replacing :mad: - could anyone who is able answer a couple of questions for me please...they are:-

1) As we really don't want to retile the bathroom, :eek: we're thinking along the lines of buying a new Mira and hoping the casing hasn't changed to much in size - if we do this is it possible for a competent DIY'er to take out the old one and install the new? is it just a case of connecting up wires and pipes that would be difficult to get wrong if my DH folloed the instructions that (I hope) would accompany the new shower?

2) If we have to pay someone to install a new one - do I need a plumber or an electrician? Sorry to sound dim, but the more I think about it the harder it seems to decide which we would need

3) Any guidelines on the likely costs of (a) buying a new shower and (b) cost of fitting if we have to employ a tradesman would be very helpful and most appreciated!

Thanks in advance for any help and advice.

weekendwarrior

If you can get a like for like shower, eg. same make and model you can change it yourself. It is not difficult. The water pipe is normally a push fit connection and in older models it will be compression, which will require a couple of spanners.

Make sure the electricity is turned off, then there are just 3 wires, live, neutral and earth.

The problem is getting a like for like replacement.

If you can't DIY call a plumber, you don't need a spark as it is already wired up, the plumber will know how to do this although he cannot completely wire a shower up because of the new regs, he can however do a like for like replacement!

Nile

Just a reminder about the sticky thread 'Safety Announcement'.;)

Announcement: Warning! Always use a professional for gas maintenance and complex electrical repairs. Being safe is more important than MoneySaving.

Ditto

I've just check the Argos website and heres what they have - http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10001&catalogId=4501&langId=-1&searchTerms=mira

Showers are easy to replace, just make sure the electricity and the water are turned off.
I replaced my shower a couple of weeks ago, when I took the old one off I took digital camera pics of everything I did so I had a reference point to refer to.

sca

I am after a temperature coil for a Mira 725sx if someone has an old second hand one. New are too expensive. Don't mind paying or collecting. PM me if you can help.

Regards,

sca

jackieb

Our Gainsborough one broke. We got another with the same wattage from Argos but it was a newer model and more flimsy and just totally different to fit. My OH wanted one he could just swap over but our old model had been discontinued. We got our money back from Argos and got one on Ebay for £41 - our one had cost almost £150 new. It was the exact same model as our old one and fitting it was easy.

If you buy one make sure it hasn't more wattage than your present one or you will need an electrician in to change your wiring.

Ditto

It wouldn't be the wiring that needs replacing but possibily the fuse on the consumer box. Fuses are cheap around £5.

Wig

This is an electric shower right well there will be one cold water supply pipe. I believe you remove the front cover and you will see the supply pipe & join there in the casing.

You will have to measure the existing case and take a photo with the cover off, go to a shop and inspect or ask to inspect the replacement ones on sale.

I think most likely some remedial work will be necessary, unless you get the same shower offf ebay as previously suggested.

Work involved could be moving pipes chiseling out more concrete block for new pipe and re tiling around with similar tiles.

You won't know until you have taken the cover off and compared the two. turn of electric to take cover off, no need to turn off water just yet.

but when you do turn off the water if it is not mains fed you will have to turn off mains and drain the tank before undoing the pipe connection in the shower.

dadrock

James's_Dad wrote:

It wouldn't be the wiring that needs replacing but possibily the fuse on the consumer box. Fuses are cheap around £5.

If the wiring is already 10mm then it wont need changing.
If it's only 6mm wire (naughty) then it will need replacing.

To determine the fuse required, if it doesnt state it in the manual,
Divide the power of the shower by the voltage of the electric.
Example : Shower = 9.8Kw (9800w) / 240v = 40.8 Amps.
So a 40Amp breaker may trip, so you'll need a 50Amp breaker.
Check if your consumer unit can take a breaker of the size you require before shower purchase.

DR.

bunking_off

If the wiring needs replacing, doesn't that mean that it falls within Part P building regs, ie cannot be a DIY job?

As I understand it, if the replacement unit is like for like, then it is exempted.

djohn2002uk

James's_Dad wrote:

It wouldn't be the wiring that needs replacing but possibily the fuse on the consumer box. Fuses are cheap around £5.

Quite possibly a dangerous piece of advice.