Fitting a power shower.. Help!!

elliep_2

I haven't had any plumber quotes, but the reason for that is that most of the work is fitting wall panels and flooring etc. The person that I plan to have do it used to be a plumber and is now a handyman with a focus on carpentry (useful for constructing the new sliding door). He has installed another internal door for me and did a fantastic job of it.

Would you expect a plumber to give comparable quotes when most of the work isn't plumbing?
There will be removal of a toilet, basin and shower. Fitting respatex panels round the whole room, new flooring and ceiling panels then fitting new shower, basin and toilet. Installing a new sliding door (currently there isn't a functional door, and there's no space for a swinging door).
I know that there is a fair bit of plumbing work there but the main time consuming stuff isn't plumbing.

keystone

Get a quote from a bathroom fitter than. Handyman may be an inappropriate word if your current guy has got a fair few bathrooms under his belt already.

Cheers

keystone

That shower is at least 28 years old and so will the cabling be I suspect. 'Bout time it was replaced! Only your electrician can advise whether the cabling is still OK and whether you could put a higher power unit on it. Its not just a matter of conductor csa either. The routing matters. You'd be as well to get his advice BEFORE you embark on any other work. If the cable needs replacing then the time to do it is before the other work is done not afterwards. In that respect you could then have a higher power shower with the appropriate cable but there may well then need to be alterations at your consumer unit (provision of an RCD protected supply) and an isolation switch near the bathroom.

The shower requirement will drive the remainder of the work tbh.

Cheers

elliep_2

The whole house was rewired 5 and a half years ago. I remember the electrician saying something that I was supposed to remember if I ever had the shower replaced but I don't remember what he said. It's the same electrician who I have contacted about the shower now, so I'm sure he'll either remember or figure it out when he looks.

Seems that the advice is that I should wait and consult the experts. I'll ask the electrician and also ask some friends about plumbers who might want to quote.
The guy I was planning on going with has done a few bathrooms and said he's confident with them. He took a lot of pride in his work with the door that he did, and I trust him. I think he'd do a good job, and the daily rate he quoted was very reasonable.

Anyone want to recommend any plumbers or bathroom fitters in the Coventry UK area?

keystone

elliep wrote: »

and I trust him.

Thats absolutely key.

and the daily rate he quoted was very reasonable.

Don't you dare take him on at day rate. Don't care how well you know him. Day rate is a licence to print money. Get a written fixed price quote (subject to the usual exclusions) out of him.

Anyone want to recommend any plumbers or bathroom fitters in the Coventry UK area?

Sorry - well out of my area.

Cheers

elliep_2

He says it's a 3 day job and will cost 3x day rate. He will write that down for me and if it actually takes longer than 3 days then he'll do the 4th or subsequent days for free.

I don't know him all that well. He's done one other job for me and done that very well. That's all I know of him really.

keystone

Well I guess thats a bit better. Just make sure you've got it on letterhead paper.

Cheers

Queenie_Girl

lemon26 wrote: »

We recently replaced our 8kW Mira with a 10.5kW Creda shower (although they're all very much of a muchness) and needed thicker cable and a new circuit breaker as the old ones weren't up to task..

As a very rough guidline, use P=VI re-aranged to I=P/V, with P being the power (W) of the shower and V being 240v (UK mains). For an 8kW (8000 W) shower you'd need cable and breaker that could carry 33.33A and for a 10.5kW shower you'd need something that could handle 43.75A.

Our electrician came and put in a new MCB and cable for £50 on a sunday - I helped him run the cable as it was quite long.

Hope this is of some use...

Lemon26 - just wanted to ask if there was noticeable difference in pressure by changing from 8.5 to 10.5 shower?