Replace existing electric shower unit - DIY or hire someone?

user1168934

We have an electric shower which since yesterday has developed a mind of its own. Sometimes it makes the water hot and others not so hot. I was reading online and it seems there might be a problem with the heating component which it says can be replaced. While I was looking online I checked the price and it seems I can buy a brand new shower, same model for around £60 so I think may be its better to replace the whole unit. The trouble is that I am a newbie at DIY and have never done anything like this before.

Should I have a go myself or try hiring a professional to do it? Any idea how much a plumber/electrician will charge to replace it?

Shower is Triton Cara 9.5K and I will be switching it with the same model to avoid positioning issues with power and water supply connectors. I moved into this place last year, don't know how old the shower unit is but I think the bathroom was done about a year before we moved in.

Ebe_Scrooge

Hmm, I don't really know how best to advise you here.


Replacing a shower with the same model is not difficult. However, I wouldn't recommend it as your first ever DIY project. Personally I'm pretty adept at DIY, having had 30-odd years of experience, and replacing a shower is a doddle. Especially if the existing pipework doesn't need to be altered. The one thing I would usually highlight is the power consumption - if the new shower is the same or lower power than the old one then no problem, but if it's a higher powered unit then the wiring may need upgrading to cope with the extra load. But you say it's the same power, so that wouldn't be a problem.


If you feel confident in basic plumbing and wiring then I'd say give it a go. I hope it goes without saying, but please do switch off both the water and the electricity at the mains before you begin ( don't just switch the shower off at the pull-cord or switch, make sure you isolate the circuit. In all likelihood it will be on its own dedicated circuit ). When switching off the power, check and double-check that you really have switched off the correct circuit ( don't just switch off the one that's labeled "shower" and hope that it's been labeled correctly !! ).


Fitting the new shower should be a straightforward swap. Just ensure that the wires are properly seated in the connectors, and that the connectors are tightened up really tight. For the water inlet, take some time to ensure that everything is spotlessly clean, a little bit of muck or grit in the joint can make it nigh-on impossible to get a watertight seal.


Like I say, it's not difficult, just take your time and work methodically.

Horizon81

Ebe it's a bit ambitious to say to a complete newbie at DIY (their words) to start messing about with plumbing and electrics, especially a shower.

user1168934

any idea how much a plumber will charge?
Another stupid question, should I look for a plumber or an electrician?

dj1471

user1168934 wrote: »

any idea how much a plumber will charge?
Another stupid question, should I look for a plumber or an electrician?

Plumber. I paid around £80 I think, but it wasn't a like-for-like swap and some drilling was required.

Having watched the guy do it I will do it myself in future, but I'm glad I got a professional to do it first time round.

zax47

user1168934 wrote: »

any idea how much a plumber will charge?
Another stupid question, should I look for a plumber or an electrician?

Easy answer - either! {but ask an electrician, albeit I'm biased}

Whilst we don't actually get taught "pipes" when training, it's not rocket science to do a bit of pipe work what with push-fit PVC pipe nowadays. I change 3 or 4 electric showers a month. Most people want a higher wattage unit (7 or 8kW to 9.5 or 10kW) which generally entails new cable (from 6mm to 10mm) and breaker, but exact model like-for-like is a piece of cake, that's a "Friday afternoon filler" type of job. £50 to 80 labour here in sunny Yorkshire .

user1168934

I know its been more than a year but the shower had fixed itself at that time until it completely stopped working just before this christmas. We have immersion system too so still had hot water so I thought I will give it a go myself.
After days of reading around and youtube tutorials (... and being lazy ...) I finally attempted the fix this weekend and it worked - feeling very proud :j
I did encounter small issues here and there but overall it wasn't too bad. The replacing took me at least four hours but I think if I have to do it again it will take me less than an hour.

Many thanks to all who helped.

googler

Replacing a like-for-like shower is the simplest of 'plumbing' and electrical work, as long as basic safety is observed.

I would go as far as to say that undoing the screw-fit water inlet fitting, and screwing it back on to the new unit isn't really 'plumbing' work. When I refurbed mine, I was half expecting to need a plumber's wrench to undo it, but it was barely hand-tight.

As long as the OP can rewire a 3-pin mains plug, he/she can rewire an electric shower. Same process, essentially.

EDIT (Oops! Year-old thread. Sorry. Glad to see it worked out for the OP)