Electric shower without mains water pressure

dc197

Hi folks
I'd like to install an electric shower in an outbuilding for utility purposes - the washing of pets without having to bring them into the house. The outbuilding doesn't have mains water, but does have a feed from the cold water tank. The pressure is as one might expect from a downstairs cold tap (not kitchen); the drop is from the loft above the first floor down to the ground floor.
Can an electric shower work with this? Or must it have mains water pressure? If I did install it with insufficient water pressure, what results might I expect (cut outs, reduced lifetime, not work at all)?
Thanks in advance

Owain_Moneysaver

Most electric showers require mains water pressure and will not work with insufficient pressure. There are some with a built-in booster pump which can be used on a loft tank eg

https://www.tritonshowers.co.uk/electric-showers/t80si-pumped-electric-shower.html

Bear in mind any electric shower requires a substantial electricity supply from the consumer unit.

HappyMJ

dc197 wrote: »

Hi folks
I'd like to install an electric shower in an outbuilding for utility purposes - the washing of pets without having to bring them into the house. The outbuilding doesn't have mains water, but does have a feed from the cold water tank. The pressure is as one might expect from a downstairs cold tap (not kitchen); the drop is from the loft above the first floor down to the ground floor.
Can an electric shower work with this? Or must it have mains water pressure? If I did install it with insufficient water pressure, what results might I expect (cut outs, reduced lifetime, not work at all)?
Thanks in advance

If there is insufficient pressure the heating element will cut out and you'll get cold water.

Could you run a hot water supply to the outbuilding?

A thermostatic mixer tap would be safer than an electric shower for use on pets which could run too hot with insufficient pressure.

Chrishazle

Just to enlighten all of you, we have 2 thermostatic electric showers that cannot be connected to mains water pressure, they have to be fed from indirect hot and cold! They are Mira Event showers - but they do not heat the water.

Alter_ego

HappyMJ wrote: »

If there is insufficient pressure the heating element will cut out and you'll get cold water.


A thermostatic mixer tap would be safer than an electric shower for use on pets which could run too hot with insufficient pressure.

These 2 sentences contradict. First is correct

HappyMJ

Alter_ego wrote: »

These 2 sentences contradict. First is correct

They do in a way yes. Sorry about that.

My electric shower would run perfectly normally until someone turned a tap on full (it could handle partially) then it would blast out boiling hot water for a few seconds then cut out and become freezing cold water and not come on again until tap was closed.

dc197

Thanks folks.
Yes, running a hot feed to the garage is an option as there is a bathroom in the house on the shared wall, so it would not need to run far. I was hoping to avoid doing that, and may be able to avoid it with a pumped electric shower (thanks for the tip).
Cheers

Owain_Moneysaver

Chrishazle wrote: »

Just to enlighten all of you, we have 2 thermostatic electric showers that cannot be connected to mains water pressure, they have to be fed from indirect hot and cold! They are Mira Event showers - but they do not heat the water.

They're power showers, which are a different thing altogether.

phill99

This is an area where incorrect advice is often given.

For a low pressure system (ie no mains pressure) where hot and cold water is available you need a MIXER shower (aka POWER shower). This works by taking hot and cold water and blending them. They require a 13amp feed only ( can be taken off of your ring main) and the electric is used to power a small pump that blends the water.

Very easy solution to a common problem.