Going fully electric - Do you have to change your shower?

Solarchaser

mickyduck55 said:

I have both, the 10 kWh shower is used in winter when I have little to no solar excess to divert, the power shower from HW cylinder used when I have an excess of solar so water heated for "free"  The downside of the power shower is that a relatively large amount is wasted, I can be in and out of the electric shower in about the same time as it takes to get the other at temperature.  The downside of the electric shower is that no matter how sunny or charged my batteries are I still import from the grid when its in use.. 10 kWh exceeds my solar and batter delivery capability.

Why does your power shower take so long to heat?
My (unvented) cylinder fed shower is hot in around 10 seconds.
If I want it hotter quicker, I run the hot tap for 10 seconds to bring the hot water up the pipes.

Reed_Richards

I used to have a combi boiler outside the kitchen at one end of my bungalow and the main bathroom at the other end.  I could fill a bucket and a half with cold water before it ran hot.  It's all down to the volume of water in the pipe run, so the width and length of the pipes.

anon_ymous

Reed_Richards said:

I used to have a combi boiler outside the kitchen at one end of my bungalow and the main bathroom at the other end.  I could fill a bucket and a half with cold water before it ran hot.  It's all down to the volume of water in the pipe run, so the width and length of the pipes.

The pipes in my house are honestly incredibly tiny 

BUFF

waqasahmed said:

Reed_Richards said:

I used to have a combi boiler outside the kitchen at one end of my bungalow and the main bathroom at the other end.  I could fill a bucket and a half with cold water before it ran hot.  It's all down to the volume of water in the pipe run, so the width and length of the pipes.

The pipes in my house are honestly incredibly tiny 

surely they did not run the dhw in microbore (8/10mm)?

Reed_Richards

waqasahmed said:

Reed_Richards said:

I used to have a combi boiler outside the kitchen at one end of my bungalow and the main bathroom at the other end.  I could fill a bucket and a half with cold water before it ran hot.  It's all down to the volume of water in the pipe run, so the width and length of the pipes.

The pipes in my house are honestly incredibly tiny 

Standard water pipes are 15 mm diameter, the pipes to your bath may be 22 mm diameter so you can fill the bath faster.

Microbore pipes are sometimes used for central heating and are 8 or 10 mm diameter.  They are most commonly used in a retrofit system but they limit the water flow rate, particularly if they get sludge inside.  Heat pumps generally aim for a faster flow rate than other heating systems and so don't work so well with microbore pipes.  

anon_ymous

Reed_Richards said:

waqasahmed said:

Reed_Richards said:

I used to have a combi boiler outside the kitchen at one end of my bungalow and the main bathroom at the other end.  I could fill a bucket and a half with cold water before it ran hot.  It's all down to the volume of water in the pipe run, so the width and length of the pipes.

The pipes in my house are honestly incredibly tiny 

Standard water pipes are 15 mm diameter, the pipes to your bath may be 22 mm diameter so you can fill the bath faster.

Microbore pipes are sometimes used for central heating and are 8 or 10 mm diameter.  They are most commonly used in a retrofit system but they limit the water flow rate, particularly if they get sludge inside.  Heat pumps generally aim for a faster flow rate than other heating systems and so don't work so well with microbore pipes.  

Reed_Richards said:

waqasahmed said:

Reed_Richards said:

I used to have a combi boiler outside the kitchen at one end of my bungalow and the main bathroom at the other end.  I could fill a bucket and a half with cold water before it ran hot.  It's all down to the volume of water in the pipe run, so the width and length of the pipes.

The pipes in my house are honestly incredibly tiny 

Standard water pipes are 15 mm diameter, the pipes to your bath may be 22 mm diameter so you can fill the bath faster.

Microbore pipes are sometimes used for central heating and are 8 or 10 mm diameter.  They are most commonly used in a retrofit system but they limit the water flow rate, particularly if they get sludge inside.  Heat pumps generally aim for a faster flow rate than other heating systems and so don't work so well with microbore pipes.  

Yeah. I do figure that I'll upgrade my pipes before getting a heat pump because microbe = no go

I figure I'll get a heat geek in and get them to whack the pipe size right up too, to get those low low flow temps 

mickyduck55

Solarchaser said:

mickyduck55 said:

I have both, the 10 kWh shower is used in winter when I have little to no solar excess to divert, the power shower from HW cylinder used when I have an excess of solar so water heated for "free"  The downside of the power shower is that a relatively large amount is wasted, I can be in and out of the electric shower in about the same time as it takes to get the other at temperature.  The downside of the electric shower is that no matter how sunny or charged my batteries are I still import from the grid when its in use.. 10 kWh exceeds my solar and batter delivery capability.

Why does your power shower take so long to heat?
My (unvented) cylinder fed shower is hot in around 10 seconds.
If I want it hotter quicker, I run the hot tap for 10 seconds to bring the hot water up the pipes.

I have no idea, the run from the cylinder is only about 20 feet and I do the same as you run the hot tap on the sink... I do not have a "hot" tap in the  bath as its all off the same mixer.. I could run it at max temp to get it through faster then turn it down.

Solarchaser

I did reduce some of my piping from 22mm down to 15mm to speed up the hot water coming through, I'm a bit more than 20 ft, but probably less than 30, and it's less than 10 seconds on full bore.

Your mixer tap should be fed with hot and cold and so putting it to full hot should be the same as putting a hot tap on.

Is it pumped from the cylinder?
If so, the pump and its piping will offer more cold piping to be overcome.

Might help insulating the piping from the cylinder if you haven't already

mickyduck55

Solarchaser said:

I did reduce some of my piping from 22mm down to 15mm to speed up the hot water coming through, I'm a bit more than 20 ft, but probably less than 30, and it's less than 10 seconds on full bore.

Your mixer tap should be fed with hot and cold and so putting it to full hot should be the same as putting a hot tap on.

Is it pumped from the cylinder?
If so, the pump and its piping will offer more cold piping to be overcome.

Might help insulating the piping from the cylinder if you haven't already

Yes pump is near the cylinder and it is in 22mm pipe all the way to the shower.  Pipes are insulated but as I only shower once a day they are fully at ambient when I come to use it again.
Yes agree about put full on hot then turn down but then I will probably waste more hot water getting it cool enough for me to get in... Its a bit of a none issue was just pointing out the differences between my two showers

Solarchaser

Fair enough 🙂