Power shower V Electric shower

paddy147

Right,so whats the difference between a power shower and a leccy shower.

And also,which is best and is most energy efficent to use?

Thanks.:)

Red Alert

An electric shower takes either mains water or cold water from your tank using a built-in pump. You need to pick the right one depending on how you're going to feed it. It heats the water instantaneously, using a heating element in the range 7 kW to 10 kW, needs a hefty electrical circuit, pull cord isolator and RCD protection. Perfect if you have electric hot water already, since you don't need to turn it on for the shower to work, or have an oil/gas boiler that you don't run in the summer for hot water. There are loads to choose from, but Mira and Triton are probably your best bet since they're well known and spares are easily available.

A power shower looks very like an electric shower but instead has a mixer and booster pump. It takes hot and cold feeds from your hot water cylinder (which can't be unvented mains like a Megaflow) and attic tank, mixes them and boosts the pressure. It only needs a normal 3A fused spur switch, which should ideally have RCD protection. I've a Mira Event which is about 10 years old, it did need one pump change but other than that it's working perfectly. They're great showers if you have a gas boiler driving your hot water that's left on during the summer. Because they don't have to heat the water, there's no artificial limit on flow so the shower feels much more powerful than an electric shower.

You can also go for a normal thermostatic or manual mixer with a hot & cold booster pump which can be hidden away in the hot press. It's essentially the same as a power shower, but can have a better appearance in a bathroom and the pressure can be better in some cases.

paddy147

I have just had a new zoned gas boiler heating system that allows me just to heat the water and not the rads and vice versa.

I also have just had a 3 bar water pump and in-built power shower in my ensuite.

I now have to suss out whats best and most economical for my main bathroom,with regards my family/children in mind and having a shower/bath and washing their hair.

Would a power shower be more energy efficient compared to a leccy shower.Also which is easier to live with?

Thanks.:)

Joey the lips

I have a note attached to my signature on types and differences of showers. The question is quite common on boards so I took the time to write something.

Just click below on think of a new shower.

as all the questions you need then

yoshytoshy

Great post joey

My personal preference is to have both an electric shower(bathroom) and a pumped one(en suite) ,if possible.

If you plan on running two showers off the pump ,you might need to increase the size of your cylinder.

Electric showers only use energy when they're on ,so you don't need a full cylinder of hot water ,during the summer.

I'd say the best scenario for two pumped showers ,would be with solar panels. Where the amount of hot water isn't a problem.

That's my 2c.

paddy147

yoshytoshy wrote: »

Great post joey

My personal preference is to have both an electric shower(bathroom) and a pumped one(en suite) ,if possible.

If you plan on running two showers off the pump ,you might need to increase the size of your cylinder.

Electric showers only use energy when they're on ,so you don't need a full cylinder of hot water ,during the summer.

I'd say the best scenario for two pumped showers ,would be with solar panels. Where the amount of hot water isn't a problem.

That's my 2c.

Thanks for the advice.

My builder friend also says the same as you.

In that i have a power shower and pump in the ensuite,so stay with the leccy shower in the main bathroom,and that way i have my bases covered if ever something happens with either the heating system or the leccy shower.

thanks again.:)

Kashkai

I have an electric shower and two pumped showers. The water pressure from the pumped showers is miles ahead of the electric shower. However you need a full tank of hot water which runs out fairly quickly. Also remember that water rates are coming in and you'll be charged for the amount of water you use, and pumped showers use a lot of water.

Red Alert

You'd be surprised how fast some of the newer gas boilers can heat a cylinder especially when they're on DHW only. It'll probably be cheaper to run your gas boiler. If you've a 3-bar pump for the ensuite already it'd probably be able to do the main bathroom one too, otherwise just lash in a second pump.

Viewtodiefor

Anyone here know if you can add a pump to electric shower and will it increase water flow?

LIFFY FISHING

Viewtodiefor wrote: »

Anyone here know if you can add a pump to electric shower and will it increase water flow?

No you cant put a pump on an instant shower, you cant pump and heat water at the same time.

Viewtodiefor

LIFFY FISHING wrote: »

No you cant put a pump on an instant shower, you cant pump and heat water at the same time.

Ok thanks. How would I go about getting a good flow from an electric shower so? The one in place at the moment is useless for flow.

Sir Arthur Daley

Viewtodiefor wrote: »

Ok thanks. How would I go about getting a good flow from an electric shower so?

You cant make a race horse out of a donkey.