Zero bars electric shower?

sublime1

Greetings I'm looking for what I'm told is a "zero bar" electric shower that continues to work even when the water pressure drops. My current shower has a cut-off that is preventing it from working whenever the pressure drops below a certain point - there is nothing we can do to change the pressure, so I'm going to change the shower. The water pressure in the house is actually quite good, just not good enough for this particular shower. An engineer from the shower company recommended that I get a zero bar shower. Ironically the shower that was there previously was an old Triton T80 that worked no matter how low the pressure - the odd time you might get a scalding if somebody ran a tap etc but at least you had hot water! These fancy new showers are great but useless to me as they just won't work on the days the pressure is low.
Now my problem is - where do I find one of these zero bar showers? Can anyone recommend a make and model that fits my needs. The engineer worked for Triton and he wouldn't recommend an actual model (but he did say Triton don't have any). He also said that these showers tend to be the cheaper models (which suits me fine!). thanks

Buford T Justice

sublime1 wrote: »

the odd time you might get a scalding if somebody ran a tap etc but at least you had hot water!

Are you using an instantaneous Electric shower? If so, try changing to a tank fed shower, as it sounds like you have a mains fed one

sublime1

Thanks but I want an instantenous electric shower that will work despite the pressure dropping during the day. I just need a model or make - the guy in the shower shop was useless.

Solair

There are three types of electric, instantaneous showers:

1) Fed from the tank in your attic.
2) Fed directly from the mains.
3) Fed from the tank in your attic, and pumped.

If you are suffering from low pressure mains, you might consider installing an electric shower that is fed from the attic tank. If the pressure from your attic tank is inadequate, you should get one with a booster pump built into it.

These are a little noisier, but they're very effective.

There are also a few options to install electric showers without any disruption to the tiles using remote units where a riser bar acts as a water pipe and the water is heated by a unit in the attic.

Check out triton's website for more info.

BTW: you cannot install any kind of booster pumps on the mains, as there is a risk that you could suck dirty water into the system if the pressure is low.

If there is an on-going problem with your mains pressure you should call your local authority and also get a plumber.

sublime1

Hi. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply but I think you missed my question. I have my mind made up (long story) about what I want: I want an electric shower that runs off the mains (option 2 in your list), but one that doesn't have the low pressure cut-off that the current shower has. No tank, no pump. Just an electric shower that runs off the mains like the old Triton I used have. I already asked Triton and they say they don't make these kinds of showers any more as there is a risk of scalding when the pressure drops too low. thanks.

Joey the lips

There is none that i know off. This is becuase the all know operate on solenoid valves and these require a min pressure.

However....

If you have a T80 and it is letting you down you can connect it to a T450I booster pump and then to the tank in the attic

Or if your happy with your stored hot water you can use a new team with a snooze button which still works if the power fails(power shower)

or as suggested T450i

failing all that you have the immersion and a manual shower valve.

sublime1

Thanks for the info. I'm kicking myself now for throwing out the old T80, that used run no matter how bad the pressure got. Well the engineer from Triton was very confident such a shower is still available, so I guess I'll keep looking. I don't have a tank (or even an attic) - I only have a small immersion for the sink.

Buford T Justice

Why would you not consider a tank fed shower instead of mains fed, if the mains pressure is the problem?

sublime1

I would but as I said I have no tank or attic, so it would involve putting the tank outdoors on the flat roof. It seems like too big a job when if I could just get a low pressure shower I'd be happy. The pressure is usually somewhere between 6 and 9 litres per minute, sometimes higher. I've never seen it go below that. As I said the old shower ran fine for years.

Buford T Justice

Have you no hot water cylinder? is the toilet mains fed?

sublime1

Well after calling a bunch of suppliers, it seems that nobody sells these showers any more (a lot of places never even heard of them apparently, which I find hard to believe). Looks like I'll have to consider the tank idea, but it'll have to go outside the house, up on the flat roof. Solair, if I install a tank on the roof, will I need to change the shower too? It's a Triton T80Z, brand new. Also how can I tell in advance if the pressure from the tank will be adequate? thanks

sublime1

Hi Fingers, there is a small hot cylinder for the taps. I think the toilet is mains fed, but am not sure to be honest. I'm out of my league here, and really need a good plumber by the sounds of it. Where to find one.....???

Buford T Justice

Where are you?

sublime1

The house is in Dublin city centre.

sublime1

Another question - are there any showers out there that have a lower minimum pressure say 0.3 or 0.4 bars? The shower I have works most of them but has a cutoff of 0.7 bar.

antoinolachtnai

You definitely need a good plumber.

The tank does not have to be very high, if you combine it with a pump. This is how apartments are plumbed in Ireland.

Something like: http://www.plumbingpages.com/featurepages/HWcombination.cfm

http://www.cylindersdirect.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15&products_id=82

A tank in the attic would be better, but putting tanks out on open roofs, that's not something people do anymore. (I hope.)

A proper hot water system is worth investing the money in terms of the comfort it brings to the house. It might also require less maintenance in the longer term than a bunch of small heaters. It might seem like more hassle, but do not take any chances with safety, scalding, etc. There is really no point in reinstalling old water heating equipment.

sb_2005

Hi all,

I have a Triton Inscriptions electric shower running off the mains.
The only problem I have is in the mornings from 7:30 to 9 it runs cold as the water pressure is not good enough.

Can you suggest some solutions to solve this problem?

I have a tank in the attic that the old shower used so I am thinking that I switch the supply from the mains to the water tank in attic, and add a triton t450i pump?? Would this work? Is the inscriptions model suitable to be fed from a tank??

All help appreciated! Thanks.

Joey the lips

sb_2005 wrote: »

Hi all,

I have a Triton Inscriptions electric shower running off the mains.
The only problem I have is in the mornings from 7:30 to 9 it runs cold as the water pressure is not good enough.

Can you suggest some solutions to solve this problem?

I have a tank in the attic that the old shower used so I am thinking that I switch the supply from the mains to the water tank in attic, and add a triton t450i pump?? Would this work? Is the inscriptions model suitable to be fed from a tank??

All help appreciated! Thanks.

Your solution works perfect for an electric shower...

sb_2005

Thanks Joey..

Do I have to use a triton pump or can it be any electric shower pump?
What is recommended? One of the things my wife loved about having a mains fed system was the peace and quiet.

I presume the pump will disturb her tranquility

Joey the lips

sb_2005 wrote: »

Thanks Joey..

Do I have to use a triton pump or can it be any electric shower pump?
What is recommended? One of the things my wife loved about having a mains fed system was the peace and quiet.

I presume the pump will disturb her tranquility

Any single impetter pump will do... Its only pumping cold. You can put the pump in the hot press and stick it to a tile to reduce noise...