manual or thermostatic shower valve

ColinP10

hi all
can someone explain the benefit in changing a manual shower valve to a thermostatic valve?
do i still need to put on immersion in apartment? i think its just a cheap valve wanted a better one and cant get power shower cos were bottom fllor in apartment block
is it cheaper to run etc
cheers

Sparkpea

thermostatic valve means you're not going to get scolded or frozen in the shower. its the safer option, especially for people with kids.

if you have a shower and someone uses a toilet elsewhere the toilet cistern then fills in cold water thus taking it away from the shower and causing the shower to run hot/boiling. a thermostatic shower adjusts itself to prevent things like this happening

ColinP10

cheers for that
but do i still need to put on immersion to heat up the water or not?

Joey the lips

A manual valve is a low pressure valve. However a thermostatic is high pressure.

The benefits of one out weight another however you might not be able to go thermostatic...

Have you a pump in your apartment.. If you do you can and its worth it..

If you dont you can buy a thermostatic power shower like an aquastream and this pumps as well...

With both options you need a store of hot water...

320cdi

It is possible to install a thermostatically controlled valve which will work on a low pressure system.
However im guessing your question is more about the supply of hot water to the shower rather than the control of the water.

Going for a thermostatic shower will not change the need to supply it with hot water.

If you are lacking in hot water and don't want to use the immersion heater then you need to install an electric shower, this will give you instant hot water without the need of using any of your stored hot water.

Down side is - more expensive to run, quality of shower not as good.

Me careful if purchasing an electric shower you will most likely need to buy a pumped electric shower unless you can get a mains cold water supply to it.

The Aquastream shower joey mentioned is fantastic, however it will most likely make you water demand worse at it will average 14-16 litres of water a min, and if you have a problem presently with hot water supply this will only get worse by adding a powerful shower....

P.s. Bottom floor apartment shouldn't stop you from installing an Aquastream.

Sparkpea

320cdi has pretty much summed it up. If its about the demand of hot water then you need an electric shower. The problem with electric showers and apartments are that you need an electric shower wired back to you're meter box and if you're not in the top floor apartment where the cables can be run through the roofspace then its a pain in the ass to get the cable to the shower as its normally run at high level around the apartment to the shower in conduit and can look unsightly.

If you have plenty of stored hot water then a power shower is the way forward.