Shower - Electric vs Power

LoTwan

Let me open by stating that just as I can't stand insulated plasterboard I can't abide power showers but...

Let us assume that all hot water is heated by electricity (namely an immersion heater in a 120L tank). If you had a choice which would you install... an electric shower (probably 10kw) or a power shower?

My problem with electric showers is the poor pressure because, well, the shower is heating the water as it goes. I was assured at one point that the cause of the problem with pressure in electric showers is the fact that there typically isn't a large enough drop from the tank to the shower, which wouldn't be an issue in this situation as the shower is being installed on the ground floor and the tank is in the attic above the first floor, but I am not sure I believe him!

I know electricity is the most expensive way of heating water and neither an electric shower nor a power shower that is fed from an immersion heated tank are economical options but they are the only options open to me. The alternatives simply aren't possible.

So back to my question. I have done the sums and what I found was that if the DHW tank is being heated from cold every day then the power shower is more expensive but if the tank is never allowed to get mains temp cold then it is much of a muchness. Am I completely off the mark there?

Can anyone help with the "the pressure will be fine if the drop from the tank is high enough" issue?

muffler

Not sure what this has to do with prices/costs so I'll move it to the C & P forum.

Mellor

LoTwan wrote: »

I know electricity is the most expensive way of heating water and neither an electric shower nor a power shower that is fed from an immersion heated tank are economical options but they are the only options open to me. The alternatives simply aren't possible.

I'm confused, why are you feeding an electric shower, with a heated water source.

So back to my question. I have done the sums and what I found was that if the DHW tank is being heated from cold every day then the power shower is more expensive but if the tank is never allowed to get mains temp cold then it is much of a muchness. Am I completely off the mark there?

The problem in your calculations is that if you are feeding an electric shower from a heater tank, then the heting element in the shower isn't running at full power (it simply has an easier job heating).
So you are likely over estimating it a bit.

LoTwan

Muffler... I put it over there because of the cost of running element of the question (after lengthy internal debate about where it should go ;-)

Me wrote:

...neither an [electric shower] nor a [power shower that is fed from an immersion heated tank] are economical options but they are the only options open to me. The alternatives simply aren't possible.

.

mellor wrote:

I'm confused, why are you feeding an electric shower, with a heated water source.

Mellor... Sorry. I wasn't clear in my OP. The electric shower would be fed from the cold tank (2 floors above it). The power shower would be fed from the DHW tank.

imitation

Let us assume that all hot water is heated by electricity (namely an immersion heater in a 120L tank). If you had a choice which would you install... an electric shower (probably 10kw) or a power shower?

You can't really answer that without knowing the demand for hot water in the house. For a single person working who has little demand for hot water then the electric would seem to be a smarter choice. Likewise if its a family who is in the house all day constantly using the water then the power shower would seem the smarter choice to me.

Personally I put one of each into my house, on one hand I will have solar panels providing hot water during the warmer months for free, but on the other hand there may not be enough demand to make it worth heating the water tank during winter.

muffler

LoTwan wrote: »

Muffler... I put it over there because of the cost of running element of the question (after lengthy internal debate about where it should go ;-)

From the forum charter

This forum is intended for discussing and posting all pricing and costings associated with the building industry particularly the private house sector. We would hope that fellow users will find this forum a place to both look for prices for products and services and also a place where they can share with others the bargains they have found and also exchange recommendations, tips and advice when seeking prices for various products.

That's why I moved it to here.

Joey the lips

Your thinking of showers wrong. If i had a choice i would install a power shower however most people install showers dependent on demand

an electric shower will give you water on demand however some people do not have sufficent mains so they have to use a pumped electric. If there is only 2 people in the house a power shower will do most however girls especially teenage girls have an awful demand on hot water so a power shower is a no no.

When picking a shower you install it by need not by want however this gets lost in translation when the lovely chrome comes into play.

Off course if you have 2 showers or more you can do what you want.

sydthebeat

+1 to the above,

a power shower is basically just a pumped shower off your HW cylinder. You either heat this cylinder with an immersion electric heater or from your DHW boiler.

an 'electric shower' (in common understanding) is a pumped shower fed from your cold water attic tank which heats water on demand.

making the assumption in your first post ie that all water is heated electrically.... then a pumped electric shower is more economical as it heats the water on demand. i dont know why you say that electric shower arent economical.... they heat on demand, so can be argued to being very economical.

LoTwan

2 adults, 2 small boys, no bath. 1 adult & both children home min 20 hours a day every day. 8+ showers a week, although more than that once the bigger of the boys gets up to his elbows in muck.

No interest in chrome & we would both prefer a power shower so I that is the way we will go.

Joey the lips

LoTwan wrote: »

2 adults, 2 small boys, no bath. 1 adult & both children home min 20 hours a day every day. 8+ showers a week, although more than that once the bigger of the boys gets up to his elbows in muck.

No interest in chrome & we would both prefer a power shower so I that is the way we will go.

A power shower will work fine for you. Actually there is a good one on the market called newteam power shower. It comes with a snooze button to quiten the motor in the morning if your gravity is ok. That way you can have a shower without waking the wife... Or have a shower with the wife without waking the kids...;)

another brilliant one is an aqualisa...

LoTwan

Thanks for the recommendations.