Shower Panel for Premixed Water

Amik

We're renovating our bathroom and have purchased instant electric water heaters for the taps and shower. They heat the water as it flows to a set temperature.

For the shower I'm having trouble finding a set with a panel that only includes:

• water on/off
• water flow regulator (weak to strong stream)
• valve that switches from the flow from a handset to a rain shower above.

Basically I just want a panel WITHOUT the Hot/Cold mixer. Does something like that exist?

John.G

I doubt very much if you can get a shower without temperature control, they normally come with a thermostatic mixer but you just may be able to get one without thermostatic control, a manual mixer.

antoinolachtnai

You can buy individual valves to do what you want, certainly for high pressure. Maybe valves designed for low pressure would be harder to come by.

You won’t be buying a set. What you are talking about is going to be a custom setup.

I think there will be a lot to designing this to work the way you want. You need to be sure all the bits will work together.

dathi

A dwelling shall be provided with -

(a) a bathroom containing either a fixed bath or a shower bath, and a washbasin, and

(b) a kitchen containing a sink of adequate size and a draining board, and

(c) a suitable installation for the provision of hot and cold water to

the bath or shower bath, washbasin and sink.

taken from the building regulations part G hygiene Tgds. So as you can see you have to have a cold supply to your shower, so it makes sense to install a thermostatic mixing valve so that the individuals can adjust the water temperature to what they like, otherwise everyone would have to shower at the set temperature of the water heater

Amik

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120885592#Comment_120885592

Thanks!

This is interesting. But what is the definition of  suitable installation for the provision of hot and cold water? I can regulate the temperature with immediate affect on the instant water heater temperature control. If I just want cold water I set it to off.

Sleeper12

I turn on my shower and adjust the temperature before I get in. The reason I do this is because the four adults in the house like different temperature to shower in. Some people have a warm shower and want it cooler for the last 30 seconds. I set the temperature for myself much cooler on a hot summers day and much hotter in the middle of winter.

The building regulations as quoted above say that all of these adjustments I describe in my own home must be able to to be controlled while inside the shower. Under the building regulations you must have a hot & cold supply to the shower AND you must be able to adjust the temperature while in the shower.

I don't see why a regular mixing valve won't work for you. Setting it fully hot will give you the full temperature that your instant heater puts out. Reduce the shower valve slightly & you get slightly cooler water.

What KW is the heater for the shower? It has to be 9kw or so. You won't need to worry about reducing the pressure because 9kw give reasonable pressure but not fantastic pressure. I don't understand why you wouldn't just have a dedicated electric shower. It will give you the same pressure & showering experience and will work out far cheaper than the set up you are talking about. I'd imagine electric shower would be cheaper to buy & cheaper running costs

Amik

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120885859#Comment_120885859

Thanks for the reply!

The temperature control will be within reach of the person taking the shower. The temperature hot/cold temperature change is quite instant.

The heating device works between 8.8 and 11.5kW (adjustable).

We want a modern looking washroom so a bulky and loud Mira/Triton electric shower isn't an option. Now that I mention it, how does a Mira get around the regulations: you just have cold water going to it and adjust the heat on the device. It's basically exactly what I'm trying to achieve but the heater is outside the shower, controller within.

Sleeper12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120886613#Comment_120886613

Can you post a link to the water heater.

Will the heater be installed inside the shower enclosure?

How far away from the enclosure will it be?

John.G

Electric showers cut the power off if the water temperature reaches 48C/50C to prevent scalding and serious injury, what temperature does the instant heater cut out at?

antoinolachtnai

It comes down to the manufacturers’ recommendations really. Does the manufacturer recommend your design (not just the device itself, the whole design), taking into account all the electrical and heat safety considerations

It is nothing to do with original question but I would never want to buy a house with this design because it is too complex and non-standard and will result in flow rates that are adequate but not that great.

Sleeper12

OP hasn't posted a link to the water heater yet but I'm betting it claims to be mains fed. To meet Irish building regulations it will need to fed from the attic tank & not the mains supply. A pump needs to be installed between the attic tank & the electric heater. The shower itself requires a cold feed. Thermostatic showers require equal pressure on the hot & cold feed. This means that the cold needs to come from the pump too.

OP can ignore building regulations. He won't go to jail. He probably won't have difficulty selling the house but there is a very strong chance that the heater / shower set up may not function correctly or may act up in the near future. The regulations not allowing you to connect into the mains is there because our mains supply is so bad in a lot of ireland. Pressure fluctuates dramatically throughout the day in Dublin. I encounter people on a weekly basis that can only use their mains fed shower late at night or before 7am when demand for water drops off. The rest of the day the shower can only put out cold water due to the lack of water pressure.

We had a chance to rectify these problems but people refused to pay for metered water and so we are stuck with a water system not fit for purposes