which electric shower would you choose?

[Jennie]

Hi all,
I'm looking to fit a mains-fed electric shower into a home (downstairs utility room conversation to shower room, in an otherwise gravity-fed house with pre-existing bathroom and shower to cater for a family of seven. Hot water cylinder may well keep running out of hot water - hence an electric shower).
But anyway, I'd welcome any recommendations for showers. Perhaps a quite powerful shower, but with value for money (the householders, like us all, are on a budget). Plus also something that isn't too fiddly to install.
Thanks everyone,
Jennie

 

[AWheating]

either a mira or triton. the power will depend on the kw rating and the cold supply performance. It will cost more for the sparks to wire it up than the shower. What does your plumber recommend?

 

[Jennie]

either a mira or triton. the power will depend on the kw rating and the cold supply performance. It will cost more for the sparks to wire it up than the shower. What does your plumber recommend?

I've heard they're excellent shower makes. I'll look into them.

As it happens, I am the plumber. I'm only a couple of weeks away from finishing my NVQ2 (am continuing to level 3). I'm obviously lacking experience, but am now at the stage of needing to learn through more hands-on work. But a lad about the same level as me managed to fit one ok recently, which gives me hope.

Fortunately the householder has got a DIY handyman friend who knows a bit about electrics. There are electricity connections in the vicinity, which he's happy to do.

What's your experience of fitting showers? Are there any tricky bits/issues I could do with forewarning about?

Thanks for your advice,

Jennie

 

[mutley racers]

if there is no electrical supply for a shower there, you need a qualified electrician to put a cable to the fuse board. It cannot be done by a diyer!!!

 

[mutley racers]

easy to fit, just chase mains into wall. don't forget check valve if over bath.

 

[Rickster123]

I've heard they're excellent shower makes. I'll look into them.

As it happens, I am the plumber. I'm only a couple of weeks away from finishing my NVQ2 (am continuing to level 3). I'm obviously lacking experience, but am now at the stage of needing to learn through more hands-on work. But a lad about the same level as me managed to fit one ok recently, which gives me hope.

Fortunately the householder has got a DIY handyman friend who knows a bit about electrics. There are electricity connections in the vicinity, which he's happy to do.

What's your experience of fitting showers? Are there any tricky bits/issues I could do with forewarning about?

Thanks for your advice,

Jennie

hi Jennie, the shower should be a fairly straightforward job. But I'm worried by the DIY handyman who's going to connect the electrics. A badly wired electric shower can be deadly so I'd recommend you suggest an electrician.

 

[Plum Bob 66]

easy to fit, just chase mains into wall. don't forget check valve if over bath.

Mutley,hope you don't feel I'm being flippant here but don't most modern electric showers have check valves built In. The reason I asked is I have replaced many an electric shower installed over a bath but never seen a check valve fitted?

 

[tamz]

There are electricity connections in the vicinity,

Jennie

The only vicinity for these electrics is back at the consumer unit with a dedicated supply to the shower.

 

[Jennie]

The only vicinity for these electrics is back at the consumer unit with a dedicated supply to the shower.

Hi all,

Thanks so much for your advice. The shower might just be something within my fledgling skills.

Meanwhile, I'll look into the electrics further. I can't remember what the set up is. But if it needs an electrician, that's what I'll get in.

Thanks.

Jennie

 

[tamz]

The plumbing is the easy bit :wink: Best to get the electrics done by someone who is qualified.

 

[Centralheatking]

To quite honest - (my outfit put in loads of electric showers) Triton, Mira or Aqualisa
are all fine dont spent extra dosh on digital control ones as with fancy lights
the water heating power units are all the same - just go for the basic one.

8.5 kw is fine - BUT the money I have just saved you spend it on a part 17
electrician and get a certificate - dont end up dead .

centralheatking

 

[woodytheplumber]

I am fitting more and more tritons they are all I supply now a days great value and good units if a customer already has a unit I will fit it but I don't supply anything else

 

[Kyle87]

I am fitting more and more tritons they are all I supply now a days great value and good units if a customer already has a unit I will fit it but I don't supply anything else

Heard they have a good after sales team also

 

[AWheating]

its going to probably need a 10mm cable (maybe 6mm if close and a low kw shower) running from the consumer unit to a double pole switch or pull core isolator. It will need to be protected by an rcd. If the existing comsumer unit does not have the right spec then you will have to have it changed or a seperate small one fitted at the side of it for the shower. The earthing will also need upgrading if not to current regs. You will also need a test cert from the sparks.

if the customer wants to sort the electrics then quote for "plumbing works only" and just get the shower fitted and plumbed and leave it to the customer.

 

[REDSAW]

cheap as chips about £80 worth, they nearly all pack up after a few years anyway so you can renew without the outlay.
triton!

 

[Bronze_tap]

hi Jennie, the shower should be a fairly straightforward job. But I'm worried by the DIY handyman who's going to connect the electrics. A badly wired electric shower can be deadly so I'd recommend you suggest an electrician.

That's so true. Remember once attempting to shower under such unit in the hostel on the Hebrides islands trip, and it gave me quite a bit of a tingling sensations when I tried to push the button on it for turning it on... fortunately dry (it was about to turn it on) rubber slippers helped to keep the current within reasonable 5mA limit (didn't trip the RCD)...

It always makes me wonder why the people don't think about the other electrical items (like chairs) when going into the electrical shower, and how well water is mixing with electricity... (esp if you have plastic water pipes and corroded earh bonding... and the cheap chinese RCD happens to have the open circuit in it's current transformer...).

In reality those things should be avoided... Unless your's landlords insurance policy has unlimited life insurance for the tenants...
Do not ever DIY with electrical shower bit, but DO supervise the installation - check the resistance of the earth bonding and quality of the connections during installation by the qualified electrician.
And make sure the earth bond is THICKER than the mains connectors. (the last think you want is earth fault (in heater element due to limescale overheating) + faulty RCD burning over the earth and making entire unit live with 240V AC applied across the unfortunate user.)

PPS: Here it was(is?) OK to install electrical meter with fusebox within 20cm of the water meter+ stopcock, so nothing strange the electrical showers are so popular... Also it was(is?) OK to have a fusebox above the gas meter in the same cupboard...

 

[Rob1811]

Been fitting a lot of triton t80z's lately. They have multi point access for cables and pipe work. Makes installation a breeze.

 

[kay-jay]

Been fitting a lot of triton t80z's lately. They have multi point access for cables and pipe work. Makes installation a breeze.

Crappy flow though i find. We were sticking em in on council refurbs and weren't great. A doddle to fit though

 

[Phil_Plumb]

the LA refits i was on was specifying Mira ATLs for their propertys and a complete wetroom/ end of life bathroom

 

[royston]

Use to fit triton electric and mixer showers. But over the past 12 mtns ive had alot of customers having problems with them. When they contact triton to send an engineer out ( still under warrenty) they are insisting on proof of purchase. Even though the warrenty card has been sent off !. Now i find this very annoying, as im sure most of us dont leave the receipt for the shower their from the suppliers. So now i wont fit them. Fitted a few of the bristan ones, seem ok. And the mira jump to.

 

[kay-jay]

mira all day long over tritons.

 

[Reg Man]

As everyone has said before. You need a qualified electrician and it will required Part P certification for building regulations, so the sparks must be a member of a competent person scheme. (NICIEC, NAPIT etc)