Electric shower water supply

[johndow]

Hi All

I have an electric shower and in winter the pressure is low because of the incoming low mains temperature. I also have plenty of hot water delivered by our wood burning stove with a back boiler. The question I have is, could I connect hot water to the shower rather than cold ( mains ). The benefits ( in my mind ) would be lower running costs and better water pressure from the shower.
Any practical advice would be welcome.

John.

 

[Owain]

The flow is low; the pressure remains the same.

If you try and supply the shower with hot water then (if the hot water is from a tank) it will be too low pressure for the shower to operate, and in any event the over-temperature cutout will operate.

If you want a mains pressure shower from a vented cylinder system you need to use a mixer shower and a pump.

 

[Lime]

I agree with Owain.
You may be able to improve the situation in winter when the water is colder than normal by fitting a more powerful electric shower.

 

[MdB]

Using hot water as the feed to the shower sounds like a good idea but I would caution from the safety point of view. If the water is too hot coming in, the shower has no way of reducing the temperature to safe levels apart from shutting off and it also won't be able to cool the element down when the shower is switched off then back on again in a short period.

A more powerful electric shower does sound the simpler solution but note that this is highly likely to require an uprating of the cables to the unit.

 

[CliffordPope]

Our downstairs bathroom with electric shower is at the tail end of a long pipe run, and even 2 stories of gravity feed were insufficient to give a decent flow.

I fitted a Stuart-Turner booster pump to the bathroom cold water supply. It boosts the shower, and also the ordinary water taps and loo cistern, which used to take 100 years to fill.
Another advantage is that it renders the shower immune to "sudden cold water syndrome" caused by someone drawing water somewhere else in the house. No more shrieks from the bathroom when someone fills a kettle in the kitchen.

 

[DJH]

It's a common problem here in Ireland with fluctuating mains water pressure and the problem is overcome by fitting electric showers that incorporate booster pumps.
Triton seem to be the most popular but I can't remember the product number I'm afraid.

Doug

 

[plasticpigeon]

Welcome back Doug, are you recuperating well?

 

[Flyfisher]

If you want a mains pressure shower from a vented cylinder system you need to use a mixer shower and a pump.

Agreed. We had this arrangement in a previous house and it worked very well indeed. It was a combined 'power shower' unit with the built-in pump fed from a 48 volt transformer located outside the bathroom, so was an easy DIY installation (though that was in the days before the latest electrical regs, so I'm not sure if a 48v device would require certification these days).

Something like these: http://www.ukbathrooms.com/shop/showers/power_showers/products/bristan_hydropower_1000_xt_thermostatic_power_shower_white.html

 

[DJH]

Thanks PP I'm afraid it's the arthritis that's flooring me at the moment. No sign of a new hip yet. I think they have to get information from all the other people who have a say in what happens to me next, anyway, it was St Patrick's Day yesterday so that will slow things up a few more months I guess.

Nearly all mains showers over have a pump in them to cope with the vagaries of the water supply but they don't seem yet to be able to separate the peat from the mains after we get heavy rainfall which is usual here. After torrential rain someone goes up to the 'reservoir' near here with a long stick to poke out the debris that clogs up the outlet pipe... :lol:

Doug

 

[johndow]

Thanks all.
Almost as soon as I asked the question...I realised that it's not possible due to the extreme heat and no way of adding cold.
So, I will continue a search for an old fashioned shower that attaches to the taps. One that's longer than 1.5mt.
If anyone knows of such a thing....

John

 

[Lime]

Why don't you use an ordinary thermostatic shower control using the low pressure mains for cold and the tanked hot water supply?
Or perhaps fit a thermostatically controlled bath/shower tap?