Which Shower Type? All aspects of plumbing questions and answers, help, tips and information

[jwolfe]

I need to install a decent shower in a property that I let out.
The house has no central heating (economy 7), and it has a gas powered boiler installed in one of the bedrooms, that supplies hot water on demand to the kitchen and bathroom. Although the water is nice and hot, the flow rate is very slow to the bath, so I'm worried it won't be enough for the shower.

Having read up the options, it looks like a power shower is needed, but I can't be sure.

Can the pipework and electrical supply be hidden in the wall of the house? I intend to re-tile the bathroom as well, should I do this after the shower is fitted and functional?

Some basic questions I know, but any advice appreciated.

Jon

[marrtin]

There seems to be a great confusion about power showers. All they are is a normal mixer shower with the water supplied to the head under pressure.

In low pressure system (with a header tank) the increased pressure is achieved with a booster pump. In a instant heat system it relies on the mains water pressure from the street.

If the bath fills slowly, I would guess you have either poor mains pressure, or probably more likely it is all the boiler can supply. There is nothing you can do to improve this.

Most rental properties I see have electric showers fitted. They are generally the cheapest option.

Install the pipework and electrics (must be part p qualified) in cavities or below plaster first, then tile, then fit shower and riser rail etc.

[DONFRAMAC]

You can get a decent pump-assisted electric shower from Mira, supplied from a header tank. Their top power model is 10.8 kw and delivers 16 litres/minute. Go onto their website and request their catalogue and price list, then look on the web for a good price.

[DONFRAMAC]

If your instant water-heater is in fact a combi, then you can expect the bath flow to appear feeble, as it is with my new 28 kw condensing combi, which is perfect in all other uses, including an "all systems" blender shower, which had to replace the old gravity-fed blender-shower.
I selected my shower from a large range of well-priced thermostatic showers in the "Mira" range, which is the only brand I have ever bought.