Our cheap-ish (£100?) electric shower has started playing up again, not that long after we paid quite a bit to get it fixed . It doesn't like our hard water.
Options include, in best guess increasing order of cost including fitting by someone else where appropriate (it's beyond my limited abilities):
1. get it fixed again
2. buy an electric replacement, same model if possible to simplify fitting
3. replace with mixer shower (no pump)
4. replace with mixer shower + pump
5. replace with power shower
6. replace with a digital shower
For those options requiring hot water from the tank, I think we'd need it to be pumped ie. option 3 probably isn't viable.
We're tentatively thinking of moving in a year, so option 1 might be the cheapest in the short and long term - I'd expect it to (just about) last another 12 months, especially if heaviest user, son*, is going to be at uni for most of the time (fingers crossed...).
A digital shower is probably a luxury we can't afford.
Worth thinking about a water softener?
As usual, we're looking to keep costs down ie. it's definitely not a 'money no object' project.
Any thoughts?
* 15 mins of 8.5kW 7 days a week - argh! :)
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BTW to what extent will a pump be affected by hard water? Best to keep it separate?
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I don't know the answer, but 5 years ago we installed two thermostatic bar type showers (this sort of thing tinyurl.com/netyvno ) fed by a Stuart Turner pump and have had no problems so far. Pressure in the showers is excellent. Limescale at my place must be as bad as at yours.
There's a broken water softener in our house, and I've got a new replacement sitting in the garage, but I'm not seeing any problems big enough anywhere to motivate me to fit it. Even the breadknife isn't moaning about anything (in this specific regard).
Last edited by: Alanović on Thu 6 Aug 15 at 13:18
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What kind of hot water source have you got, Direct (combi boiler) or Cylinder.
I have a shed load of experience in shower pumps.
I live in a bungalow no head of water useless hot flow, hard water. When I moved in the the shower had no pump, and was useless. I installed a pump in the loft and it lasted 18 months, (salamander pump) replaced it with another and it lasted 14 months.
After much research I worked out my hot water was too hot, and having no head was causing severe bearing knackering cavitation.
So water turned down to 60c, pump (stuart turner with metal impeller chambers) moved to the ground to get head. Had ten years of superb trouble free showering.
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Thanks guys. Hot water comes from a tank, which is in the loft. It's an upstairs bathroom. Mrs F has a non-pumped shower in the en-suite which is usable, but she recommended a pump.
Would a 1.5 bar pump be sufficient? Don't need Niagra Falls.
EDIT: CORRECTION tank is in upstairs airing cupboard; not sure how it gets out of Mrs F's shower?
Last edited by: Focusless on Thu 6 Aug 15 at 13:31
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>> Had ten years of superb trouble free showering.
But: for every rational, energetic and practical individual able to work through to that there are a dozen helpless punters who will believe anything the first plumber says, and start paying through the nose to get their plumbing systematically messed up.
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So water turned down to 60c
In a hard water area, this should be compulsory! Will save tank and tap lives too.
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If you're thinking of moving soon you may want to just replace the innards - known as the engine.
My Gainsborough electric shower has fizzled out recently. I can replace the engine via Amazon so it will save replacing the whole unit and drilling new holes, messing up tiling etc.
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>>Any thoughts.
I've bought quite a few showers over the years but have never had one repaired, as new electric showers can be had for less than £100 and usually come with a 2 year guarantee, whereas repairs might last only weeks or months.
Your replacement doesn't have to be exactly the same, as any half decent manufacturer will advise you of which of their models you can install without having to alter your existing tiling.
As you're thinking of selling your property, there seems little point in going for the more expensive options.
I've always used Triton and have been satisfied with both price and quality.
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>>As you're thinking of selling your property, there seems little point in going for the more expensive options.
Hence, don't bother with a water softener, either.
For a cheapish shower that works well, I have often encountered the Mira Sport model in hotels and B&Bs.
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Clk
Spot on.
Recently the electric shower in my daughters flat failed.
I needed it fixed now as the flat was a let.l
I phoned the shower makers - Triton and they told me that it could be one of several parts that had failed so where to start. A most helpful lass on the phone help desk.
She told me which current models were based on the same base plate.
I bought a new varient as a replacement direct from them. Just over £100
Juat a few minutes to swop it over.
Electrics all in the same place and so was the plumbing connection.
A buyer will not really care what model it is.
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No NPSH (*), always a problem on pumps running on boiling service - I design that sort of thing for a living (with much bigger pipes than domestic though!).
* Net positive suction head - I'll let you google it....
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Googled it, still don't understand it, so I'll put you under "clever bloke who gets paid to do difficult stuff".
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Thanks again everyone.
I'll have a look at just replacing the innards, but I think a replacement shower as similar as possible to the old one is probably going to be the cheapest/simplest option.
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Mira as a make if you're staying put or as someone else said, Triton.
With Mira if they go wrong they'll send their own engineers to fix whatever needs fixing and the last time we employed them for a customer is was about £70.00 iirc.
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>> Mira as a make if you're staying put or as someone else said, Triton.
Looking on Amazon earlier, our shower is a Mira Go 8.5kW = £99. Only got one review, but that's 1 star due to lots of problems. Triton Seville 8.5kW averages over 4 stars from over 1000 reviews, yet is only £52. Don't suppose anyone knows whether they're compatible in terms of fitting?
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>> Our cheap-ish (£100?) electric shower has started playing up again, not that long after we
>> paid quite a bit to get it fixed . It doesn't like our hard water.
>>
Having lived in hard water areas all my life I've come to regard electric showers as consumables, but even so I generally get 4-5 years out of a cheapo (60-80 quid) ~7Kw shower. Toolstation or Screwfix often have something suitable from Triton or their ilk on offer.
The last one I replaced after 4 years was actually fine, a hard ball of limescale had built up on the metal gauze on the inlet valve, which was restricting the flow sufficiently for the shower to intermittently cut out. So that one will be going back up next time one fails.
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>> ...the flow sufficiently for the shower to intermittently cut out.
One of the symptoms that ours is on its way out is that it spontaneously turns itself on :o
Last edited by: Focusless on Fri 7 Aug 15 at 12:26
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If you need to get a geezer in, Fl, I've used this chap and he's decent:
www.ace-property.co.uk/
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>> I've used this chap and he's decent:
Thanks; I'll be giving him a call in the near future.
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Just to tie this up, went for a new Triton Enrich to replace the Mira, supplied and fitted (and Mira removed) for £170, with 2 year guarantee.
Had trouble finding anyone who would attempt fixing the Mira. Mira wanted £130-odd to come and repair it but no guarantee they could (cost doesn't cover a replacement) unless you sign up for a monthly plan.
Triton seems good, and a lot happier that the on/off is part of the power setting knob rather than separate; should last a bit longer if we do stick around.
EDIT: sorry Al, completely forgot about your recommendation (which I've just seen)
Last edited by: Focusless on Fri 25 Sep 15 at 10:51
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No need to apologise, sounds like you got it sorted well.
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new shower - Focusless
