Shower Guide
An electric shower, quite simply, is wall mounted water heater that heats water directly from the cold mains water.
Saving Money With An Electric Shower
Because you only heat the water you require for your shower, this makes the electric shower a very economical option. As they are independant of your central heating hot water system, this means also that if your boiler breaks, you can still have a hot shower.
The Power Shower
Do not confuse a standard electric shower with a power shower. In a standard electric shower there is NO pump, so the amount and pressure of water will depend entirely on your mains water pressure.
Power showers are electric showers with pumps inside them that connect to both your hot and cold water supplies. These are a form of mixer shower that use a pump to increase the water pressure, and so much less electricity than the standard power shower. Beware though, as whilst the power shower is a wonderful luxury it uses up twice as much water as a standard shower, so watch out for those water bills!
Riser Rail
The riser rail is the verticle bar attached the the wall that allows the height of your shower head to be adjustable.
Shower Head
This is the handheld attachment from which the water is sprayed. It is attached to the riser rail, but can also be handheld. These usually offer up to five different spray patterns.
Power Ratings
The power of electric showers is measured in Kilowatts, generally between about 8.5 and 10.8kw. Higher ratings will provide a more powerful spray for your electric shower and cope better with lower temperature water, but will be more expensive to run.
Thermostatic Controls & Models
This controls allow you to alter the temperature of your electric shower. A thermostatic model is the safest kind, as it provides consistent temporature control, meaning that the temperature of your shower won't be affected by someone running hot water from, for example, your kitchen tap!
Push Button Control
With push button controls you only need to set the temperature once, and use on/off switches to activate and deactivate your water flow. Some more expensive showers also have a memory function which allows you to store multiple personalised settings for different people.
Shutdown Function
This function helps prevent limescale build up, but more importantly it is designed to flush hot water from the shower before it switches off altogether, in order to avoid the next user getting scalded.
LCD Display
The LCD display in your shower allows you to see the to which the water is being heated.
Wireless Showers
Wireless showers have hidden main units (usually above the ceiling or hidden in a cupboard), and the wall mounted temperature controls communicate as a remote control. Some wireless showers also send the water supply through the riser rail, meaning you can avoid any plumbing that might effect your wall tiling.
NB. ALWAYS CHECK THE SIZE OF THE CONTROL UNIT. What constitutes as 'compact' or 'slimline' varies between manufacturers, so be sure to check your measurements.
Reducing Your Water Bills Even More
When chosing your shower, it's worth looking at a few basic aspects in order to keep your water bills down. This is especially important if you have a busy household, as water bills can creep up on you!
Water Saving Shower Heads
Shower heads come with varying flow and spray patterns, and the design of your shower head can directly effect the amount of water used during your shower. Two styles to look out for are aerated shower heads, and pulsating shower heads, which pass less water through the spray, but combine it with air/add a pulsation in order to maintain the feeling of high pressure against yourskin.
Before considering a water saving shower head, it's worth checking to see if you need one! Simply put a two liter container on the floow of your shower, and if it takes less than 12 seconds to full with the shower running on full, then it could well be worth your while to invest.
Fix Drips
You'd be stunned at how much water can be wasted via a tiny drip in your shower. Take it from us; you want to get that fixed asap.
Back to top
9am to 5pm Monday to Friday
