A good 8,5kw shower (what brand)

[den9112]

Hi, i want to install a good branded electric shower at 8.5kw. I currently have 6mm cable instaled and the run from the box is 8 metres , is it worth me installing 10m cable and upgrading to a 10kw or will a good 8.5 do just the same job . Does higher kw give you a more powerfull shower . Thanks

 

[starspark]

mira sports are good showers or redring expressions.i think installing 10mm cable is worthwhile if its not to much hassle then you can pretty much fit what you like. my opinion is mira are the best although im sure many will disagree!!with 10mm you could fit mira advance there costly but very good.
you get what you pay for i suppose!!

 

[ColJack]

A higher KW shower does not give a more powerfull shower per-se..

what it does is heat the water faster, so you can turn the flow rate of water up and still maintain a temperature you prefer..

 

[ban-all-sheds]

When I bought mine I chose a Redring because it was the only one which had a proper thermostatic control (there may be others now, this was 4-5 years ago), which is a million times better than the "anti-scald" feature that all the others had.

As well as actually working to prevent it cooking you when the loo is flushed it also means that it doesn't run flat out unless you like a very hot shower, and the flow control is completely independent of the temperature control.

I would never go back to an instant shower without full thermostatic control.

And yes - a 10+Kw one is worthwhile.

 

[Fridgemonkey]

There is more to choosing correct cable size than just the kW rating of the product. Not withstanding later uprating of product, other factors have to be considered: ambient temperature, the run of the cable - eg. buried and bundled with other cables, thermal enclosure if any, length of cable, and disconnection time or shock voltage. If you are ignorant of these factors, I suggest you give the work to someone who isn't.

These showers should be connected to mains cold water supply and some showers will have a minimum main pressure to operate effectively. Sorry, I don't know how you check the actual water pressure in your own house apart from connecting a meter to the kitchen sink cold tap. Contacting the water company may be an option but my guess is they would exagerate this figure which varies with the amount of use in your neighbourhood anyway. Perhaps a friendly local plumber might tell you.

I tested showers for Which? magazine some years ago and yes, the more expensive showers like Mira performed well and had useful features like memories so that different family members can keep their own preferred settings. However, if you have hard water, a cheaper shower should not be dismissed. The heating element will eventually fail because the limescale causes the element to overheat. If component parts are not available, replacing a whole cheaper shower unit will not be so painfall. Whichever one you buy, check availability of replacement parts.