Cabling for 8.5kw shower

[kevnurse]

Although the electricians are undoubtedly giving you all the right answers, I suggest you seriously think about a mixer shower. Firstly, you are allowed to do all the work yourself, without formal qualification, just common sense and some some practical ability. IMHO electric showers should only be fitted when a gravity mixer or power shower is virtually impossible to install. Your new shower is going downstairs, so you have the requisite head of pressure for the hot water supply and you will have to install a cold supply in any case.

IMHO, when installing a mixer shower you, or a plumber, will focus on pipework only. However, any new work on your electric supply, to enable installation of an electric shower will involve major changes to your fusebox, etc, which is far more expensive due to the legalities of notifiable work, which requires an electrician, who will have to inspect and repair your your existing wiring and distribution before actually doing the wiring to the shower. Given that you already have a shower, any delay in getting a plumber to do the pipework isn't going to be inconvenient.

You have probably already considered the option, but I thought I'd mention it just in case. Apart from anything else, in my experience, a mixer is a better (more powerful) shower anyway.

 

[NewOrder]

I agree, we have a mixer shower in the bathroom and its brilliant, the preasure is really really good, and it uses water from the hot water tank, so no circuits int he bathroom to worry about.

The downside to them is they cost well over £100 for a good one but if you plumb it wrong the worst that will happen is a leak, witre a shower wrong well I don't want to think about it.

 

[aptsys]

IMHO electric showers should only be fitted when a gravity mixer or power shower is virtually impossible to install.

Or they should be installed when the householder doesn't heat up the hot water tank every day. In my previous house we never actively set the boiler to heat the hot water as we didn't use any. It used to get warm from having the central heating on, but that's it.

 

[plugwash]

If you have a tank based system then with a mixer you lose the ability to take showers if some other members of the family run a few too many baths.

If you have a combi then you are really putting all your eggs in one basket by having a mixer shower. If the combi fails you won't be able to have any showers until you have got a gas fitter out.

An electric shower is completely independent of the hot water system, IMO this is a significant advantage.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Firstly, you are allowed to do all the work yourself, without formal qualification,

Ditto for electric showers.

IMHO electric showers should only be fitted when a gravity mixer or power shower is virtually impossible to install.

Or when you don't have a stored hot-water system, or if you do but it's too small to cope with your requirements, or if you want a shower capability which is independent of your other water heating system.

However, any new work on your electric supply, to enable installation of an electric shower will involve major changes to your fusebox, etc,

Not necessarily - it depends on what's there.

And in this case it could do with an upgrade anyway.

which is far more expensive due to the legalities of notifiable work, which requires an electrician,

It doesn't require it, but it might be cheaper than DIYing and notifying.

Are electricians more expensive than plumbers?

Apart from anything else, in my experience, a mixer is a better (more powerful) shower anyway.

They all have different pros & cons.

I've got an electric shower, and I find it perfectly satisfactory, but I'm adding a downstairs shower which will be a mixer off the combi...