Electric shower problems

[Eastlondongirl]

Hi, we recently moved into a house with an electric shower. It tends to run a bit hot and cold and as we are in a hard water area we wondered whether there might be problems with limescale...

There isn't an isolater switch and the installation is a little...well...DIY-looking. Is this a job to prioritise and get a plumber out asap? (The issue wasn't mentioned in our house survey oddly enough, which picked up on the 1970s peach coloured bathroom suite...)

If we need to get it replaced, I'd much rather heat the shower off the gas boiler which I think would be cheaper. But we have a combi boiler - is the pressure likely to be too low to run a shower off the bath taps?

thanks for any advice

 

[steved101]

you can have a good shower from a combi as you will have mains pressure hot and cold, just a normal mixer (thermostatic type though).

 

[seco services]

i wpuld opt for getting the electric shower looked at before using it as you say it don't have any means of electric isolation etc

sounds like tco is cutting in and out due to overheating.
but we would need to know make and model of shower.
as said maybe be better to opt for a new mixer running off the boiler

 

[Eastlondongirl]

Thanks for your replies. The hot water pressure doesn't seem as high as mains, but I guess you're right, it must be with a combi.

The shower is a Triton T80 xr, if that helps.

Any kind of rough ballpark figure of what it might cost to have an isolator switch installed on our current shower versus having the whole thing replaced with a new mixer shower?

 

[steved101]

is your electric shower installed on an external wall ? or near an airing cupboard?

 

[Eastlondongirl]

It's on an external wall.

 

[seco services]

what boiler have you ?

 

[Eastlondongirl]

Potterton Promax Combi.

 

[seco services]

try removing the showerhead and let the hose hang straight into the bath and run the shower does it go hot/cold still ?

 

[steved101]

not easy to have a mixer shower on an external wall-whats at the other end of your bath?

 

[seco services]

ok for a bar mixer, if you don't want to concealed mixer

 

[Eastlondongirl]

(a) yes it does still run hot and cold without the showerhead

(b) if we moved the taps to the other end of the bath, we'd have to move the bath too and brick up a cupboard Possibly it could go on the side wall (party wall).

Also some point we have money would like to move the bathroom altogether, so don't want to do too major expensive work, just be safe and have nice hot showers!

 

[seco services]

turn your dial to fully cold then turn to fully hot is their a difference in the flow ?
should be slightly slower on the hot and fast on the cold.

 

[Eastlondongirl]

Yeah, there is a difference in flow.

When I say hot and cold, it does normally settle down after 5 minutes or so. So I usually leave it running 5 mins before I get in, but this probably isn't good for the electricity bills (high).

 

[steved101]

the bar mixer seco said is a possibility and they are not v expensive either (you can get them in the 50-70pounds range now).

but you will have some pipework on show. (maybe you could choose chrome plated copper and have a chrome plated bar mixer)?