Installing an electric shower

[swampydrill]

I have been asked if i can get an electric shower fitted in a relatives place, currently they have a mixer tap to the bath and a diverter valve to the shower, hot water is fed from the combi boiler.
If i get an electric shower fitted for them, what is involved ?, i think for quite an elderly person a 9.5 kw shower would suffice or is that too much power for someone in their 70's, is there any reason why i couldn't tee off the cold water inlet to the bath and run that to the shower ? also, do you have to have a pull cord switch in the bathroom or can a on/off switch be fitted outside of the bathroom ?
Thanks

 

[terryplumb]

cold feed from mains ,not tank .switch can be outside b/room on wall,but inside must be on cord pull. some have " thermostatic " control, but are more expensive . you will need RCD protection , spare capacity on electric cu / installation . shower needs it's own circuit. 8.5. kW gives reasonable results 9.5 kW better but not massive .

 

[dilalio]

Best thing would be to look at the installation instructions/specs of a couple of products you like and see what the MI's require.

Most popular brands will have a copy of their manuals online, in PDF format which will tell you what services you will need to provide for the unit chosen.

 

[swampydrill]

Thanks
There is a cupboard behind the bathroom wall where the shower would be fitted, this gives me easy access to run a 10mm cable round to the consumer unit where i can get a sparky to wire it all in, is it ok to have the switch in a cupboard ?, is it an isolator switch like for a cooker but not as higher rating ?

 

[terryplumb]

you should consult with spark b4, doing anything really.

 

[aptsys]

Thanks
There is a cupboard behind the bathroom wall where the shower would be fitted, this gives me easy access to run a 10mm cable round to the consumer unit where i can get a sparky to wire it all in, is it ok to have the switch in a cupboard ?, is it an isolator switch like for a cooker but not as higher rating ?

Call the spark first. You might find it difficult if you've already 1st fixed as they will be taking liability for the installation once they sign the paperwork.

 

[Doggit]

Why do they want an electric shower, and is there any reason why they can't access the hot and cold feed to the bath (for instance) and fit a thermostatc show instead. A shower off of the existing system will be cheaper to run than a electric one.

 

[swampydrill]

Currently there is the bath taps c/w a diverter valve which diverts to the shower once you pull up the small knob, the issue is the lady is quite elderly and says the knob is a bit of a problem to pull up, she thinks an electric shower will be easier for her

 

[Doggit]

If she has problems pulling up the lever, then she may also have problems pulling on the shower cord. See if there's an extension piece available from one of the disabled shops.

 

[aptsys]

If she has problems pulling up the lever, then she may also have problems pulling on the shower cord. See if there's an extension piece available from one of the disabled shops.

She shouldn't need to use the shower pull cord, unless she's planning on doing a bit of maintenance of the shower.

 

[Doggit]

Good practice to turn off the power when it's not in use, but you're right, not essential.

 

[swampydrill]

Going to fit an isolator switch outside the bathroom, anything in the concrete ceiling is a pain in the A. Will definitely see if is possible to use something to lever the knob up first though