• Adding colour to your bathroom

• Buying a new bathroom (Part 1)

• Essential, but never boring….toilets!

• How to pay for a new bathroom?

• A guide to bathroom furniture

Best power for your shower

A shower should be a sensory pleasure, to either revive or relax depending on your mood. Like a bath, your shower is often the focal point of your bathroom and comes in many shapes, sizes, and style. Finding the right shower can be tricky as there are many different components to think about from the type of shower itself to the shower tray, shower head and, of course, the style of enclosure. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the number of decisions that need to be made as well as the wide range of choice available.

Let’s start by looking at which type of shower to choose. Things to consider include:

• What type of boiler do you have? Combi boilers and older gravity-fed systems work very differently, so need different types of shower
• How is your water pressure? If it is low, there are ways to boost it. If you are using mains pressure, this is less likely to be an issue.
• How big is your boiler tank? Do you find you often run out of hot water? You can address this concern with an electric shower

The options are:

Digital Shower

Digital showers can be controlled by a panel located anywhere within a 10-metre radius of the shower. The panel then communicates with the power unit, located either in the loft or airing cupboard, to adjust the flow and temperature of the water. Water at a preferred temperature is then delivered through the ceiling or wall to the showerhead, and there is no unsightly plumbing visible. They are available as electric or mixer variations and can be operated by remote control.

Electric Showers

Electric showers draw on the cold-water supply and heat the water on demand. The cold water is heated by an element providing hot water instantly, it is quick and easy to install and extremely economic as it only heats the water it needs. Electric showers are more bulky, though less expensive, than mixer showers. More expensive models feature integral pumps which can improve the flow rate. Electric showers remain a popular option for second bathrooms that are generally used at off-peak times.

Mixer Showers

Mixer showers draw from both the hot and cold-water supplies and usually deliver higher flow rates. This type of shower is ideal for homes with readily available hot water such as a combi boiler or large capacity hot water cylinder. Both hot and cold water is mixed within the unit and then delivered through the shower. A pump can be added in the case of low water pressure.

Power Showers

Power showers draw from both hot and cold-water supplies and include an integrated pump to boost the flow rate. This type of shower is ideal where there is a low-pressure system as it offers the option of a high flow rate shower. Hot and cold water is mixed within the unit and the water is delivered through the shower similarly to a mixer shower.

Eco Showers

Eco showers feature a factory fitted flow regulator, with a focus on water efficiency. Available in both electric or mixer variations, Eco showers offer up to a 50% reduction in water usage compared to conventional mixer showers so are very economical.

28th Sep 2020