power showers !

[goped]

hi has anyone fitted here and what are they like ,as ive low water pressure and have small heater shower but are useless no real shower , is there anywere here that sells or just uk ,thanks

[ozankoys]

Hi we looked for one without success around 2 years ago both here & in the South so brought back from UK. My husband fitted it to a top floor apartment works fine. As new things are coming in all the time you may be lucky though - happy hunting!

[goped]

hi so youve run it off mains ,, are they a good power cheers ,

[goped]

uk it is then .

[ozankoys]

Hi no not from mains he fitted it to the existing shower pipework which comes off the roof tanks.

[goped]

lloll o yes of course , looking now to buy one ,,, is the spray power good cheers

[gates]

you can buy a triton shower which is the best there is i have fitted lots in UK and have one in my house here very handy for the quick wet down but you need a 6 mil lecy supply to it and they are very expensive here the shop is go down from the main round about past the water fall one and it is the builders shop on the right op old esecs

[davedee]

Perhaps I am missing something here, what we had done was a pump fitted to our water supply (tanks on a tower) and shower is fantastic , pump switches on as soon as open tap or shower.

[gates]

davdee the point is i was under the idea they were after a power shower not livening up the whole system we all know that you can change the the tanks and the pump
I didn't relies this was an advertising campaign for you
perhaps we should be aware of posts just to get in business for the you know who,s

[bigOz]

ccNo need for a power shower! The reason water flow from electric showers in Cyprus is low, is because they use around 7 Watts and the heating element is not powerful enough to heat up the fast running water. Hence, they have a pressure regulator inside that reduces the water flow. After realising this I bought a 8.5 kW one (MIRE brand) from Argos UK and had my slow running locally purchased one changed. Now it runs like a power shower!

You can see them in Argos UK online catalog. Go for anything between 8.5 - 9.5 kW and they will do the job. Just make sure there are two setting knobs on the heater box - one for water flow and one for temperature. That indicates that you can adjust the rate of water flow and heating setting (hence there is no pressure control valve inside to slow down the flow). even with an average pressure water flow from the roof you would get a nice pressurised spray because the shower heads that come with the machines are also very good (mine has 4 settings).

If you buy one with 10 kW or more power requirements, not only will they cost more but you will also need re-wiring from the mains to the heater - something expensive and totally unnecessary, since for any household where temperatures are not below freezing, a 9 kW or 9.5 kW will do the job easy.

If you need a good electrician/plumber who is an expert on installing these (for around 50 TL), let me know

BTW - chek this out http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Browse/ID ... 4025212521

[Becker]

Are there any villas here that rely on mains water pressure?Thought they were all pumped systems.There is no way we could have had
a mains fed electric shower in Alsancak,mains water off most of the time,when its on wouldn't be enough pressure to run an electric one.
If you are on gravity fed only,there are very good showers available with a pump built in.These use cold supply from roof tank & hot supply from cylinder on roof.(need to be connected to equal hot & cold supply)Not sure what power supply is necessary. Mira Aquastream is one type.Doubt very much they are available here,so means getting from UK or maybe South.Pretty sure other makes are available. .Would mean adjusting existing pipework connections if fitting.

[ozonkoyboy]

Most Power shower pumps run on mains voltage, the hot & cold water flow pipes have a built sensor fitted to them that obviously sensors water movement, and the pump 'kicks 'in, some have the sensor on the motor itself
the connections are usually 15 mm push fit, to 3/4 inch male connection, if you do fit one always install a shut off valve before the pump so as not to,A burn out the pump, & B get soaked if a water leak occurs
You may be lucky and get one from the south maybe Leroy Merlins might have them, but they are quite easily arable in the UK, B&@ to the Plumb Centre
See this link as a guide it will give you a rough idea of what you need to do

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qQwF-PrJSU

[davedee]

Gates, God alone knows what you are on about, I was just posting my experience, perhaps you should take a little more water with whatever you are on!
I never post on here to be offensive, so why i got that reply I do not understand.

[goped]

GAINSBOROUGH EMERALD 2 PUMPED ELECTRIC SHOWER 9.5KW found ebay new looks like the one .not bad price

[Kavenkoy]

Hi .

I have installed a gainsbourgh 9.5kw into a rented house we have that had firstly a 8k shower,and poor water pressure .
The upgrade has worked fine ,but this is UK not NC.
The principle is the same ,heating water quicker with 9,5k than 8k .

As mentioned before I could have gone bigger to a 10 k or even 10.5 but the rewiring cable would have needed doing .

Biggest issue I see in NC is the des sling of the head on a regular basis

Kav

[goped]

lets hope its good .. getting to big for the sink

[bigOz]

I thing I need to stress again gents! YOU DO NOT NEED A POWER SHOWER IF YOU ARE HAPPY WITH THE PRESSURE OF THE WATER RUNNING NORMALLY FROM THE TANK!

Do not rely on the old, low kW electric heater's water flow to judge your real water pressure because they have a built in regulator that slows the flow (to enable heating at low power). The best way is to fit your shower to the cold tap and let it run. If you are happy with the pressure, then all you need is a normal electric shower 9.0-9.5 kW that come with dual controls - one for temp setting and one for water flow setting. A lot of difference in price and the "built in pump" ones have a much shorter life cycle before starting to go wrong... Go for pressure pump ones only as the last resort!

Here is the Argos page link for those who missed it: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Browse/ID ... %405cf05cf

[nuffsaid]

Hi, I upgraded my pump, bought a big shower head, installed one of those instant gas water heaters...result excellent pressure and hot water anytime....gas bottle last about 3 weeks...2/3 people using it every day.......any yapi can supply

[Becker]

goped,if you have a pumped system now,doubtful you need a power shower! If you are supplied by the mains only pressure here,would seriously check what pressure you have!Would very much doubt your villa/apt is designed to run off mains water.All systems I have seen here are fully pumped.Usually 2 tonne tank on the ground + a 1 1.5 tonne on roof.This usually supplies hot cylinder.Without pump,system runs on negative pressure.If gravity is relied on for hot from this type of system without pump, only a dribble runs from taps.At least a metre head is required to have good pressure,why they sit the top tank right on top of hot cylinder resulting in negative pressure is beyond me.

[goped]

hi havent pressure system and its tank fed so pressures not good , only way without lots money chucked at the system ,is a pump ed shower that runs off tank fed water , villa was built about 14 years ago and pressure systems werent really used

[Becker]

If you have somewhere near shower to put a twin impeller shower pump,that maybe the way to go being that supplies are tank fed.You will need to plumb it directly to shower valve with separate hot & cold supply from tank & hot cylinder. Failing that,get one with integrated pump & adjust pipework to suit. You still may have pressure loss if someone uses a hot/cold tap at another outlet whilst using shower. This advice is purely as you have described your un-pumped total gravity system. Hope its helpful.

[Col]

If you are trying the test big oz said remember to have the shower outlet at the height where it would be normally as the first test, also bare in mind that the water volume will be more with hot and cold connected. Then have a look at your roof space, if there is room to raise the tank consider this, if you can get it up 2 or even 3 feet chance are you will be more than doubling your current pressure. For a gravity shower this has to be the best solution if you can do it, as mentioned make sure you clean head regularly.

[Carbotec]

If you consider Big Oz recommendation, on top of the cost of a decent shower ie Mira you the have the cost of the electrical installation. If you say £275 for the shower and the same for the installation your upto £550, for this type of cost you could have your plumbing changed to high pressure system for a similar cost, this will give you full pressure at every tap, food for thought.

[ozankoys]

The shower I bought from Uk was around £80!

[snd1966]

If you consider Big Oz recommendation, on top of the cost of a decent shower ie Mira you the have the cost of the electrical installation. If you say £275 for the shower and the same for the installation your upto £550, for this type of cost you could have your plumbing changed to high pressure system for a similar cost, this will give you full pressure at every tap, food for thought.

That's what we decided to do with a rental house after too many complaints over the gravity system. I just could not recommend an electric shower to the owner after feedback on the quality of water, the actual shower pump, the pressure of water going to the shower pump etc. Now with a gas boiler its all perfect or as near as possible. The owner had already a pump to pump water to the roof tank therefore the main additional expense was a pressurised hot tank and labour

[gates]

Why are all these saying you don't need to put in the 6mil cable to run an 8.5 Triton unit were are you coming from and how many have you fitted
I have been fitting these for years and can tell you all the regs and installation that is needed
Most of all if you want to get the quality that is expected from these units you must install them correctly not guess
Your life could be at risk if the right installation is not respected
By the way Triton is the best believe me

[karmels]

gates.
Since when has there been any regs in the TRNC ref instaling showers.

[gates]

It is still worth keeping to the UK regs as these things if not installed right can be lethal i always in stall its own rcd and a pull cord switch in the bathroom area
If you are going to spend this sort of money do it right for the clients safety and the unit to work at its best
Thats me anyway

[bigOz]

Why are all these saying you don't need to put in the 6mil cable to run an 8.5 Triton unit were are you coming from and how many have you fitted. I have been fitting these for years and can tell you all the regs and installation that is needed
Most of all if you want to get the quality that is expected from these units you must install them correctly not guess
Your life could be at risk if the right installation is not respected
By the way Triton is the best believe me

The electric supply cable to immersion heaters, used for bathrooms in Cyprus, is used to connect electric showers because the immersion heater tank is removed and is no longer used. What is good for the heater tank is good enough for an electric shower between 8.00 and 10kW. This is the advice received from a reputable supplier/electrical fitter in London - UK.

The electricians I had used on both occasions, keep the heater tank on/off switch and connect it to an independent fuse box that cuts off power when an electrical fault is detected. Mire shower that I had fitted at my place also has an automatic cut off device when there is an electrical fault, both of these are then connected to an appropriate independent fuse in the mains fuse box. No one in Cyprus has died of a faulty electrical shower connection thus far and they have been used for more than 10 years now. In a small island as such, electricians cannot afford to make even a single lethal mistake!

If you consider Big Oz recommendation, on top of the cost of a decent shower ie Mira you the have the cost of the electrical installation. If you say £275 for the shower and the same for the installation your up to £550, for this type of cost you could have your plumbing changed to high pressure system for a similar cost, this will give you full pressure at every tap, food for thought.

If that was food for thought then my brains are starving İf you clicked on the link I gave for Argos, you would have seen the cost of a 9 or 9.5 kW showers is around 130 pounds! (I paid 110 pounds for my 8.5 kW one). The electrician/plumber who we use for all such work in our apartment, charges 15 pounds for the installation that takes less than 30 minutes. TOTAL COST 125 pounds!

As I said before, this will work perfectly well for water running at a reasonable pressure from a roof tank, when not connected to any heaters (because the heater will not reduce the current water flow). For extremely cold days (totaling only few weeks in Cyprus) the heaters have a separate "heat" and "water flow" control knobs that will reduce the rate of flow to heat the water to the desired level.

If you have serious issues with the water flow because your roof is low, and the tank is not at a high enough level from the shower head to provide reasonable pressure, then you would definitely need a pressure pump system. Otherwise you are just wasting your money...

[Neonman]

I'm a electrical engineer a Emerson heater element is 3000 watts 12 amps if you replace with a 85000/watt shower unit this is 35 amps and a new increased supply cable will be required

[bigOz]

I'm a electrical engineer a Emerson heater element is 3000 watts 12 amps if you replace with a 85000/watt shower unit this is 35 amps and a new increased supply cable will be required

I am sure the correct fuse is used by the electricians because I had no problems with the previous shower I used for 2 years, and have had no problems with this one since it was fitted couple of months ago or so.

Just to stop going round in circles, the supply cable for my immersion heater is 2.5 mm (gauge size 10) using a 40 amp fuse in mains fuse box, the second independent 30 amp fuse is in a box (with on/off) switch leading to the electric shower - which I believe is adequate for 8.5 kW. Although I must agree that a 35 amp independent fuse would be more appropriate to use.

BTW - I am very surprised that an electrical engineer calls an "immersion heater" and "emerson heater"!

[Aitchie]

BigOz
I think Neonman may be referring to the manufacturer “Emerson” who produce immersion heaters, however that aside he is correct with the information he has given. As regards the fuse, it is there to protect the cable from damage through overload only if that cable is sized correctly, it will not stop a cable overheating if that cable is undersized.

[come_on_aylin]

I've been reading this post with interest but don't profess to fully understanding it. So I have questions that I need a simple answer to.

Our water system is mains fed 2 tonne tank down, 1 tonne tank up with hot water tank immediately underneath fed by a 1 or 1.5 HP pump. The pressure in the upstairs shower has degraded over time so that sometimes, even when the pump is on, it is very low. Not much better than when the pump is switched off. The pump switches on and off frequently but I have checked that water is not running from any taps/toilets, etc. So, having read a little, I assume that there is a problem with the non return valves up on the roof which I intend to get a plumber to look at next week. However, aside from this is there any way to improve the pressure without having to do any work inside the house? I don't want an electric shower instant or otherwise - I'm quite happy using the immersion heater when necessary and relying on solar the rest of the time. So really the question is "is there a way to improve the shower pressure without adding appliances inside the house". Hope that makes sense.

[KWAKERT4]

I had a gas water heater installed on the roof, just below the tank. I paid 100tl extra for a 1hp pump between the tank and heater, the heater has battery powered ignition. I have instant hot water with plenty of pressure, even on the multi head shower in the en-suite. I had it fitted by a shop at Alsancak, opposite side of road, just past Green Garage.


T

[gates]

Make your own decision i can only advise and tell as i know also going buy the recommendations from the maker if you are happy go with it but i would not supply and fit a Triton unit witch is the best without my recommendations dont matter how much you pay right is right as far as i know

[come_on_aylin]

Kwakert5,

Thanks for the reply. I didn't think of this, so I should have said that I don't want any form of alternative heating, inside or out. I can wait 30 minutes for the immerser to heat up the water, on the occasions that the solar panels aren't sufficient. I would just like to see if the water pressure can be improved - perhaps it can't.

Re heating water - as a lot of people have some form of solid fuel heating I can't understand why back boilers aren't available here (are they?). Wouldn't it be great to heat the whole house and water when the fire is on? I take it these can't be retro-fitted.