Chrome Taps and Showers

How To Choose The Correct Shower To Suit Your Home

Starting the day with fresh, invigorating shower is one of the the best ways to start your day off, but if you choose the wrong shower or your current shower is of poor quality then you might find this article helpful in choosing the correct shower to suit your home. Showers are convenient, space-saving, and also energy efficient, using on average only a fraction of the water it takes to fill a bath. Before choosing a shower for your bathroom, you will need to check your water pressure, you will also need to make a choice between a mixer shower, electric shower or power shower.

Check your water pressure.
Find out what sort of hot water supply you have, as this can have an effect on your choice of shower. Combination boilers offer the highest water pressure, but do not work well with power showers or shower booster pumps as the combination boiler does not allow for dragging of water feeds, but work well with mixer showers where the hot and cold water supplies must be at equal pressure for effective showering. If your home has a low-pressure gravity fed water system where hot water is stored in a tank in the airing cupboard and the cold water is supplied from a tank in the loft, then you will enjoy a reasonably powerful shower as long as there is at least a one metre drop from the bottom of the cold water storage tank to the top of the shower head, add a shower booster pump or a power shower to get the most from your shower. If the drop is less than 1 meter and you don’t want to install a booster pump or pumped shower it may be possible to raise the cold water tank by placing it on a platform giving you a greater gravity drop. If you need further assistance with assessing water pressure, a qualified plumber or professional bathroom installer will be able to help. For homes with high-pressure systems, a mixer shower will perform best taking water from both the hot and cold water supplies and mixing them to accurately via the shower valve to reach the desired temperature, making mixer showers ideal for homes with a plentiful supply of pressurised hot water. Choose from exposed shower valves, rigid riser showers where the pipe work is easily installed to your tiles, or concealed shower valves where the valve is seen, but the pipe work is hidden behind the wall.

Thermostatic mixer shower
The addition of thermostatic mixer control gives added convenience as an inbuilt thermostat ensures water temperature is constant and may also include a locked max temputure switch to prevent scaulding, which can be overided. A safe option for young children, or the elderly, this is also a good choice for busy family homes as the inbuilt control also ensures that the water temperature will not be affected by water being used elsewhere in the house.

Shower Panel Towers.
For a luxurious variation on the mixer shower. Why not try the full body shower experience, offered by the shower panel towers with built in shower body jets. Unlike the traditional mixer shower with just one fixed head, these stylish showers feature directional jets which massage and clean the whole body. This type of shower requires fairly high pressure to perform well.

Power Showers.
Ideal for homes with low water pressure, but are a heavy drain on water rescources as power showers use a lot more water than any traditional shower, sometimes more than having a bath. a power shower will take water feeds from the hot and cold storage tanks, mix them together to reach the ideal temperature and then boost water flow with a small built in electric pump. It’s easy to operate and there is greater control over both the pressure and temperature of water than with a mixer shower, resulting in an exhilarating shower experience.

Electric Showers.
Suitable for any domestic water system, an electric shower will only take water from the mains cold water supply, heating up only the amount used each time, making it an economical choice, and also suitable for busy family bathrooms where showers are in frequent use. The greater the KW rating, the higher the flow of water at desired temperature. Look for models featuring a stabiliser as this will ensure the temperature and water supply remain unaffected by other water usage elsewhere in the house.

Special features to look for.
Multi-spray showerheads offer a choice of spray patterns usually selected by rotating the outer-ring on the spray head. Also look for large ceiling mounted showerheads offering a rain-style shower.

Accessories.
Look for soap dishes or hanging hooks, often supplied with electric showers and rigid riser showers.
Easy-grip controls
Look for dials that are easy to grip, turn and clearly labelled.

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