The Compatability Of New Showers And Water Heating Systems Explained
Choosing a new shower for your bathroom is not a simple matter of aesthetics alone, not all showers are compatible with all types of water heating systems. The first and most important thing is to be able to identify the method of heating water in your bathroom. If you install a new shower system without any existing thought to the heating system the end result may be a costly mess. The concept of power showers is fantastic but only if it's actually going to work in your bathroom
All electric showers are compatible with any domestic water heating system, but power showers are not. Tank less water heaters are popular in the United Kingdom because they supply an instantaneous and continuous flow of hot water. The water is only heated when the flow of water starts and this makes them cheaper to run because no hot water is wasted in the pipe system.
The mixer showers get their name from the fact that they mix the existing hot and cold water in a special valve before it reaches the shower head. Mixer showers can be used where there are either low or high pressure water supplies. They are ideal to install within a new shower because the pipes can be built behind the wall. The mixer showers to operate correctly need a supply of both hot and cold water at the same pressure. The water can come from a mains fed system or from a tank bred water supply which can be either an immersion tank or a cold storage tank. When the pressure is incongruous a pressure balanced mixer valve can correct the problem.
A mixer shower will not increase the water flow but one of the disadvantages of a mixer shower is the fact that it can decrease the flow rate to a shower because it is usually connected to pipes which supply the toilet cistern, or the bathroom sink. Once flow rate is diminished it can lead to accidents resulting in scalding. To reduce this problem make the water supply to the shower independent if you have a low water pressure system. A thermostatically controlled mixer shower incorporates a pre-set thermostat to regulate water temperature; modern ones even stop the water flow.
Power showers are a type of mixer shower but they come with integral pumps which increase the rate of flow from the shower head. They can be installed on a low pressure system but they need at least a 25 gallon capacity cold water tank if it is only supplying the shower and a 50 gallon capacity it supplies of the units. The water supply must be above the unit for the pump to work otherwise it is forced to suck in air.
About the Author
Written on behalf of Branded Bathrooms and Designo Radiators the number one suppliers in Bathrooms and accessories in the UK:
http://www.brandedbathrooms.com http://www.designoradiators.com
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