Are all electric showers rubbish?

[BellaMoo]

We're in the process of trying to plan in a second shower room somewhere in the house (3 girls and looking ahead to teenage years!).

We had settled on putting in an electric shower because of the location and our boiler/tank arrangement but we're staying in a holiday cottage with electric showers and it's totally put me off. The flow of water is rubbish on even the highest setting...is this the same with all electric showers or is the one here just a particularly rubbish example?

I think the alternative is to put in a new pressurised hot water tank (like megaflo?) which would be costly I'm told.

[pinkieandperkie]

We have an electric shower, it's really powerful. We have a Triton 10.5kw. It's used to death by three kids.

[BellaMoo]

Brilliiant! Thanks Pinkie.

[pinkieandperkie]

10.5kw is not most powerful that you can get in uk and only a little more expensive that the 8.5kw. Got ours from a Homebase for about £100

[JT05]

We have a Mira shower, it's great and located at the top of a 3 storey house. No water pressure problems.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

We have a Mira, really powerful.

[hmcAsWas]

No - as with most things, you get what you pay for

[PitchFork]

they are fine if you have decent water pressure.

[NotPennysBoat]

We have water pressure issues, so we had a pump installed in our ensuite shower. It cost about £300 and was fitted behind the wall at the same time as the shower/before tiling. Brilliant water pressure in there now, only drawback is that's it's very noisy.

[BellaMoo]

I think our water pressure is fine although we have a pump from the hot water tank to our bathroom and the shower pressure is amazing.

Thanks for the advice.

[TondelayaDellaVentamiglia]

def go for a 10.5kw, they are fine with the mains pressure.

[PigletJohn]

Are all electric showers rubbish?

Compared to what?

A typical electric shower is about 10kW of power and delivers a weedy trickle, which, in winter especially, will not be very hot.

A typical combi boiler is about 30kW so can deliver three times as much.

A vented cylinder can deliver, more, hotter, but at lower pressure unless you add a pump.

An unvented cylinder can deliver more, hotter, at about mains pressure.

[BellaMoo]

Ah thanks PigletJohn!

So, in previous houses we've had combi boilers - lovely shower pressure (until someone runs a tap somewhere else in the house).

Currently we have (I guess) a vented boiler with a pump and it's great.

I am guessing that we may need to upgrade to an unvented tank in order to run two good showers? Or can we get away with adding an electric shower to our current set up?

[PigletJohn]

An unvented cylinder can be best, provided that you have a good flow into the house.

See "supply pipe" here

Try your bucket and stopwatch.