Aqualisa showers…which one?

[dabchick88]

Putting in a new bathroom atm and not sure which shower to get. We want something with good pressure flow and reliable but not too bothered about appearance. We have just had a new large comb boiler put in and i have seen on here that PigletJohn recommends aqualisa. Any recommendations as to which one? Have looked at the visage which you can get for around £300 online but I also seen good reviews for quartz? Also any comments on whether to go for exposed or concealed valve? I have heard exposed is easier to fix if you get problems. Any advice much appreciated

[PigletJohn]

Exposed with the round mixer.

There are digital ones that I think are just a gimmick.

Then look at the knob to consider how much it will hurt if you bump into it. There is currently a fashion for spikes.

Measure your flow in litres per minute. A drencher head uses a lot of water.

Chromed brass is the most durable material.

[dabchick88]

Thank you PigletJohn I had been wondering whether we really needed a digital one.
I have seen this one, does it look like a good deal?

www.plumbworld.co.uk/aqualisa-aspire-dl-exposed-18533-23710/reviews#tab-reviews

No sure I'm mad on the spiky knob but it does seem a good price.

[dabchick88]

Most of the other ones with round mixers seem to be either digital or only available in concealed valve for example this seems a good price but is digital
www.screwfix.com/p/aqualisa-visage-hp-combi-flexible-thermostatic-digital-shower-satin-chrome/86475?cm_sp=Search--SearchRec--Area3&_requestid=57035

[MincePieDiet]

I've got that one as recommended by piglet John! Am about to do another room with the Aquavalve which is currently 300ish from plumbworld. Also recommended by piglet John!

[MincePieDiet]

It's the aspire not the digital one. The spiky bit is quite short in reality and fronted by the round bit (technical term!).

[dabchick88]

Are you buying the valve only for the aquavalve MincePieDiet? I can't seem to see the package for less than £400 + online but I can see plumbworld are selling the valve on its own?
Glad you liked the aspire and that the spiky bit is short

[PigletJohn]

I don't think the digital ones can have the round mixing valve, which is the best feature of the Aqualisa showers, very reliable and spare parts available. The bar ones are not as good.

I have been very pleased with Plumbworld.

The description says that it is connected to pipes coming through the wall from behind, but if you look at the elbows on the side of the mixer, you can loosen the nuts and turn them up or down, so they can be connected to chrome or stainless exposed pipes. If you want to do that, best to ask the makers if you need any extras. When I did it I would have had chrome connectors to hand.

Recessed showers are fine until they go wrong and you have to break tiles and dig out the wall. Would be OK in a false wall where you have access from behind.

[MyFirstName]

We have the second (digital) aqualisa one you linked to. Love it. Only been 2 years since fitted but no problems. We have a megaflow tank and good water pressure so have a great shower from it.

I love the fact it does do the "premix" of the water so when your 6 year old flushes the loo there are no dips in temperature or sudden scaldings. It also means I can leave said 6yo to have a shower without worrying that the temperature will suddenly change. Getting him (and his sister) out of the shower is a totally different matter......

[Aqualisa]

Hi dabchick88 our Quartz Digital shower has a neat round design, in either exposed or concealed options - neither require cutting large holes in your wall so are straightforward to install. I've attached a couple of images to show concealed and exposed controls.

Digital showers ensure that you never step into a cold shower. Our digital showers have an indicator LED light that flashes until the shower reaches your desired temperature. The shower can also be started from outside the shower cubicle so that you don't get a wet arm. They’re fantastic for busy parents. Temperatures can be set

They’re also easy to install so your plumber will be happy. The digital valve can sit either in the loft, under the bath or in a nearby cupboard so can be serviced easily without having to remove any tiles. PigletJohn we’d love to change your mind about digital! :)

If you require further information please look at our website: //www.aqualisa.co.uk

If you’re not sure about moving to a digital shower, we also have a wide range of mixer valves that will satisfy your needs. Aspire DL is a great choice.

Good luck with your bathroom! We’d love to see photos when it’s done, please tweet us @AqualisaShowers

Lucy @ Aqualisa

[ClaudiaNaughton]

We've got 2 Aqualisa Quartz digital showere fitted 7 years ago and they are terrific. Lovely to step into a warm shower with no fiddling around. Our plumbers said they have them at home too. Highly recommended.

[MuscatBouschet]

We also have the quartz digital and are very happy with it. Great to be able to turn it on from outside cubicle. Our reset switch etc is up in the loft. Also good that it flashes if the water doesn't reach the right temperature, eg if boiler went out over night and you didn't realise. Saved us many times before we got a new boiler!

[hiccupgirl]

We have the Aqualisa Quartz digital one with exposed fittings. It was put in 5 years ago when the whole heating and hot water system was overhauled.

It is a fantastic shower and as said above the water is premixed and reasonably controlled in temperature. Ours runs from a combi boiler and it does sometimes run cold for a few seconds if someone flushes the toilet but it never goes scalding hot.

[dabchick88]

Thank you everyone your comments have been really helpful

[twainiac]

We have an Aqualisa Quartz, looks just like the one shown above. No idea what goes on with ours, but we are on our third controller as the 'boost' button gets stuck on. It's done it again, but now it's out of its 5 year (grateful for that!) warranty we will just live with it.
Sorry to throw the cat amongst the pigeons. Everyone else seems to rate them, the rest of it works great, but very disappointed with ours.

[ClaudiaNaughton]

twain do you think it could have been installed incorrectly? Think I might have Aqualisa to have a look at it. Nothing has gone wrong with our 2 used daily for seven years. (Fingers crossed firmly).

[PigletJohn]

I have know shower mixers get clogged or seize with limescale deposits, but it is unusual to have one fail so soon.

[twainiac]

Thanks for the ideas - it's been replaced under warranty bu Aqualisa engineers, so I thinks the installation is ok.

The last one (current one), failed within about 3 months! It is just the boost button that gets stuck, the rest of it works fine. I think we'll just live with it, but should the whole thing fail maybe a non digital one would be the way to go.

[QuantumCat]

Not sure if this is too late to be any use, but we have the Aqualisa Visage and love it, for all the reasons mentioned upthread. We also considered some of the other models, but the thing that decided us in favour of the Visage was that it had an 'eco' setting which used less water, about 8 litres/minute compared with more like 12 litres for other models (I forget the exact numbers now), and something like 16 or 18 litres on boost settings.

We tested our old shower and it dispensed 5 litres per minute, which was very slightly feeble but we didn't need it to be twice or three times as much. As well as the gas and water bills, our hot water cylinder isn't especially large, and I didn't want to be worrying about it running out if too many people had long showers.

I have just looked quickly at the Aqualisa website and it seems that they may have introduced a water-saving setting for their other models now as well? So might be worth checking out their flow rates, if this is an issue for you.

For what it's worth, we have it set on 8 litres/min and that seems perfectly fine for a nice shower. When it was briefly on 12 litres/min, the children refused to stand under it (too prickly).

[CointreauVersial]

Pigletjohn - we had a Quartz fitted just before Christmas and it failed within 24 hours! Had to have a new processor fitted.

Having said that, the one in our other bathroom is still going strong after four years, so I'd still rate them.

[PigletJohn]

I am especially fond of the ones with the simple round mixer, it is a very good and reliable design, and spares are readily available.