What's best- electric or gas shower?

[ilikeyoursleeves]

We are currently installing a new ensuite bathroom and need to decide on the shower. I had assumed we'd get one that runs off the combi boiler like our main shower does at the mo, but then DH suggested we get an electric one as then we'd still have hot water if our boiler died.

Not sure of any benefits / differences? Can anyone help?

Electric showers generally very weedy, I wouldn't do it myself

I have a combi boiler and an electric shower. It's a bit weedy but DH (who travels for work) has encountered many worse than ours.

Not sure how a combi boiler would deal with someone else running hot water while you were showering?

But your DH's point about the shower still working if the boiler went is valid.

electric power shower every time to be honest. If you had a pressurised system (like a megaflo) then ok, go for a mains fed shower but otherwise, get a decent electric powershower.

If you do end up going for a normal mainsfed shower, make sure you spend the extra few quid and get a thermostatic one

Power shower running off a tank would be better, though, as the flow from an electric shower will always be slower due to the need to heat the water.

of course but pressurised system is another grand ;-)

Having an electric shower so you have hot water if the boiler fails is a pretty good idea but get the most powerful one you can find. Then it won't be at all weedy. The only issue you might have is if you have very hard water. The heating units in electric showers do scale up.

Well I think my question was answered today by my builder / spark who told me that the plans for our ensuite specified an electric shower (we are doing an extension ATM). The spark has already done the wiring for an electric shower and if we wanted a shower off the boiler then we'd need altered plumbing so we will just stick with the electric. I think 10.5kw will be fairly powerful (I hope!). And we are in a soft water area so scaling should be fine.

ta!

massive - didn't mean a pressurised system, just a shower pump.