Plumbing advice needed please... shower related

[Iwannamovenow]

I'm in the middle of buying a house that needs the bathroom replacing as soon as we move in, so i'm having to choose fittings etc now and will order them as soon as we exchange.

The bathroom's grim, and not fit to use... so we can't wait really.

I like this shower...
www.diy.com/nav/rooms/bathrooms/showering/showers/mixer-showers/Mira-Realm-with-Diverter-11047695

The boiler that's in the house, is just a hot water boiler.
The heating is electric storage heaters, later in the year we'll put a new heating system in, combi boiler etc.

So my question is... will that shower work off the hot water boiler that's there now or not?

I don't think it will as you need a high pressure system and I don't imagine your hot water boiler is i'm no expert though

Could you do half the bathroom and leave space/plumbing for when you get a new boiler?

Ignore that - if you look down on the blurb it says suitable for all water systems - I guess it depends on how fast the water comes out as to how effective it will be...

Thanks, dh says it should work but would probably be a bit of a trickle until the new boiler's in.

I'm the one who has to order everything, so I need to check.
Dh is the one who will be fitting everything though.

No doubt i'll be back on here asking daft questions in the next few weeks :o

that shower has a drencher head which is intended to deliver vast amounts of hot water.

That means it requires (1) a lot of cold water delivered to the house through a good-sized water main, all the way to the pavement, with few kinks and elbows in it (2) a system which is capable of heating a large amount of water.

To check (1), run the kitchen cold tap into a bucket, time it to fill, and calculate how many litres per minute you get. 15 litres would probably do. Looking at the pressure is not enough. You need to measure the flow.

To check (2) you need a biggish boiler, so you will need a good-sized gas pipe all the way from the meter to the boiler. 15mm (about half an inch) will not be big enough.

Either of these pipes can be replaced with more or less difficulty, depending on how much digging is needed.

If the water flow and/or gas supply are insufficient, you will need to store and heat sufficient water prior to use using a tank and cylinder.

If the water flow is very good, you can also use a pressurised hot water cylinder such as a Megaflow. Pressurised cylinders have to be designed and installed by someone with an extra qualification.

p.s.

the B&Q listing says
"High Pressure: Yes "
"Suitable for all pressures and water systems"

they can't both be true.

I think the "all" is the one that is wrong.

Thanks, that sounds fine to me... however dh is looking rather worried as the house is on a water meter!

The boiler will be getting replaced later in the year, it'll be moved from it's current place, so replacing pipes isn't an issue.

I don't think the vendor would be too pleased with me popping round to fill a bucket with cold water though

It's all bloody confusing isn't it.

I need a new shower but I also need to install GCH - so I'm trying to wait until I've done that. Are you sure you can't live with the grim bathroom for a little while?

Nope, the bath's black on the bottom, dodgy looking tiles hanging off the walls and we've got 3 children.

The house has been empty for 2 years, and the owner's a 94 year old lady.
I think the bathroom suite is of a similar age!