Electric Versus Mains Shower

[Caiti19]

We're about to embark on renovations of a main bathroom and small ensuite bathroom. Both are currently equipped with old fashioned electric showers. You get washed, but there's little pleasure in it. Should we 1) replace the showers with modern electric showers or, 2) replace one with mains and leave the other electric? This decision has me paralysed for way too long. On the one hand, electric showers are so bloody handy, instant, and not reliant on having the oil tank full or having water on daily. In Summer months, we tend to not use the oil at all. We have a Quooker tap in kitchen and we let the other taps just have cold water until the heating goes on again in Winter. On the other hand, electric showers are inherently sh*t showers when compared to the force of a shower using mains supply - and I do love a powerful shower! One shower is upstairs, one downstairs if that makes any difference. Any guidance appreciated!

I'd do one of each.

I agree about electric showers, all our showers are mains fed, completely steer clear or electric IMO! Speak to the plumber though as they’ll know about the force of the shower with the set up you have and what can be achieved, there’s always a pump too if needed

What about an electric power shower? they boost the water pressure with an in-built pump. I've used them at other people's houses and they're great. Keep thinking I'll get one here one day (mains pressure not that brilliant).

Electric showers are extortionate to run
go for mains ours runs off combo boiler

For me gas much better and cheaper. So long as you have a big hot water tank with pressure behind it (unvented cylinder).

One of the advantages of keeping at least one electric is if the boiler packs up you can still shower.

But if you have a hot water tank with an immersion heater then you already have that backup capability for the boiler.

one of each is very useful - if your boiler is ever on the blink you still have access to hot water, and means you can use both at once without someone getting all the hot water and the other running cold as can sometimes happen when they both run off the boiler. My electric shower is no worse than my mains fed one.

Is your electric shower new-ish? Intrigued to hear you don't detect a difference between the Mains Shower and Electric - I have only experienced them as worlds apart - but perhaps that's because all the electrics I have ever tried have been really old?

Alas, no gas since we moved to the sticks! We had an on-demand gas boiler in the city before we moved. Never gave hot water a second thought! Now, it's an oil tank.

Yes but do you have a hot water tank with an electric (immersion) heater ?

A lot of people don't even know they have them.

Yes we do! And we have deployed it several times for baths in Summer as it seems to heat the water quicker than the oil.

Sounds good. Another point away from electric showers then. No need for backup. Plus heating via immersion heater would not be that much more expensive than electric shower (unless you are heating more water than you need).

You could get one of those simple fitting things to fit over the bath taps to try out what the pressure/heat would be like from mains water if you don't know already.

I had electric all my life until the last 13 years I had mains... we are absoloutly getting electric again.

I hate the mains shower, its so temperamental completely hit and miss on temperature and pressure so you never know what your going to get + when our boiler broke we couldn't wash for like 3 weeks it was dreadful.

We had a mains fitted one and it’s was awful water pressure even off a tank so had a pump attached.

But in our new house we have a high pressure cyclinder and mains fitted and it’s amazing. For me out depends on your cyclinder pressure

My electric one is about 12 years old, possibly even more, but it’s the highest power I could get. I have thick long hair, I don’t tolerate crap showers!

Both our showers are off the mains with a pump that powers both. A million times better than our previous (modern) electric shower.

We also have an immersion heater so no issues if the boiler breaks. The only time that an electric shower would be better is when the kids all have showers without remembering to turn the hot water on to reheat the tank.

Gas (or oil) boilers are far cheaper to run than electric showers too - not putting the hot water on via the boiler and using an electric shower is a false economy.

I would also go one of each. If your boiler ever stops working you can still have a shower with the electric one. If you do get a fancy higher pressure electric one they usually need thicker (not sure that is the correct word!) wires to carry the higher amount of power they use, something to consider.

Mains all the way, I really dislike electric showers