Recommend an Electric Shower

techeng

All,

Currently have a Triton T90i shower, element just gone and planning to replace. It over 14 years old.

Never happy with the water power we got from the

Water was rarly really hot.

Would appreciate some recomendations

JOHNPT

I would replace with a similar Triton t90 - fixing holes plumbing and electrics will be in same position - shouldn't take long to replace.

evosteo

triton t90xr in tj omahoneys for i think €210

very very good price

Bruthal

If the OP does not find the electric shower they had had enough flow power, then any new electric shower will likely be the same. The only way to get a higher water flow rate at the same temperature is a higher kw element.

The one being replaced might be 8.5kw and so if a 9.5kw one replaces it, then that will give a little more flow at the same temperature.

They will also have a higher flow rate in the summer than the winter, as in winter the water is colder in the storage tank, and so the temperature dial has to be turned up to get the colder water to the preferred temperature, which reduces flow rate.

For a more powerful flow rate, a power shower would be needed, which uses pre heated water from the hot water cylinder mixed with cold for the desired temperature, and so it can pump it at higher rates, where as the electric one heats the water as its used, which is why it has a certain flow rate for a given temoerature. Increasing the temperature on the dial is achieved by simply reducing the flow rate. Thats all the temperature dial does, varies flow rate.

Overall anyway, the triton t90xr`s i think are good, get the 9.5kw version at least anyway.

JOHNPT

If he installs the 9.5KW would he not have to change the cable from 6mm to 10mm?

Bruthal

JOHNPT wrote: »

If he installs the 9.5KW would he not have to change the cable from 6mm to 10mm?

Yes it would be recommended alright. But if they are not happy with the flow rate now, they probably still wont with the 9.5kw one, especially in the winter.

JOHNPT

Whats the max kilowatt rating of a shower that can be used when using 6mm cable.

zipzoc

robbie7730 wrote: »

If the OP does not find the electric shower they had had enough flow power, then any new electric shower will likely be the same. The only way to get a higher water flow rate at the same temperature is a higher kw element.

The one being replaced might be 8.5kw and so if a 9.5kw one replaces it, then that will give a little more flow at the same temperature.

They will also have a higher flow rate in the summer than the winter, as in winter the water is colder in the storage tank, and so the temperature dial has to be turned up to get the colder water to the preferred temperature, which reduces flow rate.

For a more powerful flow rate, a power shower would be needed, which uses pre heated water from the hot water cylinder mixed with cold for the desired temperature, and so it can pump it at higher rates, where as the electric one heats the water as its used, which is why it has a certain flow rate for a given temoerature. Increasing the temperature on the dial is achieved by simply reducing the flow rate. Thats all the temperature dial does, varies flow rate.

Overall anyway, the triton t90xr`s i think are good, get the 9.5kw version at least anyway.

I guess there's no way to change from electric to power shower?

grousedogtom

JOHNPT wrote: »

Whats the max kilowatt rating of a shower that can be used when using 6mm cable.

That would depend on the length of the cable run from consumer unit to shower unit.

Stoner

My house has a short run, only about 7M to the shower, it's cabled in 6sq and it's a 9.6KW shower. The manufactures will recommend a 10 sq cable for a 9.5KW unit and according to the regulations it would be the case too, that said there are plenty of people feeding 9.5KW showers with 6sq cable, but as i said the recommendation here will always be to use 10sq. I never use the shower on max so I'd never approach the 9.5KW, but that's not the point, I've a 30Amp protection device on the shower too.

the flow rate / head of water can effect the rate of flow if the feeder tank is too near to the shower, I think the recommendation is a minimum of 3foot/1M between the bottom of the breaker tank and the top of the shower.

Sticking to the one brand as John says is always good for replacement reasons, but as Robbie says it's not going to remove the issues the older shower had. It wold be a lot more expensive to replace what you have with a power shower, but if you can it's the way to go alright.
However they need hot water from somewhere, so in winter if you have the heating system providing you with hot water it will be great, but you'll need to produce hot water in the summer to if you want a shower.

A lot of people have both, some even in the same shower for this very reason, they use the electric shower in summer and the power shower in winter.

To improve the operation of the current system you could try to get the water in the tank to be a little warmer before it enters the shower. This can be helped by insulating around the tank and removing some insulation from under the tank, allowing some heat from beneath the tank to pass up into the attic and heat the water a little, you would have the tank itself insulated on the sides and the top.

2011

Stoner wrote: »

I never use the shower on max so I'd never approach the 9.5KW

My understanding is that when an instantaneous shower shush as a Triton is used for hot/warm shower the element is used 100%. The temperature of the water is regulated by controlling the flow rate past the heating element. This is why the water flow reduces as the temperature is increased. Therefore this unit will be consuming the same amount of power even if the water temperature output is reduced.

indie armada

i have a gravity fed t90 downstairs and a mains fed t80 upstairs. i prefere the t80 then the t90 cause ive good pressure here in rush and the 80 runs pretty much sliently.ive also found that the t90 is affected more by the enviorment its in, ie the hard water out here and even the temp of the water in the cws tank. there are obvious disadvantages to the t80 too but having both here id still prefere it.

zipzoc

I might try the t80 so. Is it relatively quiet?

M cebee

2011 wrote: »

Stoner wrote: »

I never use the shower on max so I'd never approach the 9.5KW

My understanding is that when an instantaneous shower shush as a Triton is used for hot/warm shower the element is used 100%. The temperature of the water is regulated by controlling the flow rate past the heating element. This is why the water flow reduces as the temperature is increased. Therefore this unit will be consuming the same amount of power even if the water temperature output is reduced.

theres 2 elements in tank
so its either half power or full power

2011

M cebee wrote: »

theres 2 elements in tank
so its either half power or full power

Thanks.

So if it is on the higher power (i.e. 2 elements on) then it is going to consume the same power regardless of where the temperature knob is set (unless it is turned right down)?

M cebee

2011 wrote: »

M cebee wrote: »

theres 2 elements in tank
so its either half power or full power

Thanks.

So if it is on the higher power (i.e. 2 elements on) then it is going to consume the same power regardless of where the temperature knob is set (unless it is turned right down)?

ya

Bruthal

Stoner wrote: »

It wold be a lot more expensive to replace what you have with a power shower, but if you can it's the way to go alright.
However they need hot water from somewhere, so in winter if you have the heating system providing you with hot water it will be great, but you'll need to produce hot water in the summer to if you want a shower.

A lot of people have both, some even in the same shower for this very reason, they use the electric shower in summer and the power shower in winter.

Yea this is a good option. In winter the attic tank water is very cold, so the electric instant shower will have a lot less flow when the temperature is at a comfortable level, where as the power shower will be using stored hot water so can have a much higher flow rate, and use the water being heated while the central heating is running.

In summer, the attic tank water is a lot warmer, and so the instant shower will be running at a fair bit higher a flow rate as the water needs less temperature change to reach the same temp as in the winter, although since the shower output is fixed at half or full, to be at the same temperature in summer and winter, the shower still puts the same heat energy into the water, because it is giving a larger temperature increase to a smaller volume of water in the winter, and a smaller temperature increase to a larger volume in the summer.

So in winter, the instant shower performance in terms of flow rate is a lot less than in the warm summer.

zipzoc wrote: »

I guess there's no way to change from electric to power shower?

It can be done alright, the power shower needs both hot and cold water to it though. And a pump usually fitted in the hot water cylinder press, although some power mixer showers have the pump in the shower unit itself.

Bruthal

2011 wrote: »

My understanding is that when an instantaneous shower shush as a Triton is used for hot/warm shower the element is used 100%. The temperature of the water is regulated by controlling the flow rate past the heating element. This is why the water flow reduces as the temperature is increased. Therefore this unit will be consuming the same amount of power even if the water temperature output is reduced.

Yes thats about is. The unit will consume the same power even if the temperature is reduced. But when the temperature is being reduced, it is heating a higher volume of water (and vice versa), so the actual heat exchange remains constant.

2011

robbie7730 wrote: »

Yes thats about is. The unit will consume the same power even if the temperature is reduced. But when the temperature is being reduced, it is heating a higher volume of water (and vice versa), so the actual heat exchange remains constant.

Exactly.
My point was that there is no argument to reduce the cable on the basis that the temperature is turned down.

Having said that I don't expect Stoner to have any problems