Instant shower in Apartment ?

katy39

Hi all,
Is it possible to install a power/instant shower in a apartment
thats on 1 level, whats there at present is a shower with a pump and you have to switch on the emersion heater each time you want a shower which is a pain

Thanks

K.Flyer

The answer is usually Yes.
I find that a mains fed unit is more suitable, but really depends on the mains pipework and fuseboard locations in relation to the new shower locations which will dictate feasibility and cost.

Samuel T. Cogley

If the immersion is split (immersion that does the top and another lower down) and on a night tariff I'd just leave it on personally. They're pretty efficient (if set up like that) and you have hot water to the taps.

K.Flyer

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

If the immersion is split (immersion that does the top and another lower down) and on a night tariff I'd just leave it on personally. They're pretty efficient (if set up like that) and you have hot water to the taps.

Leaving an immersion on 24 / 7 is not a good idea, its a waste of energy and money.
Over the years I have tried out this theory and the energy cost is significantly higher.

Sleeper12

katy39 wrote:

Hi all, Is it possible to install a power/instant shower in a apartment thats on 1 level, whats there at present is a shower with a pump and you have to switch on the emersion heater each time you want a shower which is a pain

The downside with apartments used it's hardest to retrofit plumbing and electric. As you've no attic the cable from the fusebox and the pipe from the water tank may have to be run surface in pcv trunking.
As K.Flyer says a mains fed shower usually works well in an apartment especially if there is a pump in the apartment or the whole block is pressurised

Timfy

Simplest and cheapest answer would be to replace the immersion switch with a timer... You can then set it to come on 30 minutes before your usual shower times. These are cheap and easy to fit.

SwimFin

Horstmann Electronic 7 Water Heater Controller

Samuel T. Cogley

K.Flyer wrote: »

Leaving an immersion on 24 / 7 is not a good idea, its a waste of energy and money.
Over the years I have tried out this theory and the energy cost is significantly higher.

It's not on 24/7.

With a properly insulated tank it keeps the water hot all day, with no further electricity going into it from about 5am. Arguably it's actually more efficient than instant on set ups, assuming two people showering everyday etc. as it's heated on the night rate. It's the set up we had in the apartment and we had very low electricity bills.

Now that's all assuming the OP has access to that sort of set up. But the net points being (i) It's probably not going to save a huge amount of money than heating the water in the tank (ii) having had an electric shower installed in the bathroom the bloody mess and hassle of getting an electric feed in there from the fuse board may be far more expensive than having a decent controller installed.

Just consider all the options.

Parchment

Timfy wrote: »

Simplest and cheapest answer would be to replace the immersion switch with a timer... You can then set it to come on 30 minutes before your usual shower times. These are cheap and easy to fit.

That impractical though - what if you need a shower at a different time!

Timfy

Parchment wrote: »

That impractical though - what if you need a shower at a different time!

Mines set for 6 in the morning for 45 mins and 5 in the evening for 45 mins. If I don't use it, my tank will keep it serviceable warm for hours so I have hot water morning and evening and I'm out at work all day!

K.Flyer

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

It's not on 24/7..

Timfy wrote: »

Mines set for 6 in the morning for 45 mins and 5 in the evening for 45 mins. If I don't use it, my tank will keep it serviceable warm for hours so I have hot water morning and evening and I'm out at work all day!

Sorry Timfy, I misunderstood your earlier post

With the correct timer to allow this set up it would be a minimum cost to heat water for a shower.

wordofwarning

Parchment wrote: »

That impractical though - what if you need a shower at a different time!

An analog timer allows I think every 10-30 mins to be set by pressing down on the little buttons. A digital timer will allow several programmes to be set ie programming the water to warm up at different times during the day

If you go to a plumbing merchant, they will advise you of a timer. An electrician will fit it within a few mins

katy39

Thanks everyone