Replacement electric shower recommendations

[clockworks]

My Gainsborough 10.5 SCL shower packed up last night, after making a funny noise the day before. Water is cold. Googling suggested that this is common with Gainsborough showers, likely to be the pressure switch. Sure enough, if I depress the pressure switch plunger manually, the water gets hot.

I could just replace the "shower engine" for about £60, but since Gainsborough have a bad rep, it'll probably fail again.
I need a couple of other jobs doing by a qualified plumber, so I figured I'd get a new shower fitted.

Any recommendations for a reliable electric shower that will fit without too much messing about with the pipework?

[HairyMaclary]

Mira Sport Max has about 6 possble points of entry for the pipework.

Great shower too.

[cossy400]

Another vote for a Mira we had to replace ours last year, the exact model escapes me but a good unit by all accounts.

[Rickyy]

Mira Jump and Triton T80Z both have multiple cable and water entry points.

[hairyben]

What size circuit breaker (amps) is it on? New 230v rated showers will use a bit more curent than an old 240v unit for a given power rating, then a bit more again when you stick them on what is still a 240v supply, many plumbers and even a few sparks dont realise this.

If hard water area and frequent use my advice is not to bother with anything too expensive and like other poster says something that lines up with your existing water inlet is sensible.

[clockworks]

50A breaker and what looks like 10mm cable.
Water isn't very hard. I never get scale in the kettle, and I have to add salts to my fishtank water to increase the buffering.

Mira Jump and Triton T80 are the same price in Screwfix, Mira Sport Max is more than double. Does the Sport justify it's higher price tag?

[hairyben]

clockworks said:

50A breaker and what looks like 10mm cable.
Water isn't very hard. I never get scale in the kettle, and I have to add salts to my fishtank water to increase the buffering.

Mira Jump and Triton T80 are the same price in Screwfix, Mira Sport Max is more than double. Does the Sport justify it's higher price tag?

Not really IMO they all contain a can with an electrical element, a valve regulator and not a great deal besides, unless it's a easy swap due to inlets etc. 50 amp you can pretty much stick anything on, would want to make sure the mainfuse is 100 or least 80, not 60, if going for the highest ratings.

Some of the fancier ones have a thermostatic function that some feel is worth paying a bit more for but I'm in the more-to-go-wrong camp personally.

[clockworks]

OK, thanks for the advice. I'll stick with a lower end Mira or a Triton.

The existing shower is 10.5KW, so I'll stick with that. Worked fine for the 6 years that I have lived here. I just had to tweak the temperature control to compensate for the variation in temperature of the incoming supply as the seasons changed.

[Alucidnation]

The 10.5 will be fine, although it will be worth looking at any installation manuals for whatever you choose, as its almost guaranteed the cable entry and pipe entry will be in the wrong place.

If it is, i suggested going for the Mira Multi as these fit the majority of existing layouts.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/mira-sport-multi-fit-man...

[NoIP]

Don't buy the Triton Enrich model. It is absolutely garbage. The hot setting won't go cool enough without scalding you and the medium setting won't go hot enough without the water coming out as a trickle.

[hairyben]

NoIP said:

Don't buy the Triton Enrich model. It is absolutely garbage. The hot setting won't go cool enough without scalding you and the medium setting won't go hot enough without the water coming out as a trickle.

They kind of all work the same way, if its too hot (low settings are more summer temperate use) you could check all service valves are fully open if so try a full bore hose/higher delivery shower head to see if thats restricting it?

More flow over fixed power element = less heat into specific amount of water, like boiling a kettle full instead of half full

[tr7v8]

NoIP said:

Don't buy the Triton Enrich model. It is absolutely garbage. The hot setting won't go cool enough without scalding you and the medium setting won't go hot enough without the water coming out as a trickle.

The one I installed 4 years ago (I think) is fine & used by an 86 year old every day.

[King Herald]

HairyMaclary said:

Mira Sport Max has about 6 possble points of entry for the pipework.

Great shower too.

We have one ourselves, fitted by our old tenant as the normal Mira showers we had would only last two years before lime scale killed them. This if the fourth water heater since we bought the place in 2006 and it has been in for five years or more now.


However, the temperature seems a bit fierce now the weather is warming up, we have to run it on the medium flow setting. On the top button it pours out scalding water no matter how far down we turn the temp knob.

Maybe the element is getting blocked?

[King Herald]

NoIP said:

Don't buy the Triton Enrich model. It is absolutely garbage. The hot setting won't go cool enough without scalding you and the medium setting won't go hot enough without the water coming out as a trickle.

That is just what our Mira is doing on certain days. I thought the 3 buttons were for water flow, so why would the highest flow setting turned to the lowest heat setting put out loads of scalding water, but the second flow ratel on hot setting gives poor water flow?

[clockworks]

I've looked at the installation manuals for the Triton T80z and the Mira Sport, and the Triton seems more flexible as far as fitting goes.
I'll see what the plumber says tomorrow

[NoIP]

King Herald said:

NoIP said:

Don't buy the Triton Enrich model. It is absolutely garbage. The hot setting won't go cool enough without scalding you and the medium setting won't go hot enough without the water coming out as a trickle.

That is just what our Mira is doing on certain days. I thought the 3 buttons were for water flow, so why would the highest flow setting turned to the lowest heat setting put out loads of scalding water, but the second flow ratel on hot setting gives poor water flow?

I don't understand the issue either Herald. This is actually the 3rd one (rented place) as the first 2 were deemed to be faulty, however Triton now claim "they all do that, sir" and so I'm stuck with it unless I wish to pay the difference for another model and fitting. I don't even know why modern electric showers have the high, medium and low knobs on them. Why not just have a simple temperature mixer where you can set whatever temperature you want? The only thing the knob settings achieve is give you a very narrow temperature bandwidth where it becomes impossible to set a comfortable temperature. The 'high' knob setting on mine is the kind of temperature you'd find in a foundry and even with the mixer as far 'cold' as it will go it still melts the skin off your body if you bring the shower head within 5ft of you. The 'medium' knob setting is basically ice cold unless you whack the mixer dial round to about 1 o'clock at which point the flow rate reduces to something akin to a fast drip and the shower unit sounds like a boiling kettle.

I have managed to find a partial 'fix' (read: bodge) for it : I bought one of those adjustable shower head roses that have a lever on the side to change which pattern you want. I find that the narrow rose setting with 'medium' mode provides a just-about acceptable water flow.

The water pressure here is absolutely fine as is the flow rate through the shower when set to 'cold'. They are just a really st electric shower which I suppose is to be expected given that they are the cheapest on the market by some margin.