Shower advice, mains fed cold, gravity fed hot

Discussion in 'Plumbers' Talk' started by stevecbr, Mar 30, 2018.

  1. stevecbr

    stevecbr New Member

    I could do with some advice on shower replacement.
    I live in modernish house, cold water storage in loft, immersion tank in cupboard, cold water in my ensuite all seems to be mains pressure (shower, toilet & sink)
    I had to remove my old shower unit a couple of years ago due to it leaking, I believe it was an Aquadart hydraflow (obsolete model)
    I'm now in the process of refitting and replacing everything in the ensuite, but would like advice before I buy a new shower.
    I would really like a manual mixer shower, mainly as it would be fairly simple for me to fit.
    I am aware that the pressure difference could cause problems, but wondered if there is a solution for a DIYer to fit something, without resorting to pumps.
    The old Aquadart worked OK, I am happy with something that works as good as that did. This was not an electric shower, just a mixer.
    Any advice would be much appreciated
     
  2. JP.

    JP. Screwfix Select

    Fit a power shower Steve - cold off of cwt, and hot off of Surrey flange.
     
  3. Various options, Steve.

    How high up is the CWS - how well does (did) the hot flow from your shower - you say the old one was ok? If the hot flow is ok, then if you take a new 22mm pipe down from your CWS to the cold of your new shower you should have a good performance without having to resort to horrible pumps or tank flanges. Simple cheap reliable solution provided you can run that new cold pipe.

    You then choose a good quality thermostatic mixer designed for low pressure use, ideally 0.1 or 0.2 bar (Mira seemingly do some good ones, promising better flows than most). Jobbie jobbed.

    Another possibility is to keep your cold mains to the shower but fit a pressure equalising valve before the shower unit. These are meant to balance the inputs so's they come out the same, which will be at the lower hot pressure. I've no idea how good these are, but presumably they do work.

    And there's the new CWS from the tank and add a Surrey flange and pump. That's if you want super-dooper performance, but I personally hate pumps.
     
  4. The Teach

    The Teach Screwfix Select

    Shower mixer valves are available for mains cold & gravity hot water.

    Search 'venturi shower mixer' iirc ideal standard make the 'trevi boost' shower mixer.

    have a look on amazon (other review sites are available) for trevi boost shower,read reviews-Q&A's from end users,venturi showers need to be installed as per the manufactures instructions :)
     
    Deleted member 33931 likes this.
  5. stevecbr

    stevecbr New Member

    Thanks for your replies.
    To clarify, the Cold water storage is in the loft, raised about 9 inches by wood sitting in the roof joists.
    The shower is on the 1st floor of the main bedroom, so not much head distance from CWT
    What I dont quite get the house was built in the late 1990/early 2000 by persimmons, and all my neighbours have the same system, ie mains fed cold, gravity fed hot, so they must have been very common throughout my estate. I would just assume that like for like replacements would be a common thing.
    As for power, it wasnt super powerful, but perfectly acceptable to get washed under.
    The teach, is this sort of thing suitable, as it says it works for unbalanced systems https://www.heatandplumb.com/acatal...MIu7vi0oyW2gIVxDHTCh3FGwvZEAEYASABEgLQkvD_BwE
     
  6. That's 4 options, then :)

    Fill yer boots, Steve :D
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice