I need to replace the electric shower in my mother in laws flat. Her bathroom was refitted by previous owner, they had bath ripped out and accessible shower fitted so all relatively new. But the shower is cheap and weak. They have plenty of water pressure so I want to replace it with a decent power shower. Is this easily doable by someone with basic DIY competence or should I try and get a plumber in*
*Plumber avoidance is not based on cost, its just the hassle factor of actually getting someone to do the work, plumbers round here are a nightmare to pin down.
Normally an electric shower will only have cold feed and if it's weak & feeble it might be limited in power output by the cable feeding it. If the cable is manly enough for a higher output model, then that might be a straight swap.
Power shower would presumably require a hot & cold feed so might be more involved.
If all the fittings line up and are compatible its a pretty simple job. Issues are if something doesn't fit or breaks during disassembly, not a massive issue if you are moderately competent, but turns it into a bigger job. Technically its a job that needs building regs sign off given the location, up to you if you want to bypass that. No one will be checking unless something goes horribly wrong. If you do have a go make damn sure the power is isolated and the water is off, then check again. If you are uprating the shower then you need to check the circuit is up to it.
If the cable is manly enough for a higher output model, then that might be a straight swap.
How would I check this?
How would I check this?
Its sort of one of those things where if you don't know then maybe you need to get someone in 🙂
First check the fuse (MCB or RCBO), it should be on its own circuit. That'll give you a starting point. You also need to know the cable size. Should be written on the outer. Ideally you also need to know the length of the cable and how it is mounted as this can impact on the rating.
If it's electric then there will probably be a reason why it's feeble..... And that will be the circuit it's on.
(Chances are they didn't run a new properly sized cable to the shower)
If the cable is manly enough for a higher output model, then that might be a straight swap.
How would I check this?
If you're having to ask this question, pay someone to fit it. It should go without saying but, water and shonky electrics are not great bedfellows. If you don't know the provenance of the extant wiring, leave it alone.
Back when I had a shower installed (having never had one before) I asked for the beefiest one possible. There was a whole deal around the cabling, the consumer unit (I didn't have one of those either) and what the system could sensibly support.
Bear in mind that all electric showers are cat-wee-on-head devices between October and April. When the water supply starts to warm up after Easter they become significantly better. If they weren’t so cripplingly expensive a heat recovery device can make a huge difference to the performance of an electric shower.
IME the positioning of fittings and screw holes from the old one will rarely line up with the replacement.
How would I check this?
Its sort of one of those things where if you don't know then maybe you need to get someone in
This.
