Electric showers - can we do any "better" than our old Mira Vie 9.5kw

[rogerzilla]

Have a look at the regs. 6mm cable can be ok for up to 9.5kW (which is still fairly weedy) if short and surface-mounted - it's all about heat. As fossyant says, duration is also a factor and most are rated for 15 minutes' use per hour, or similar.

Electric showers are fairly horrid things, though, never being quite powerful enough, expensive to run, and short-lived in hard water areas because the small heater tank can't be descaled. If you have a pressurised hot water system from a combi or an unvented cylinder, try to use that instead. Even gravity showers can be good if plumbed correctly, with all formed bends in the pipework.

 

[presta]

Depending on size of shower and distance you need minimum 6mm cable or 10mm if bigger and further from the mains.

As per the table above.

I change mine every 4yrs or so as its hard water here

The water here in East Anglia is reputedly some of the hardest in the UK, but my first shower lasted over 20 years not out, and the second one 25 years. From the way in which it went pop and blew the vent, I'm assuming it was scale build up that saw it off eventually though.

 

[Beebo]

Our Mira is 15 years old, and faulty. That's a good innings, in my view, so I'm happy to retire it, but I don't want to replace with something flashy-but-less-reliable.
Having said that, the pressure could be better in winter.

So I'd like more ooomph .. but are there fundamental limits with standard electric showers and british (cold) water supply?

Mira have a very good service and parts department. You may be able to fix it.

 

[biggs682]

You may be able to fix it.

If not give bob the builder a call cause he can fix it

 

[matticus]

If not give bob the builder a call cause he can fix it

... but can WE fix it??

 

[biggs682]

This all sounds so familiar, our friendly plumber has always fitted Bristan units as and when they failed. First one lasted years next one lasted about 3 years and current one is about 3 years old but he has warned us that Bristan have stopped selling showers due to reliability issues.

 

[MontyVeda]

Our Mira is 15 years old, and faulty. That's a good innings, in my view, so I'm happy to retire it, but I don't want to replace with something flashy-but-less-reliable.
Having said that, the pressure could be better in winter.

So I'd like more ooomph .. but are there fundamental limits with standard electric showers and british (cold) water supply?

IME Mira are one of the better manufacturers. I replaced like for (almost) like a few years ago, but liking a bit of oomph too, i opted for a Mira sport shower with the 'airboost' feature, which is just a noisy gimmick and i wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I could have saved £20 and just got a standard Mira Sport or opted for the thermostatic feature instead.

 

[presta]

This all sounds so familiar, our friendly plumber has always fitted Bristan units as and when they failed. First one lasted years next one lasted about 3 years and current one is about 3 years old but he has warned us that Bristan have stopped selling showers due to reliability issues.

They're mixer showers aren't they, what on earth is there to go wrong with those in just 3 years? Hopefully my new one will be as reliable as the last two, and that'll do me just fine.

 

[biggs682]

They're mixer showers aren't they, what on earth is there to go wrong with those in just 3 years? Hopefully my new one will be as reliable as the last two, and that'll do me just fine.

No I don't think so as it's only got a cold feed