Which type of shower should I buy?

When choosing the most suitable shower for your home there are a few important factors that you need to take in to consideration before you choose the type of shower you want.

It can be easy to choose the nicest looking shower you can afford and just hope for the best but there are some practicalities you need to take in to consideration first such as the water pressure in your home, the type of boiler you have installed and the amount of people in your home that will be using the water supply at the same time. You will also need to decide how powerful you want your shower to be, the design of the shower you want and how much you are willing to sacrifice performance for design.

Electric Showers

Popular electric shower models
3 popular electric shower models from Mira (left), Triton (middle), and Aqualisa (right).

 

An electric shower can be very beneficial to your energy bills as there is no unnecessary water heating required as electric showers will heat the water as they go which means they only require a cold-water supply to work. Electric showers are quick and convenient to install in almost any home and are ideal for en-suites and shower rooms. Electric showers don’t need a hot water supply for them to run which means if your boiler was to break you would still be able to take a hot shower which can be a real bonus.

There are some slight flaws to electric showers as they generally have a weaker water pressure than other types of showers however this can sometimes be rectified with extra parts that are designed to increase the water pressure. The other issue with electric showers is that they can be prone to lime scale but there are types of electric showers that will run cold water through the system for a few minutes after you’ve switched the water off to try and combat this problem.

Mixer Showers

Traditional and contemporary mixer shower designs.
Mixer shower manufacturers offer both traditional and contemporary designs.

 

Mixer showers use both hot and cold water supplies which means you must have a combi boiler or immersion heater installed that will provide ready heated water for you to be able to have a mixer shower installed. In general mixer showers tend to be a bit more powerful than an electric shower but also depends on the level of water pressure you have in your home.

Mixer showers tend to be the cheapest and most widely available shower on the market meaning that you will be able to find a suitable one to fit your budget without a problem. A mixer shower is great for families with young children as a thermostatic mixer shower will avoid any risk of scalding.

Power Showers

Power showers from Bristan and Triton.
Popular power shower models from Bristan and Triton.

 

A power shower comes with an inbuilt pump to ensure that there is always optimal water pressure even if your home has low water pressure levels. A power shower works the same way as a mixer shower as they require water from both cold and hot supplies however the inbuilt pump will allow you to have greater control over the temperature than what you would get in a standard mixer shower.

Power showers have been designed to work with gravity fed systems and aren’t compatible with combi boilers or pressurised water systems. Power showers tend to use a lot more water than your standard electric or mixer showers which means you will quickly see an increase in your water bills.

Digital Showers

Crosswater Solo digital shower.
Many digital showers offer sleek and minimalistic design.

 

A digital shower is the latest in shower technology and offers features such as extremely precise temperature control as well as wireless control units that can be installed either in your shower or elsewhere in your bathroom and they are available in various forms such as mixer or electric. The water from a digital shower comes from a small processor box that mixes hot and cold water to the desired temperature thermostatically which means you don’t have to worry about unexpected spikes in the temperature when someone elsewhere in the house turns on a tap or flushes the loo.

Some digital showers available will come with an LCD display on the control panel and if you were to buy one with wireless or digital technology you are able to install the controls up to 10 metres away which allows you to turn on the water and set your desired temperature before you even step in the shower, however this luxury does come at a price and digital showers tend to be the priciest on the market.

We hope this guide has helped you to decide which type of shower you should buy and if it has make sure you take a look at the high quality but affordable range that we have available here at The Shower Doctor.

Back to Blog