Shower.

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allgram
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Shower.

Postby allgram » Fri Sep 14, 2018 4:02 pm

Hi, does anyone know / can recommend someone in Competa who can install a simple electric shower in our shower cubicle instead of waiting ages for the water to rattle around before emerging, the boiler is fine for our kitchen hot water but we would really could do with this sort of shower.
Thank you
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gerryh
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Re: Shower.

Postby gerryh » Fri Sep 14, 2018 4:42 pm

You will need a minimum of a 6KW electric shower if you want a hot shower in the winter. Not a problem at this time of year as the incoming water is often warm enough for a shower.
So, what is your rated potencia, is it high enough to run the shower?
I have an 8.5KW electric shower on a 8.8KW potencia.

Cheers
Gerry
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Re: Shower.

Postby TorreDelAguila » Fri Sep 14, 2018 5:01 pm

Second that.
...and be able to run a heavy-duty cable from your consumer unit (fusebox) to the shower cubicle. Normal power socket wiring would not cope.
Chris

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Re: Shower.

Postby El Cid » Fri Sep 14, 2018 5:31 pm

gerryh wrote: I have an 8.5KW electric shower on a 8.8KW potencia
Let's hope your wife doesn't turn the kettle on while you are in there!

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gerryh
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Re: Shower.

Postby gerryh » Fri Sep 14, 2018 5:36 pm

Not found it a problem.
I know I have a 40 Amp ICP in the fusebox and now in the smart meter but they haven't tripped yet.
I strongly suspect that you can overload them before they trip.
One day I intend putting a clamp ammeter on the incoming supply and switching variuos loads on to see at what point it trips.
Cheers
Gerry
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Re: Shower.

Postby El Cid » Fri Sep 14, 2018 5:50 pm

I hope you do that soon and post the results. I have a very specific potential (no pun intended) problem with my new Smart meter. I have a 13.8kw 3 phase supply, but the old ICP consisted of 3x20A separate fuses giving me 13.8kw in total but only 4.6kw on each phase. That would rule out a shower or any other device over 4.6kw. The old ICP mysteriously disconnected itself some years ago, so I have not had any problems. However the new meter, I am advised, still has split fuses. Personally, I think that is crazy as a sophisticated meter like that should be able to measure the total usage across all three phases, but If not I am back to the old days!

About the only option is to downgrade to a 10kw single phase supply which would only trip if I exceed 10kw not the ludicrous current 4.6kW.

Sid

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Re: Shower.

Postby TorreDelAguila » Fri Sep 14, 2018 8:46 pm

My guess is that the smartmeter will be looking at the aggregate power being pulled from all three phases combined, and if this totals something more than your contracted potencia, it'll trip. So as long as you don't exceed the installation's fuse/cable/meter's max current, you should be able to (maybe) pull all your potencia from jist one phase . . . unless the meter has been programmed otherwise, that is.

Coincidentally, Sid, we have the exect same arrangememt here: 13.8kW, 3ph, smartmeter, but a legacy 3 x 40A input breaker. GIves no problems. Endesa fuses at the meter are 3 x 100A.
Last edited by TorreDelAguila on Sat Sep 15, 2018 7:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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gerryh
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Re: Shower.

Postby gerryh » Fri Sep 14, 2018 9:14 pm

Another thing for allgram to consider is water pressure. If the pressure fluctuates, due to another tap being turned on/ off you can get very dramatic, and painful, variations in water temperature from an electric shower.
I have a pumped supply which stays constant irrespective of whether or not another tap is opened/ closed.
Cheers
Gerry
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Re: Shower.

Postby TorreDelAguila » Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:15 pm

How is that achieved, Gerry?
Chris

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Re: Shower.

Postby El Cid » Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:23 pm

I have a 6 bar pumped supply but it still creates problems in the shower if one of the taps are turned on.

Sid

allgram
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Re: Shower.

Postby allgram » Sat Sep 15, 2018 6:50 am

Oh dear me.. words and and phrases I do not understand also the complications involved ☹️ I had no idea a shower could be so difficult to to install...so,our water will have to continue to rattle around for a while yet. allgram.

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Wicksey
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Re: Shower.

Postby Wicksey » Sat Sep 15, 2018 2:59 pm

Any chance of installing a small electric water heater in the bathroom or closer to it?

We thought about having an electric shower when we very first came here in the 1990s but then realised that our 4.4kws wouldn't be enough. When we built on a small shower room we simply installed a small water heater just for that room and it worked well, and also with fairly low water pressure. (I also prefer electric water heating now compared to gas which did used to go off when we tried to adjust the temperature ... it was a bit all or nothing regarding the water heating sometimes.(

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Re: Shower.

Postby ebbnflow » Sat Sep 15, 2018 4:54 pm

Sounds like those with gas boilers have problems. What size is the boiler, how old is it, when was it last cleaned/ descaled.
An 11litre gas boiler from a half decent manufacturer (junkers, viallant) will do a great job.
Our place had the boiler outside (in a cupboard) close to the bathroom. Very quick hot for shower and about 30 seconds flow for the kitchen before hot, kitchen being the opposite end of the building.
They do need to be serviced regularly and some gobble up ignition batteries, other last for ages.
How many houses here have enough potencia for decent electric showers.

TorreDelAguila
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Re: Shower.

Postby TorreDelAguila » Sat Sep 15, 2018 5:22 pm

We had a similar problem here of a very long hot-water pipe run from HW cylinder to our kitchen, of all places. Waited ages for hot, wasted water, and injected unnecessary cold water into the cylinder. All other rooms ok.

Overcame the issue with one of these neat little units, bought from Amazon:
http://wijas.com.pl/perfect-3500-4000-4 ... n/?lang=en

Available in lots of wattages, and small enough to go under-sink. We went for the 5kW version, and powered it from the adjacent hob electrical connection, which had sufficient cable size. Has been in use for 6-7 years now, and works really well, albeit at a water-flow rate less than normal cold.

One other useful small water heater (which stores hot water) are the 10-litre units from Cointra (# 14220, #14230):
https://www.paraelhogar.es/epages/29525 ... ucts/14230
Just 1200W, with really hot water available within a few minutes. Small enough for under-sink use, and low power requirement.
Not big enough for a shower (25L+ needed for that), but fine for sink/basin/utility.
Chris

allgram
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Re: Shower.

Postby allgram » Sun Sep 16, 2018 7:45 am

Thank you TorreDelAguila,that sounds perfect for our needs and will contact our electrician and see what he says regarding installation in our cubicle. Really good advice thank you.
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Wicksey
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Re: Shower.

Postby Wicksey » Sun Sep 16, 2018 10:34 am

ebbnflow wrote:Sounds like those with gas boilers have problems. What size is the boiler, how old is it, when was it last cleaned/ descaled.
That was at our first house here and the boiler was new when it was built but that was in the mid 1990's when there wasn't so much of a choice.

Our current house has just an electric water heater which I now prefer for the shower. It does take ages for the water to come through though, despite it just being on the wall of the room behind the shower but it goes via the kitchen first :crazy: So we run the cold water into a bucket until it comes through hot and we put that on the plants.


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