An electric shower heats cold mains water inside the unit. A mixer shower blends hot and cold water supplied by the home. The best choice depends less on appearance than on the existing hot-water system, water pressure, available electrical circuit and how the household uses bathrooms.
Why choose an electric shower?
It can still provide a hot shower when stored hot water or a boiler is unavailable, provided the cold supply and electricity are working. However, higher-powered units need a suitable dedicated electrical supply. Replacing an old unit with a different rating is not automatically a simple swap.
Why choose a mixer shower?
A compatible system can deliver a strong flow without heating the water at the shower. Performance depends on the boiler or cylinder, pressure and pipework. A mixer cannot compensate for an unsuitable supply, and changes may involve plumbing, tiling and waterproofing as well as the fitting itself.
What to check before choosing
Tell the provider whether you have a combi boiler, cylinder or another system; whether the shower is over a bath or in an enclosure; and what cables and pipes already exist. Ask who is responsible for electrical work, plumbing, wall preparation, sealing and waste.
Compare LP10 plumbing services and use the multi-trade quote form if the job also needs an electrician or tiler.
Choose from the supplies you actually have
First identify the hot-water system, cold-water pressure and flow, and any existing shower circuit. Then decide what matters most: independence from stored hot water, flow at busy times, running several outlets together, or minimising disruption. An electric unit can be a sensible independent source, but its rating must suit the cable, protective equipment and supply. A mixer can make better use of an appropriate boiler or cylinder, but cannot create pressure or hot-water capacity that the system does not provide.
Preparation that changes the job
The visible shower unit is only one part. Pipe sizes and routes, isolation valves, the condition of the wall, waterproofing behind tiles, tray or bath seals, waste capacity and ventilation all affect the installation. A replacement with different connection positions may require tile repairs. A higher-rated electric shower may need a new cable route or consumer-unit work. For mixers, concealed valves can require opening and rebuilding a wall; pumps must be compatible with the water system and not simply added to mask an unsuitable supply.
Questions to send with the quotation request
- What measured pressure, flow and hot-water capacity have you based the recommendation on?
- For an electric shower, is the existing circuit suitable for the exact new rating?
- Which pipes, valves, cable routes and isolation work are included?
- Who is responsible for tanking, tiling, sealing and making good?
- Does the price include removing the old unit and disposing of it appropriately?
- What testing, certification and operating information will be handed over?
An electrician may be required for a new or altered electric-shower circuit. A tiler or bathroom fitter may be needed for wall preparation, waterproofing and the finished surface, while a drainage specialist may be appropriate if slow waste flow is a separate defect. Do not let these tasks disappear inside the phrase “fit shower.”
Review the LP10 plumbing-services hub, or request a multi-trade quote with photographs of the shower, consumer unit and hot-water equipment.