3 ms·

They need to upgrade to the Irish version [1]. Presumably these are safer, and the flow rate and temperatures are probably better. Mine is rated at 9kW, so it c

by beAbU 2y ago

They need to upgrade to the Irish version [1]. Presumably these are safer, and the flow rate and temperatures are probably better. Mine is rated at 9kW, so it can get a decent stream of piping hot water going in no time. They are really popular here, and every house that I've been in has at least one shower with one of these installed. Honestly not sure why though. I come from a country where hot water came from a tank and it's pressurized to ~3 bar, and showers are glorious. So I don't understand why they are so popular in some places. I have a hot water tank (called "immersion") in my apartment, yet it's not plumbed to my shower, it only goes to the bath and basins. And seemingly this type of arrangement is not very popular in Ireland. I guess the benefit is that teenagers taking their time in the shower can't drain the hot water tank, so there's always hot water on demand. Probably also more energy efficient in the long run. 1 - https://www.screwfix.ie/c/showers/cat820272?showerproducttype=power https://www.screwfix.ie/c/showers/cat820272?showerproducttyp...

arethuza 2y ago
Do those showers you have linked to actually do the heating as well?
- beAbU 2y ago
  Yes. Temperature and flow rate are adjusted by the two knobs. It has its own 40A breaker at my distribution box.
edwcross 2y ago
9kW, as in, a 40A current in 220V? If you consider 127V in some regions, it's a 70A current, so wires at least 3mm thick for 40A, or 5mm for 70A. These seem much scarier (and prone to fire risks if not respected) than the shower itself. Without taking into account the likelihood of a breaker box tripping at such high loads. It seems that the standard rated power of Brazilian showers is 5.5 kW. But then again, Irish weather seems harsher than Brazilian weather.
- skrause 2y ago
  Seeing the constructions makes me think that we're blessed in Germany for getting all three phases even in single apartments. Here it's quote common (if no cheaper method of central hot water is available) to have on-demand water heaters like https://www.clage.com/de/produkte/durchlauferhitzer https://www.clage.com/de/produkte/durchlauferhitzer which usually have a maximum power output of 21 kW, so they aren't just used for showers, but can also fill up a bathtub quite quickly. They also don't hang inside the shower, but on any nearby wall. They're connected to three-phase power with a 32A fuse on each phase.
  - throwup238 2y ago
    Those heaters are also popular in Russia, at least in Soviet-era buildings where the central water heater breaks frequently.
- rodrigodlu 2y ago
  Both 127 and 220/240V are 32A, 40A Max. The 127 just heat less. Max 5500W. The 240 can go up to 7500W in some versions.
platinum95 2y ago
Minor point, but the immersion is the heating element that extends to within the tank, short for "immersion heater". The tanks generally also have a heat exchanger within that's hooked up to the wet central heating system, that way you can have 1 boiler so both central heating and water heating.
- beAbU 2y ago
  Thanks, a foreigner here so I just parrot what the locals say :). I do have an oil furnace/boiler, which heats the water in the tank. My "immersion heater" then is so far never been switched on because I just run the boiler for 10 minutes a day.
michaelt 2y ago
> Honestly not sure why though. I come from a country where hot water came from a tank and it's pressurized to ~3 bar, and showers are glorious. So I don't understand why they are so popular in some places. A very common (albeit somewhat old-fashioned) plumbing setup in this part of the world is an 'open vented' system where hot water is supplied at comparatively low pressure - a cold water storage tank in the attic provides a pressure head of about 0.5 bar to a hot water tank, which feeds the hot taps. That's plenty for hand washing, but not really enough for a shower. Whereas the electric shower takes mains pressure cold water only - giving you a shower without needing to replace or upgrade your hot water / central heating / boiler system. There are other options (such as a pressure-boosting pump on the hot tank outlet - or replacing the tank with something newer) but changing between types is difficult enough it would usually only be done as part of a complete bathroom refit, which can easily cost $5,000+
- beAbU 2y ago
  Thanks, so I guess the actual plumbing might not be pressure rated, so the power shower is a cheaper upgrade compared to redoing the whole house's plumbing.
closewith 2y ago
And at only ~100x the price.

by beAbU 2y ago

arethuza 2y ago

Do those showers you have linked to actually do the heating as well?

beAbU 2y ago
Yes. Temperature and flow rate are adjusted by the two knobs. It has its own 40A breaker at my distribution box.

edwcross 2y ago

9kW, as in, a 40A current in 220V? If you consider 127V in some regions, it's a 70A current, so wires at least 3mm thick for 40A, or 5mm for 70A. These seem much scarier (and prone to fire risks if not respected) than the shower itself. Without taking into account the likelihood of a breaker box tripping at such high loads. It seems that the standard rated power of Brazilian showers is 5.5 kW. But then again, Irish weather seems harsher than Brazilian weather.

skrause 2y ago
Seeing the constructions makes me think that we're blessed in Germany for getting all three phases even in single apartments. Here it's quote common (if no cheaper method of central hot water is available) to have on-demand water heaters like https://www.clage.com/de/produkte/durchlauferhitzer https://www.clage.com/de/produkte/durchlauferhitzer which usually have a maximum power output of 21 kW, so they aren't just used for showers, but can also fill up a bathtub quite quickly. They also don't hang inside the shower, but on any nearby wall. They're connected to three-phase power with a 32A fuse on each phase.
- throwup238 2y ago
  Those heaters are also popular in Russia, at least in Soviet-era buildings where the central water heater breaks frequently.
rodrigodlu 2y ago
Both 127 and 220/240V are 32A, 40A Max. The 127 just heat less. Max 5500W. The 240 can go up to 7500W in some versions.

platinum95 2y ago

Minor point, but the immersion is the heating element that extends to within the tank, short for "immersion heater". The tanks generally also have a heat exchanger within that's hooked up to the wet central heating system, that way you can have 1 boiler so both central heating and water heating.

beAbU 2y ago
Thanks, a foreigner here so I just parrot what the locals say :). I do have an oil furnace/boiler, which heats the water in the tank. My "immersion heater" then is so far never been switched on because I just run the boiler for 10 minutes a day.

michaelt 2y ago

> Honestly not sure why though. I come from a country where hot water came from a tank and it's pressurized to ~3 bar, and showers are glorious. So I don't understand why they are so popular in some places. A very common (albeit somewhat old-fashioned) plumbing setup in this part of the world is an 'open vented' system where hot water is supplied at comparatively low pressure - a cold water storage tank in the attic provides a pressure head of about 0.5 bar to a hot water tank, which feeds the hot taps. That's plenty for hand washing, but not really enough for a shower. Whereas the electric shower takes mains pressure cold water only - giving you a shower without needing to replace or upgrade your hot water / central heating / boiler system. There are other options (such as a pressure-boosting pump on the hot tank outlet - or replacing the tank with something newer) but changing between types is difficult enough it would usually only be done as part of a complete bathroom refit, which can easily cost $5,000+

beAbU 2y ago
Thanks, so I guess the actual plumbing might not be pressure rated, so the power shower is a cheaper upgrade compared to redoing the whole house's plumbing.

closewith 2y ago

And at only ~100x the price.