Showers are like people. Some are powerful, others are gentle and then there are those that blow hot and cold. If your shower is a shadow of its former self it may be time to think about changing it.
There are three main types of shower, the power shower, the mixer and the electric shower. They each have a personality of their very own with strengths and weaknesses to take into account.
You just need to make a judgement as to what type of shower will fit in with the rest of your bathroom as well as other factors like cost and space available.
The Power Shower
Here we have the alpha male of the shower world. We all appreciate a bit of power and there is nothing better at waking you up in the morning than a good power shower.
It uses a pump to increase the flow rate to give its stimulating effect. Like a body builder it is powerful but not that flexible. For instance, you can’t connect it to a cold water supply, a combi boiler or a high pressure water system. It can only be fitted to a gravity fed low pressure system.
The Mixer Shower
Mixer showers, like a social butterfly at a party, draw from hot and cold water supplies and also have quite a good flow rate. They are not as dynamic as a power shower but they are a bit more flexible.
Like a fashion conscious socialiser your mixer shower likes things to be hot and so long as you have a good supply of hot water it will work really well. It does not need any electrical connections and is easy to install.
However, if there is stuff going on elsewhere, such as other taps being used or the toilet being flushed then your mixer shower might get a bit distracted and the flow could decline.
The Electric Shower
Your electric shower is a bit of a loner. It does not need to be connected to the hot water system to work so if your boiler packs up you can still have a shower.
They are though, very economical and easy to install. It is essentially a water heater and heats mains pressure cold water through the shower head.
As the Billy-no-mates of the shower world it is not that attractive but who needs good looks so long as it does the job.
