Replace electric shower with bath and shower

[Lifesigns]

Hi All,

 

The property has a shower cubicle with electric shower and a large hot water tank in the loft with a combi boiler.

 

I want to redo the bathroom and remove the shower adding a bath with a thermostatic shower.

 

What I'm not sure on is what happens to the hot water tank, it's large and presently has a single output to the shower.

[markc]

Electric shower with a hot tank? Odd arrangement. Is the tap water pressure ok or quite low? As long as you have sufficient water flow coming in and a big enough combi to give you enough hot water for the shower then no problem losing the shower tank. If pressure is low but incoming flow rate is ok then a shower pump would sort the low pressure.

[SteamyTea]

Do you mean a pumped shower, rather than using electricity to heat the cold mains water?

 

A combi boiler usually directly heats the cold incoming mains water, which then comes out the tap, a system boiler usually heats a cylinder.

(a combi can be set up to heat a cylinder, but that is a special case)

Edited February 16, 2024 by SteamyTea

[MAB]

As said Electric showers work directly off the incoming cold water mains supply to heat the incoming cold water and do not have/or need a hot water tank in the loft if plumbed correctly.

 

Likewise a Combi boiler also heats the water directly off the cold water mains supply and does not have/or need a hot water tank in the loft. (some combi boilers have a small pre-heated tank within the boiler I believe).

 

Often when a house is converted from an old system boiler to a new combi boiler the old cold water tank in the loft gets left in place even though disused because it won't fit through the loft hatch to remove it. Same could apply to the old hot water tank/cylinder although they are less often located in the loft space.

 

An easy test is does your hot water tank feeding your shower actually get hot at any time!

 

Are you sure you have a combi boiler or could it be the description is being confused with a condensing boiler?

Edited February 16, 2024 by MAB

[Lifesigns]

  On 16/02/2024 at 07:47, Lifesigns said:

Hi All,

 

The property has a shower cubicle with electric shower and a large hot water tank in the loft with a combi boiler.

 

I want to redo the bathroom and remove the shower adding a bath with a thermostatic shower.

 

What I'm not sure on is what happens to the hot water tank, it's large and presently has a single output to the shower.

Expand  

 

I had a look in the loft today and took some pictures, the shower is definitely feeding from the hot water tank via the white pipe. Pressure wise cold water at a tap is pretty good and hot water acceptable.

 

In past properties the shower was fed from cold water so I found this a bit strange but it is an older property.

[MAB]

Triton Alicante Electric shower - Specification.

Installation - Plumbing System = Cold Mains - see link below:-

https://www.tritonshowers.co.uk/alicante-electric-shower#product.group.attributes

The tank in your loft looks like a cold water tank to me (sat on a raised platform to improve the head and increase pressure to whatever it feeds) that has been left in the loft when the Combi boiler was installed.

Have you ever confirmed the water in it is actually getting hot? Is the tank metal or plastic? Hot water tanks are normally metal (copper/stainless steel) and a cylinder shape.

I would think the cold water tank still fed by the mains supply has been wrongly plumbed to feed cold water to the electric shower which heats it.....assuming that white pipe to the shower does not go direct to the mains supply that is/was feeding that tank? Not clear in photo.

 

Simple diagram of how a combi boiler feeds a thermostatic shower valve and hot/cold taps.

Edited February 17, 2024 by MAB

[SteamyTea]

  On 17/02/2024 at 17:23, Lifesigns said:

Expand  

That just looked like a lagged cold water tank, AKA F&E.

 

  On 17/02/2024 at 17:23, Lifesigns said:

Pressure wise cold water at a tap is pretty good and hot water acceptable.

Expand  

A simple test, but not always 100% accurate, is that if you can put your thumb over the tap/shower pipe outlet, and stop the flow, the water is gravity fed.  If you can't, it is mains pressure.

Obviously if it is pumped and the pump is running, it will squirt everywhere.

[DamonHD]

That sounds like an actual rule of thumb...  %-P

[TonyT]

Ferroli Boiler is at leat 20years old!

Bin the electric shower

[Lifesigns]

  On 17/02/2024 at 18:47, MAB said:

Triton Alicante Electric shower - Specification.

Installation - Plumbing System = Cold Mains - see link below:-

https://www.tritonshowers.co.uk/alicante-electric-shower#product.group.attributes

The tank in your loft looks like a cold water tank to me (sat on a raised platform to improve the head and increase pressure to whatever it feeds) that has been left in the loft when the Combi boiler was installed.

Have you ever confirmed the water in it is actually getting hot? Is the tank metal or plastic? Hot water tanks are normally metal (copper/stainless steel) and a cylinder shape.

I would think the cold water tank still fed by the mains supply has been wrongly plumbed to feed cold water to the electric shower which heats it.....assuming that white pipe to the shower does not go direct to the mains supply that is/was feeding that tank? Not clear in photo.

 

Simple diagram of how a combi boiler feeds a thermostatic shower valve and hot/cold taps.

Expand  

Very helpful thanks!

[MAB]

I would have the tank in the loft and the Triton electric shower removed and have a new thermostatic shower valve plumbed in and fed by your combi boiler. Also as stated above your Ferroli Modena 102 Combi is at least 20 years old so it might be worth having it replaced with a newer and more efficient combi to provide your heating and hot water. Combi boilers have improved a lot in the last 20 years!

 

Also make sure the electric supply cable to the existing shower is safely disconnected and isolated by an Electrician if/when the Triton shower unit is removed...water and electricity is not a good combination!

Edited February 18, 2024 by MAB