Temporary electric shower

[Mikey D]

Currently have a thermostatic shower but no means of heating the water .
I need to install a temporary electric one , have a 10mm twin and earth nearby . I don't want to drill new holes in the tiles , so thought I'd use existing screw holes for the shower head riser rail , to fix some plywood to

mount the temp shower to.? Oh and get a cold supply from the existing mixer outlet ?

Anyone see any problems doing this ?
Is there a requirement for the pull switch to be within a certain distance or whatever? It will be on a RCD btw

 

[Kayos]

Get a Mira multifit, loads of mounting holes. I'd run a full bore Flexi from the cold, after removing the old shower, wouldn't feed it from the outlet

 

[brightspark]

as long as the isolator pull switch is not over the shower tray and just outside of it or a wall switch outside of room or in the airing cupboard if there is one

 

[voipio]

Use an immersion heater, if there's a hot water tank.

 

[Mark 5]

Currently have a thermostatic shower but no means of heating the water .
I need to install a temporary electric one , have a 10mm twin and earth nearby . I don't want to drill new holes in the tiles , so thought I'd use existing screw holes for the shower head riser rail , to fix some plywood to

mount the temp shower to.? Oh and get a cold supply from the existing mixer outlet ?

Anyone see any problems doing this ?
Is there a requirement for the pull switch to be within a certain distance or whatever? It will be on a RCD btw

All seems good and just adding to @brightspark advise, on the plumbing side, while temporary, add a check valve and an isolator.

 

[Kram]

Without drilling holes, how are you getting the 10mm twin to the shower unit and keeping it dry?


To suggest an alternative, I work outside and get covered in tree dirt and wood chip dust so I got one of these for the car. It works quite well.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0D4VDYRWB

It doesnt heat water, so you need a pre heated bucket of about 16-30 litres.
After working outside and being hot, cold is refreshing tho it does heat a bit from being in car.
I use a 16L backpack sprayer container, fits nicely in the footwell, plus a couple gallon bottles to top it up with.

In winter I might have to boil some hot water on camping stove to add to it.

 

[Kayos]

All seems good and just adding to @brightspark advise, on the plumbing side, while temporary, add a check valve and an isolator.

I wouldn't put a check valve, they rely on the water going back into the cold to allow for expansion of the hot water

 

[Mark 5]

I wouldn't put a check valve, they rely on the water going back into the cold to allow for expansion of the hot water

My understanding is or I have assumed it will be a single mains cold feed supply to the shower unit, a very good reason to fit a check valve.

 

[Kram]

I wouldn't put a check valve, they rely on the water going back into the cold to allow for expansion of the hot water

Wouldnt any thermal expansion come out the shower head end? There shouldnt be any valve between the heater unit and the sprayer bit.

 

[brightspark]

an isolation valve on the cold supply is handy if u get a leak thats about it

 

[Migmac]

Get a Mira multifit, loads of mounting holes. I'd run a full bore Flexi from the cold, after removing the old shower, wouldn't feed it from the outlet

I’ve fitted these in the past, absolute doddle to fit

 

[Kayos]

My understanding is or I have assumed it will be a single mains cold feed supply to the shower unit, a very good reason to fit a check valve.

Wouldnt any thermal expansion come out the shower head end? There shouldnt be any valve between the heater unit and the sprayer bit.

From the manufacturer

Inlet check valve bad, outlet check valve needed in certain situations

A bit of knowledge and all that.....

 

[Mark 5]

From the manufacturer

Inlet check valve bad, outlet check valve needed in certain situations

A bit of knowledge and all that.....

Hi, I know you are making a point/s just not clear what it is?

My point is simply in any mains cold supply feeding a shower unit a single or double check valve should be installed, either one in compliance with any by-laws in place.

There is an argument to be had if one is fitted after the main stopcock that isolates the whole property supply a further one is not required, however and extra one would do no harm and if not sure fit one along with an isolator which depending on mains pressure might need to be a full bore type.

The point of fitting one, ( edit , check valve ), is as your illustration, to help prevent any backflow contamination.

Fitting a check valve to a toilet cistern feed might be a good idea to.

Just insure check valves are in the correct flow orientation when fitting them..

 

[Kayos]

Hi, I know you are making a point/s just not clear what it is?

My point is simply in any mains cold supply feeding a shower unit a single or double check valve should be installed, either one in compliance with any by-laws in place.

There is an argument to be had if one is fitted after the main stopcock that isolates the whole property supply a further one is not required, however and extra one would do no harm and if not sure fit one along with an isolator which depending on mains pressure might need to be a full bore type.

The point of fitting one is as your illustration, to help prevent any backflow contamination.

Fitting a check valve to a toilet cistern feed might be a good idea to.

Just insure check valves are in the correct flow orientation when fitting them..

But the instructions for the shower CLEARLY state a check valve must not be fitted. The example they give for backflow prevention is because that's why people who understand plumbing might want to fit one

A double check valve is used to prevent backflow into the mains, fitting the shower correctly adequately prevents this, or it at least minimises the risk

Please explain why a check valve, that serves no purpose, is a good idea?

When the shower turns off, any residual heat in the shower will warm the water, this is allowed to expand into the cold supply, this is not backflow and can damage the shower

 

[ajlelectronics]

Please explain why a check valve, that serves no purpose, is a good idea?

Confusion of terms, check v. isolator valve perhaps?

 

[voipio]

I've come across a shower control that actually had provision on the main body for check valves on both hot and cold supplies, and they were needed (due to the design, presumably, as it was a fancy thermostatic rainfall and side jets combination shower). Symptoms were running any hot tap until hot water came through, turning the tap off, and turning back on after, say 30 sec, and a pulse of cold water would come through. The cause turned out to be both check valves on the shower control becoming permanently stuck open, because of mineralisation, and allowing the cold supply to flow through into the hot, when hot side pressure was slightly lower than the cold, as water was being drawn from the tap, then cold side pressure building faster than hot side when the tap was turned off (as the expansion tank re-pressurised), and "pumping" the cold slug of water into the hot water system, as far as the hot water tank, I kid you not!! That one took a while to work out what was going on!! It took black insulating tape on the shower control to enable a thermal camera to "see" its temperature, in order to work out what was happening.

 

[Kayos]

Confusion of terms, check v. isolator valve perhaps?

Potentially, non plumbing types are easily confused I suppose

 

[Mikey D]

Without drilling holes, how are you getting the 10mm twin to the shower unit and keeping it dry?


To suggest an alternative, I work outside and get covered in tree dirt and wood chip dust so I got one of these for the car. It works quite well.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0D4VDYRWB

It doesnt heat water, so you need a pre heated bucket of about 16-30 litres.
After working outside and being hot, cold is refreshing tho it does heat a bit from being in car.
I use a 16L backpack sprayer container, fits nicely in the footwell, plus a couple gallon bottles to top it up with.

In winter I might have to boil some hot water on camping stove to add to it.

If I need to I'll just bring the cable through the back of the plywood "mounting plate" , not sure the other half would like the camping shower , I don't mind roughing it tho , ! We would need to boil the kettle several times per shower and that would get a bit tedious.tbh . Good thinking outside the box tho .

 

[Mark 5]

Potentially, non plumbing types are easily confused I suppose

After 45 years of plumbing, you might be right, I and many others might still not understand the difference between an isolator ball valve and what it does and a check valve and the value of installing one.

 

[Erie Fred]

I thought they make one right in the shower head ?