Different Types of Showers Explained

As each bathroom and showering environment is completely different, manufacturers have produced a range of showers to cater for every need and these include electric showers, mixer showers (both pumped and unpumped) and digital showers. Each use depends on the showers location and the current heating system installed within the house.

Electric Showers are the easiest source of hot water for any bathroom or shower environment with constant hot water at the touch of a button. Electric showers come in a range of styles, colours and power ratings and simply require a cold water supply linking to the unit and to be linked to a power supply and the job is complete. This simply but effective source of showering has remained extremely popular, most notably with the Triton T80 range but the market is now moving more towards the designer shower with the launch of showers like the Triton Inscriptions and Mira Azora ranges that offer a variety of colours and finishes to brighten up the room and move away from the original white box design.

Mixer Showers can be pumped or unpumped depending on the heating system installed within the house. A mixer shower takes water directly from either a hot water tank or through the main water feed into the house. Hot water tanks are typical of gravity fed systems where the hot water of a house is stored and is taken to the shower as and when required. The problem with a gravity fed system is that water pressure can be minimal and the shower seen as more of a tap than a shower. There is also the risk that the hot water will run out in a busy household leaving you with a cold shower. In a gravity fed household it is normally recommended that a pumped mixer shower is used to increase the flow of water and provides the same effect as an electric shower. Where a house uses a combi boiler there is no need for a water tank as hot water is produced as and when required as opposed to being stored and with it provides a more efficient household. The combi boiler ensures a higher flow rate of water and therefore can be used in conjunction with an unpumped mixer shower as it does not need any extra boost. A pumped mixer shower could always be added though for an even more intense showering experience.

Digital Showers are relatively new to the market and with the latest models appealing to those gadget fans with the introduction of remote controls so that you can start your shower and achieve and maintain your desired temperature without leaving your bed. As well as remote controls the digital shower can allow you to place a button outside of your bathroom or enclosure so that getting a wet arm by leaning into the enclosure to turn the shower on is a thing of the past. Other than the fancy gadgets the digital shower works in much the same way as the pumped mixer shower for an intense showering experience.