Is your shower right for you?

Most people need a powerful shower to wake them up on a Monday morning, others like to come home after a hard day at work and wash the day’s stresses away. Whatever your needs are make sure your shower can meet them.

Many people don’t realise that it may not be their shower that is the problem, it just might not be the right one for their system. There are three main heating and boiler systems widely used across UK households, these are the Gravity Fed system, Combination Boiler and Pressurised Cylinder.

Gravity fed

The Gravity Fed system provides the lowest pressure and comprises a storage tank usually found in the attic then a boiler in an airing cupboard. Although this is the most common system, the pressure produced is by far the lowest, reaching underwhelming highs of 0.5 bars. A pump could be purchased and installed to improve pressure if this is an issue in the home.

Combination boiler

The second system, Combination Boiler, is rapidly increasing in popularity it is able to produce higher pressure between 1-1.5 bars. This is a more suitable for small to medium shower heads. Another advantage of this system is that hot water is readily available on demand.

Pressurised cylinder

The final system is the Pressurised Cylinder which is an expensive system typically found in newer houses. This system produces high pressure over 1.5 bars and is suitable for large shower heads.

This being said, there is one point to note- a house’s system is only as good as the water supply to the property. Before you purchase your new shower check if it will be suitable with your heating system, the specification will depict the water pressure required.