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Choosing a shower
Water supply to bathrooms, wet-rooms, cloakrooms and shower cubicles can differ enormously and have significant effects on how your shower will perform. First identify your system type which are outlined below. If in doubt, we recommend you consult with your qualified installer, local water authority, or contact the Deva technical support line on 0800 195 1602. The level of water pressure required to ensure that your shower performs efficiently can vary. Additional accessories and equipment will often require greater water pressures, which can be achieved using a pump.
Low pressure systems
Gravity fed system
This can usually be identified by the presence of a hot water cylinder located in an upstairs room or closet. Cold water is also stored in a tank above the cylinder, often in a loft or attic. Pressure from a gravity fed system can be increased using a pump with twin impellers to boost both hot and cold water.
Unbalanced system
Cold water is supplied by mains pressure whilst the hot supply comes from a cylinder fed by a header tank. Sometimes a back boiler or wall mounted boiler is used to heat a gravity
fed supply but this does not have a significant effect on the water pressure. Pressure can be balanced using an equalizing valve bringing both supplies to the lower pressure level. A single impeller pump can be used to boost the low pressure supply. Pumps can only be used on gravity fed supplies. As a rough guide, there is 0.1bar of pressure for every vertical meter between the shower head and the bottom of the tank, subject to pipe configuration and diameters. |
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High pressure systems
Systems combination boiler or instantaneous water heating
Mains water is heated in the boiler with the cold supply also coming from the mains. Unvented hot water system Hot water is stored in a pressurised tank which can be located anywhere in the house. With this system, there is no need for a header tank although a small expansion tank can sometimes be seen immediately above the stored hot water. Cold is supplied at mains pressure. Pressure delivered
from these systems is usually dictated by the mains pre sure. As mains pressure can vary considerably depending upon your location, contact your local water authority
who can provide further information. |
Thermostatic showers
Thermostatic showers accurately control the temperature of the water below a level pre-set at installation, to prevent scalding. A thermostatic shower will provide the safest form of showering by keeping the temperature constant even when there is a fluctuation of the hot or cold water supplies to the shower valve. Take the following example. Imagine taking a
shower and a toilet being flushed elsewhere in the home which shares the same supply of cold water; although there would be a reduction in the flow of water to the shower, the shower valve will self adjust to keep the temperature constant, preventing the temperature of the shower from becoming too
hot and more importantly preventing scalding. In addition, a thermostatic shower will shut down on failure of the cold water
supply to prevent scalding. TMV approval is the recognised standard of thermostatic control, and approval of certain levels
(TMV2 and TMV3) indicates suitability for particular commercial designations such as care homes and hospitals.
Deva showers which display the  or logo conform to TMV Buildcert standards.
Manual
The shower temperature is controlled by the user and must be adjusted to accommodate for any changes to inlet pressure or incoming water temperature. A manual shower does not have a thermal shut-off facility, therefore in the event of a cold
water failure the shower will not shut down and the shower temperature will increase. Manual showers are generally controlled by single lever ceramic cartridge or standard tap valve.
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Diverters
Some valves include built-in diverters which enable the water supply to be switched between a fixed shower rose and a handset.
Bar showers
Bar showers can be plumbed via concealed
or exposed pipework. Normally, they are linked via
a hose to a wall mounted handset.
Electric showers
Electric showers provide the maximum
flexibility as they only require a cold water
supply at 1.0bar minimum pressure.
Handsets
Handsets can be single mode or multimode.
Multi-mode handsets incorporate
massaging jets and other features.
Water conservation
To reduce water wastage Deva offers
flow regulators which can be fitted to the
water outlet on many showers to reduce
the flow of water.
Concealed
Concealed showers are built into the wall and require concealed pipework. They can be connected through a wall elbow and hose to a handset or via concealed pipework mounted behind the wall to a fixed overhead shower rose.
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