The shower has become one of the most important additions to the Irish bathroom as homeowners, inspired by travel abroad and the popularity of wetrooms are considering their options. Don't be satisfied with a simple power shower - showers have gone to a new level with sophisticated designs and innovative materials, creating a whole new indulgent experience. MyHome.ie gives you the complete low down on selecting the ultimate power shower.
- Manual showers have a lever to control the mix of hot and cold water. "The temperature can be affected by someone else when a tap is turned on elsewhere in the house," points out Wesley.
- Thermostatically controlled showers contain a valve that automatically keeps the temperature control set by the user, so there isn't a variance in hot and cold. These are safer for children and the elderly.
- Pumped showers extract water from the hot water cylinder and pump it into the shower to give higher showering performance. The idea of a power shower is not to take the skin off your back, but to provide a large volume of water. The heads have multifunction and waterways are generally larger than on standard equipment. If you want an invigorating shower, you can reduce the number of outlets. The disadvantage of power showers is they need substantial amounts of stored hot and cold water.
- Electric showers require no stored hot water and are very convenient and economical. They deliver hot water on demand. The downside is the water pressure, approximately four to five liters per minute, which is poor compared to 'pumped' showers which can produce up to 18 liters per minute but require stored hot water.
Heads Up
There's a huge range of showerheads on the market, with new products coming on stream every three to our months. There has been a trend for large shower heads such as the Hans Grohe's 'Rain Dance', available in a variety of sizes, which incorporates air in the head, with the water breaking into droplets. Heads with six functions are available but most people find three functions enough. If you want a big rain showerhead and lots of body jets, you need to put a pump on your system or install a pressurized system.
Cubicle Cool
Standard cubicle size varies from 700mm X 700mm up to 1700 X 800mm. Putting the shower over the bath is generally done in restricted spaces, however, sleek fold-back screens make this attractive even when space isn't an issue. Bath screens are designed to be installed with the bottom edges of the glass panel parallel to the top surface of the bath. If you're installing a screen, make sure the bath is level and that the wall that the screen is being bolted to, is vertical.
Bath screens often don't work well on baths with sculpted edges or handles so check before you buy. The other two options are to have a freestanding enclosure in the corner of a room, or to choose a cubicle with moulded panels used as the enclosure walls. Having an adequate amount of adjustment is important. If it's possible, install the tray first, get the shower tiled, and then measure the gap left and choose the product to suit that dimension. The trend for barely-there frames requires more planning at build stage to avoid problems with width adjustment. Shower cabins that are completely pre-plumbed are another option and are easy to install. All that is required is the appropriate pump, normally installed in the hot press. They have the lot - rain head, body sprays, shower and hose, radio, lights and air fans, all working from the control panel.
Tray Chic
With the minimalist look dominating in bathrooms, there is lots of demand for very slim shower trays. Kaldewei has a wide range of sizes for its flush-with-the-floor installation which comes with a special frame. These are available from Havana Bathrooms and other stockists around the country. Standard show trays are available in widths up to 1200mm.
Square or rectangular trays look better in alcoves while quadrants suit two wall showers.
Source: Irish Kitchens & Bathrooms
