[Help] Electric shower advice please

[armchairclubber]

No, but I've been in Scranton, PA, the Electric City before. Also the home of President Biden. And you thought Michael Scott was the weirdest guy in Scranton.

Turn off the lights.

 

[BN9 BHA]

The builders renovating our kitchen 10 years ago sub-contracted the electrics. After they finished, I had to unscrew all of the sockets and put the green wire to the earth, and the wire they had connected to the earth to the live or neutral - depending upon which colour they had randomly chosen.

I refused to pay the builders for the electricians invoice - I have no idea whether they just absorbed the loss, or, in their turn, refused the pay the electrician.

The next day I rewired the boiler so the remote thermostat actually worked.

Whoever did the electrical sockets definitely were not electricians, my guess is the electrician was busy elsewhere and the builders had a go themselves.

 

[Justice]

The builders renovating our kitchen 10 years ago sub-contracted the electrics. After they finished, I had to unscrew all of the sockets and put the green wire to the earth, and the wire they had connected to the earth to the live or neutral - depending upon which colour they had randomly chosen.

I refused to pay the builders for the electricians invoice - I have no idea whether they just absorbed the loss, or, in their turn, refused the pay the electrician.

The next day I rewired the boiler so the remote thermostat actually worked.

Shocking
I’m guessing they didn’t issue a completion certificate or if they did I would have loved to have seen it. The test equipment would show immediately the sockets aren’t wired correctly.

 

[Bodian]

Whoever did the electrical sockets definitely were not electricians, my guess is the electrician was busy elsewhere and the builders had a go themselves.

Exactly what I thought. But even so....

 

[dazzer6666]

My just retired father in law, a tradesman of 50 years, has mentioned many tricks and deliberately bodged horror stories. Imposed by his bosses or property developers.

I follow this guy on Youtube.

New Home Quality Control

The UK’s No. 1 snagging company. Please let us introduce ourselves we are the New Home Quality Control company and we fully believe you should get what you have paid for when purchasing or moving into your new home Working in the house building business for over 30 years we have a full...

youtube.com

 

[Bodian]

Shocking
I’m guessing they didn’t issue a completion certificate or if they did I would have loved to have seen it. The test equipment would show immediately the sockets aren’t wired correctly.

I'm dreading the day we have to move/sell. The house has been messed around with so much over the last 30 years, and with very few certificates or building regs documentation. And even those we do have don't really say much.

 

[Superphil]

Get a grip? I'm a qualified electrician, are you?

I wasn’t offering anyone electrical advice, just saying go for the most powerful shower you can afford as it’s worth every penny.

No need to call me out for offering advice as I clearly wasn’t.

It’s the electricians job to make sure it’s installed properly.

 

[BN9 BHA]

Exactly what I thought. But even so....

@Justice above with the correct answer about the certificate.

I had a new kitchen in 2022 with complete new electrics and consumer unit, everything tested and certified.
On the test the electrician found a faulty light in one of the bedrooms, a light fitted by the previous owner.

 

[METALMICKY]

I follow this guy on Youtube.

New Home Quality Control

The UK’s No. 1 snagging company. Please let us introduce ourselves we are the New Home Quality Control company and we fully believe you should get what you have paid for when purchasing or moving into your new home Working in the house building business for over 30 years we have a full...

youtube.com

I've been watching these too as strangely addictive considering I'm neither a tradesmen or looking to move. The slightly comic delivery with the ' Winkle spanners ' and ' apocalypse finish ' is excellent.

On a serious note is just shows the appalling quality of work on new builds

 

[Goldstone1976]

You definitely need a different controller, think it’s called a processor, it has the pump inside, it’s a black rectangular box with 3 pipes.
You don’t need a pump if you have a combination boiler

A follow up, if I may please.

I have a two storey annexe. The top floor (residential) has been heated by a (now new) combi. I’m converting part of the the downstairs (currently a workshop) into residential usage.

The plumbers who put the new boiler in a year ago also put a cylinder in for HW for the new residential area. The system has 3 zone valves: 1 for existing residential heating, one for cylinder HW heating for new residential area, one for new residential heating. (Existing residential HW straight off combi boiler).

Question: when I come to install showers in new residential bit, do I need ones with a combi processor (cos the boiler is) or ones for a sealed cylinder system (cos that is where the HW will be stored)? I assume the later - correct?

Many thanks in advance

 

[dazzer6666]

I've been watching these too as strangely addictive considering I'm neither a tradesmen or looking to move. The slightly comic delivery with the ' Winkle spanners ' and ' apocalypse finish ' is excellent.

On a serious note is just shows the appalling quality of work on new builds

Same here. I'm clueless as about this stuff but some of what he finds is genuinely shocking.......and brilliantly delivered. 'Wood butchers'

 

[BN9 BHA]

A follow up, if I may please.

I have a two storey annexe. The top floor (residential) has been heated by a (now new) combi. I’m converting part of the the downstairs (currently a workshop) into residential usage.

The plumbers who put the new boiler in a year ago also put a cylinder in for HW for the new residential area. The system has 3 zone valves: 1 for existing residential heating, one for cylinder HW heating for new residential area, one for new residential heating. (Existing residential HW straight off combi boiler).

Question: when I come to install showers in new residential bit, do I need ones with a combi processor (cos the boiler is) or ones for a sealed cylinder system (cos that is where the HW will be stored)? I assume the later - correct?

Many thanks in advance

How many gas boilers in the property?
I’m just double checking something before I answer.
Is your new HW cylinder fed by a cold water storage tank in a loft?

 

[Justice]

I'm dreading the day we have to move/sell. The house has been messed around with so much over the last 30 years, and with very few certificates or building regs documentation. And even those we do have don't really say much.

Electrical wise the Buyers mortgage company may insist on an EICR (electrical installation condition report) if you ever intend to sell get it done yourself as the buyer will be looking to get money off the deal if their electrician found anything that needed upgrading.
That’s the only cert they are interested in.

 

[Justice]

@Justice above with the correct answer about the certificate.

I had a new kitchen in 2022 with complete new electrics and consumer unit, everything tested and certified.
On the test the electrician found a faulty light in one of the bedrooms, a light fitted by the previous owner.

Well I hope the sparks cleaned up after himself

 

[Goldstone1976]

How many gas boilers in the property?
I’m just double checking something before I answer.
Is your new HW cylinder fed by a cold water storage tank in a loft?

1 gas boiler (new, Combi) serving all of the areas I spoke about.

The new HW cylinder for the downstairs area currently being converted is fed from the mains (‘balanced’ I think he said).

Thanks for the help.

 

[BN9 BHA]

1 gas boiler (new, Combi) serving all of the areas I spoke about.

The new HW cylinder for the downstairs area currently being converted is fed from the mains (‘balanced’ I think he said).

Thanks for the help.

If you have a boiler and a HW cylinder i am sure you have got what is called a system boiler. Your boiler installation / user instructions will confirm this.
Sounds like your HW cylinder is an Unvented, this is mains fed.
I have both of the above in my house.

Going back to the shower, with the unvented HW cylinder you will have decent pressure all round. If you are buying a digital Aqualisa shower you still need the combi boiler type I believe, you definitely don’t need a pumped version.

 

[Goldstone1976]

If you have a boiler and a HW cylinder i am sure you have got what is called a system boiler. Your boiler installation / user instructions will confirm this.
Sounds like your HW cylinder is an Unvented, this is mains fed.
I have both of the above in my house.

Going back to the shower, with the unvented HW cylinder you will have decent pressure all round. If you are buying a digital Aqualisa shower you still need the combi boiler type I believe, you definitely don’t need a pumped version.

Many thanks for the answers. Very helpful.

One final question (and I promise I won’t ask any more beyond that!).

There is only one boiler.

In one part of the annexe the HW is not provided via a tank at all. You turn the tap on, the boiler fires, and HW appears.

In the new part, serviced by the same boiler, on a different zone, the unvented cylinder will store the HW for the bathrooms being currently built.

So my question: is it possible, through zone valves, to make a combi boiler act as a pure combi in one zone, and as a system boiler in another zone? I ask because that’s what I had understood had effectively been achieved. Perhaps I completely misunderstood what the chap was saying!

Regarding the shower - got it!

 

[BN9 BHA]

Many thanks for the answers. Very helpful.

One final question (and I promise I won’t ask any more beyond that!).

There is only one boiler.

In one part of the annexe the HW is not provided via a tank at all. You turn the tap on, the boiler fires, and HW appears.

In the new part, serviced by the same boiler, on a different zone, the unvented cylinder will store the HW for the bathrooms being currently built.

So my question: is it possible, through zone valves, to make a combi boiler act as a pure combi in one zone, and as a system boiler in another zone? I ask because that’s what I had understood had effectively been achieved. Perhaps I completely misunderstood what the chap was saying!

Regarding the shower - got it!

I think this is why I asked earlier how many gas boilers you have got, I was slightly confused with your set up (post #70)

With a normal combi boiler you open a tap and get hot water, like you have said above.
I’m not really sure how a combi is linked to a HW cylinder.
I always thought a combi boiler and system boiler are two different things.
I don’t think you have a system boiler if there is HW provided just by the boiler in one part of the annexe.

I must admit though, I don’t get involved with installing boilers anymore, I just concentrate on plumbing, apart from changing radiators and valves.

 

[jcdenton08]

Right, okay.

We ordered a Mira Jump Dual, and had the plumber out. It turns out we have the old style of Mira Jump, which looks like this:

Unfortunately, some time back Mira changed the design, and the inputs are reversed. He was unable to fit it due to the electric and inlet pipe (sorry, not technical myself) not lining up. This is the model we attempted to fit:

We returned the Jump Dual to Amazon for a refund the next day.

This morning, I called Mira directly to ask which models would be compatible. He said the new Mira Jump models ARE compatible, but use a free adapter, which Mira have posted out to me free of charge directly. Here is the accessory:

This appears to be a pipe going from one side to the other.

The bloke told me on the phone I was fine buying the same model again and a plumber would have no problem installing it using the accessory Mira are sending out.

However, this doesn’t address the issue of the electrics being in the wrong place (image one).

I just want this done with. Can someone recommend a plumber please to actually fit this thing, if it’s even possible? Or any advice from a qualified professional would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[SkirlieWirlie]

Unless I'm missing something, the electrics in the diagram supplied for the pipe adaptor are in exactly the same place as the existing, with an additional, alternate connection top left too ?