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Eco shower heads

Has anyone any experience of these? Any recommendations? Do they do what it says on the tin or are they just a waste of money?

Keith

Reply to
Keefiedee
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Stupid waste of money. I want a proper shower, hence have soup-plate sized pumped shower heads. I do not regard having a gnat wee on one's head as a "shower".

Reply to
Huge

Assuming you do not have a plate on your head, just an ordinary shower head then yes. I have a shower via a combi, the result of fitting on of these is a definite increase in pressure. As I have never measured the water flow I cannot say about the economy side.

Reply to
Broadback

I used one once (to cope with a hot water system where the mains cold cistern would drain faster than it refilled - resulting an a shower ending in a scalding!)

It still gave a substantial flow and pressure, but in a slightly more focussed cone of water, and with no jets in the interior of the cone. It was actually not bad - far better than a gnat's pee style electric shower for example. It reduced the rate of usage to the point the 1/2" incomer could keep up with the use rate. (it also had a number of pressure reducing discs you could fit if you were after more reduction - I did not bother with those).

Reply to
John Rumm

Thanks John for your thoughtful comments. The shower in question hasn't really sufficient head, and I wondered if one of these gadgets would make it feel stronger than it really is

Can I ask which shower head you went for.

Keith

Reply to
Keefiedee

Head? You mean you have an open vented system with CW header tank etc.? If that's the case I think you will be disappointed.

Tim

Reply to
Tim+

Yes, a good old fashioned open vented system with CW header tank not really (well only just) high enough above the rafters. I don't understand why that would be unlikely to be helped by an eco shower head, but it is very useful to know - thank you.

Keith

Reply to
Keefiedee

Yes. Bought a Mira Eco 3 spray water saving something or other a long time ago. Main reason was to reduce flow rate to enable 2 showers to run at the same time from the combi. Had to fit the pressure/flow reducer into the pipe to stop the thing vibrating but once fitted it's fine. 3 settings but only ever use one. The aerated water flows over your skin rather than bouncing off.

Certainly wouldn't pay close to £50 for one though. Think I found it for less than £20 on-line. Would definitely buy another for the other bathroom if I ever get it finished or should I say started..

:)

Reply to
www.GymRatZ.co.uk

I had to fit the smallest IIRC disc as the water pulsated causing bad pipe vibrations. No problem once fitted though. (running mains pressure from combi)

Reply to
www.GymRatZ.co.uk

Eco shower is really to solve almost the opposite problem - pressure so high, that it results higher than needed flow rate.

You may want to try a low pressure shower head, which will give higher flow, but you can't get the sensation of the water jets drilling into you with a low pressure shower.

Some years ago, I bought Mira no scaling shower heads. They came with interchangable plates to swap for high or low pressure shower feed. The holes in the plate were a different size.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

We have a pumped shower (for the moment)with a very low head from the tank that feeds both hot and cold, and when the shower hose fitting split, I replaced the hose and head. Only when I got it home did I realise it was badged 'eco' or I probably wouldn't have bought it.

Now, we have to take the shower, we have to take the shower head off and hold it a few feet lower to get enough flow going to spark up the flow switch in the pump (after which it's OK).

Clearly the pressure is insufficient to drive enough flow through the setup to activate the switch. Unless you have aan excess of pressure/flow, don't bother.

Alternatively, you're very welcome to have mine, if I can only remember to pick up a new, non-eco one....

Reply to
GMM

In a previous house, I improved this by raising the header tank about

5ft, supported by a sturdy timber frame (with useful shelving underneath). It's easier to start again with a new header tank, but it isn't a difficult project.
Reply to
Steve Walker

Alas probably not - you would need a pump for that.

Alas can't recall (was about 10 years ago). Came in a small box with the head - which was about 40mm wide, cylindrical and about 50mm tall, and various couplings etc to join it to a fixed outlet (none of which I needed - the basic 1/2" BSP female swivel fitted my shower)

A google image search turns up this, which looks similar - but not a UK supplier that I can see:

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Reply to
John Rumm

In this house I improved it by ditching the standard hot water cylinder and fitting an unvented one. Awesome shower now ;-)

Reply to
John Rumm

Bit off a pain when someone empties all 120+l of hot water having a shower.

Reply to
dennis

Its 210L and I have the boiler set to kick in as it senses the tank temp start to fall (and the thermister is in a pocket about 1/4 of the way up the cylinder).

So for a "normal" shower, its pretty much fully recovered by the time someone else wants one. It could in theory go on indefinitely if you kept the flow rate down to something that uses less than about 22kW (which is the max recharge rate of the cylinder).

However if you want a nice long blast, with the flow rate set to "flail", and the temp set to "just under volcano", then you do run run out of hot water in the end ;-) (DAMHIK)

Reply to
John Rumm

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