Shower Installation in London
Electric, mixer, digital or pumped, the right shower for a property depends entirely on the water system feeding it.
which is why a shower that is superb in one house is disappointing in the one next door. We survey the system first and then recommend.
Shower installation in London: what the price includes
- System first, product second. A combi boiler cannot supply a pumped shower. A gravity-fed tank cannot supply a high-flow mixer without a pump. An unvented cylinder can do almost anything. Ten minutes establishing which you have prevents the most common and most expensive shower mistake there is.
- Electric showers. Independent of the hot water system, which makes them the reliable answer for a second bathroom or a loft conversion. The limit is kilowatts: 8.5 kW is adequate, 10.5 kW is noticeably better, and both need the cable and the RCD checked before anything is ordered.
- Mixer and thermostatic. A thermostatic valve holds temperature when a tap runs elsewhere in the house, which is the difference between a good shower and a startling one. On any installation used by children or older people we fit thermostatic as standard rather than as an option.
- Pumps, where they are legal. A pump can transform a gravity system, but it cannot be fitted to a mains-fed supply, that is a Water Regulations breach, not a preference. Where a pump is right we specify a twin-impeller unit and mount it so you are not listening to it through the ceiling.
- Tanking and tiling done in the right order. Trays and enclosures leak at the junction, not the middle. We tank behind the tile, seal the tray to the substrate, and silicone last. Waterproofing that happens after tiling is decoration.
Local conditions we work around
Shower choice in London is decided by the water as much as the bathroom. Hard water scales thermostatic cartridges and blocks shower heads, so we specify valves that can actually be serviced and heads that can be descaled rather than sealed units that get thrown away. The other question is pressure: a large share of London flats run gravity-fed or communal systems where a high-pressure mixer will disappoint, so the system gets established before anything is bought, not after.
Questions people ask
What shower can I have with a combi boiler?
A mixer shower fed directly from the boiler, and it will be good if your mains pressure is decent. You cannot fit a shower pump to a combi. We measure flow and pressure at the survey so the expectation is set before you choose a valve.
Why is my shower weak?
Usually low pressure from a gravity tank, a partly blocked head, or a thermostatic cartridge scaled up. In London the third is common and often the cheapest to fix, worth checking before anyone replaces a whole shower.
How long does a shower installation take?
A like-for-like swap is a half-day. A new electric shower with a new supply cable is a day. A full enclosure with tray, tanking and tiling is two to three days.
Do I need an electrician?
For an electric shower on a new circuit, yes, and the work is notifiable under Part P. We handle it as one job with our own registered electrician rather than leaving you to coordinate two trades.