POWER SHOWER

There are two basic types of shower. 1. The electric shower that heats water instantaneously as it passes through a wall mounted shower box. This requires heavy 6mm or 10mm cable to supply the required kilowatt input to do this. The water pressure required for these showers is relatively low and pumping or otherwise increasing the water flow/pressure will not improve the shower output as this is controlled by the amount of cold water the heater tank can warm up to the desired temperature. Electric showers are designed to run on mains fed cold water supplies and are not suitable for pumping. 2. Mixer showers are designed to blend hot and cold water to a suitable temperature either manually or using a themostatically controlled valve. These showers can operate from stored hot and cold water tanks or combi boilers. Showers fed by combi boiler or unvented hot water tanks deliver pressure/flow limited to the incoming mains cold water supply and should not be pumped. Gravity fed showers rely on a hot and cold water system tied to a cold water loft storage tank and a hot water cylinder linked to that tank. They deliver relatively low pressure to a mixer shower if no pump is installed. Pumped showers can deliver a range of medium to high pressures dependant on the power of the pump fitted. Even the most powerful electric shower can deliver less than a quarter of the output of most mixer showers. The term "power shower" is misleading as it can be confused with the source of heat supplied- i.e. electric power or with the shower head flow/output. Another meaning could be that the "power shower" is fed by a pump. Confusing! Digital mixers blend water electronically to a specified temperature, replacing more reliable wax element thermostats. Flow rates are no different if digital controls are used however my experience is that these systems are expensive and unreliable. I can advise your best solution if I know the type of hot water system you have.

Electric Shower & Pump Advice Adding a pump to the cold supply of an electric shower is not recommended and will not improve performance. Electric showers heat water instantly and are designed to operate at a controlled, low flow rate. Increasing the pressure with a pump forces more water through the unit, which means: The water won’t heat properly The unit may overheat or trip safety cut-outs It can damage the shower and void the warranty Key point: Electric showers are limited by their power (kW rating), not water pressure. What actually works: ✔ Upgrade to a higher kW electric shower (minor improvement) ✔ Fit a better shower head to improve spray For a truly powerful shower: ✔ Install a mixer shower with a pump (only if on a tank-fed system), or ✔ Use a mains-pressure system (e.g. combi or unvented cylinder) with a mixer shower Summary: A pump won’t make an electric shower more powerful. To achieve better performance, the system type needs to change rather than boosting the supply.

It depends on the shower and water supply. In short it's not a good idea as it may shorten the life of your shower

I would no advice it as the shower is design to heat the water at a certain flow rate to by increasing flow will affect the shower if the water pressure is to low the you could fit a pump with flow restrictor

You need a gravity-fed system, cold water tank in loft, hot water tank and a shower pump. These aren't suitable for combi boiler systems or unvented tanks because these are mains water pressure, therefore you can boost them by fitting a 'whole house booster pump' near the stop tap to boost mains pressure, but these pumps are limited and most mains pressure is higher than what those pumps can boost to.

The noise could be movement of the pipes or indeed, a leak; although, you would probably have seen evidence of that. You mentioned that you lost pressure. There could be a leak on your system or in the boiler. It could be the pressure relief valve that is leaking or the heat exchanger. You need a Gas Safe Engineer to check. Read less

There are so many options you need to find someone who knows what they are doing so they can assess your current system, water pressure etc and advise you You seem wrongly advised already because your mentioning digital showers as one of the two only options you have. I hope this helps. Best of luck. Tamjeed Independent Engineer