Just a little message to be very careful when selecting taps and showers as not all products will work with all water systems.
Many taps/showers are imported now and need a certain pressure to work efficiently.
In general terms, if you have a combination boiler or pressurised cylinder/condensing boiler you should have a pressure of around 1.5 bar pressure and above. Always get a qualified plumber to test the pressure and flow rate in your bathroom and call the boiler manufacturer if you are uncertain. 1.5 bar pressure is basically 15 metres. ie. 1 m equals 0.1 bar.
Certain taps and showers need a minimum bar pressure requirement to operate.

If you have a traditional gravity fed system like many British houses still have (ie., an airing cupboard with a lagged tank and a cold water storage tank in the loft) you will generally have a low pressure system and will need to pick taps and showers that function on low pressure. The manufacturer or supplier of the tap/shower will specify this pressure or your ask your local bathroom retailer.

The danger is in some houses you pick a high pressure tap and you have a low pressure system. A classic case that will lead to the tap/shower not functioning properly. eg. if you have say 1m distance from the bottom of the tank to the shower head you only have 0.1 bar pressure and may need to pump the shower. Pumping it will create what is called a power shower.

other general points to consider:
you cant pump a combi/condensing boiler- you wont need to- it will give you a good shower even though the bath can take a while to fill
a combi/condensing boiler will not always work body jet showers! Be careful
always choose a thermostatic shower when you have a combi/condensing boiler as it is safer and prevent temperature fluctuations- dont choose a manual shower!
any further advice is seen on certain websites that offer good quailty information in relation to tap/shower pressures when you choose products fit for purpose
i hope this helps people save money on poor tap/shower selection
andrew

Edited by mod 6

Dunno??? apart from being a spamming git; some good, clear, concise points.

A Helpful spammer??

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