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CLAN1

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Good evening, does anyone use a "power shower" thinking 240v if so which one? I have a 1300 inverter so maybe too powerful for that, also use a petrol generator 2200, fed up with having to constantly adjust to taps at the moment. Thank you in anticipation.?

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Thermostatic shower mixer run by 12V water pump which is pretty much standard on a boat.  Nearly a power shower.  If you want to match a domestic 230V power shower pump, you need to ask yourself how often you want to refill your water tank.

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11 minutes ago, CLAN1 said:

Good evening, does anyone use a "power shower" thinking 240v if so which one? I have a 1300 inverter so maybe too powerful for that, also use a petrol generator 2200, fed up with having to constantly adjust to taps at the moment. Thank you in anticipation.?

I have a basic mixer tap for my shower, water comes from the cauliflower via the bog standard 12volt water pump and is more than adequate. I never need to touch the mixer and it remains at the set heat without fail without fluctuating. Why build in a problem?

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Thanks for our helpful replies 

19 minutes ago, dor said:

Thermostatic shower mixer run by 12V water pump which is pretty much standard on a boat.  Nearly a power shower.  If you want to match a domestic 230V power shower pump, you need to ask yourself how often you want to refill your water tank.

Can you explain please a thermostatic mixer tap run by a 12v pump, didn't know you can get one, sorry if im thick with that. Good point about tank size didn't consider a 240v would use more water. CHEERS.

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36 minutes ago, CLAN1 said:

Ps, the reason for asking is that we have to constantly adjust the mixer taps, which run via 12v pumps on hot and cold.

I dont understand why you have to do this? Is your hot water feed via an instant gas water heater perhaps? that could be a problem with temperature fluctuation from experience. If you have a cauliflower containing hot water once a basic mixer tap is set it shouldnt fluctuate whatsoever unless the cauliflower is tiny and runs out of hot water.  My single tap in the shower simply mixes the hot with the cold in an instant and always, but always remains stable. I have found thermostatic mixer types in the past to be a problem. One thing a thermo mixer will do however is stop u scalding yourself which could happen with my set up if yer a nit wit :D;)

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When I bought our boat, it had a simple mixer tap. For some reason or another, like yours, (The OP), despite setting it at a comfortable temperature, it would then vary from too hot, to too cold.

 

Having a couple of spare thermostatic shower valves in the car, I fitted one, (after buying an appropriate wall mounting for it), and, once set, the temp remains constant.

 

There are lots of different makes and prices, but this is one that is not too expensive:

 

https://www.screwfix.com/p/cooke-lewis-mulga-exposed-thermostatic-mixer-shower-valve-fixed-chrome/117FV?tc=BT9&ds_kid=92700044623543176&ds_rl=1241687&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1245250&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_5rtBRDxARIsAJfxvYALuJ3dGYwo1G4i9R7GiHvjpD7vsKY-k1f3PLW9mkxRsTLxrJlqRJAaAq4bEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

 

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1 hour ago, CLAN1 said:

Ps, the reason for asking is that we have to constantly adjust the mixer taps, which run via 12v pumps on hot and cold.

Some boats use one pump for hot and another pump for cold. Pretty rare though. Is this what your boat has? It is pretty rare because it is a rubbish idea! The pumps cycle on and off at different times causing the relative pressures to fluctuate, causing the water temperature to fluctuate a lot.

 

What you need to do is have both hot and cold systems running off one pump (like most of the rest of us!) and have a thermostatic mixer on the shower.

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Domestic power showers usually require the water pressure of the hot and cold supplies to be equal or there abouts. Good pumps are expensive - I've recently had one fitted it was a negative pressure one and was over £350 plus fitting. It is a Stuart Turner one which is a good manufacturer. The shower on our boat doesn't have the volume of water that the power shower has at home but it is more than adequate. On the boat there is a single pump and a domestic thermostatic shower valve.

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I always overspec my boat pumps. Currently running a ParMax 4 plus with an external pressure switch. Not cheap but gives a great shower via a thermostat mixer plus has output in reserve should someone want to fill the kettle at the same time. Just make sure your wiring is up to the spec required as they draw 12 amps when running. 

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whilst I am not poo pooing any other forum members posts, my present set up produces briliant results with a constant decent pressure and very stable water temperature with a small out put pump and mixer valve, never fails. I have had big pumps, thermostatic valves etc on previous boats that have been no better and in some cases worse than my present set up. With a decent accumulater and large cauliflower you should have zero problems. i have had the biggest out put par max and on the Udson twin pumps, this single set up works the best so far.

One thing I will say though is that we, that is the missus and I both shower daily and have lived aboard full time for many many years so without even checking or thinking about it we would never turn another tap or anything else on whilst one of us was say in the shower. Living on a boat and getting a smooth no hassle existance comes automaticaly after years of experience, not after just a couple of years or so. Just as a for instance, we never run out of water and never sort of keep a check of the last fill up but one or the other of us without talking about it ensure without realising that the tank is never empty, its just become second nature after thirty years so to speak.

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3 hours ago, CLAN1 said:

Ps, the reason for asking is that we have to constantly adjust the mixer taps, which run via 12v pumps on hot and cold.

 

It's not a power shower you need, it is a decent quality thermostatic shower mixer. The cheap scabby manual shower mixers most boats have, suffer from exactly the problem you describe.

 

You should find something like a Triton bar mixer works fine if you are on a budget, e.g. 

https://www.screwfix.com/p/triton-benito-rear-fed-exposed-chrome-thermostatic-mixer-shower/9164t

 

9164T_P&$prodImageMedium$

 

 

 

 

For a better quality thermostatic mixer try a Mira:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/mira-element-ev-rear-fed-exposed-chrome-thermostatic-mixer-shower/454fv

 

454FV_P&$prodImageMedium$

 

I have three of the cheap Triton ones and while they work well in my boats connected to bog standard Morco water heaters, the temperature control tends to need freeing off every week or two. This won't happen with the Mira.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Mike the Boilerman
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Wow lots of replies, cheers. 

I realise i should have given more info, yes we have TWO pumps one on hot other on cold, accumulator on each. Also a large calorifier which we run the shower from.  Would it be complicated to change the system to one pump? and how? What size pump should i use? Think the comments about two pumps cutting in and out is causing the problem, 

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10 minutes ago, CLAN1 said:

Wow lots of replies, cheers. 

I realise i should have given more info, yes we have TWO pumps one on hot other on cold, accumulator on each. Also a large calorifier which we run the shower from.  Would it be complicated to change the system to one pump? and how? What size pump should i use? Think the comments about two pumps cutting in and out is causing the problem, 

Hard to give details without seeing the layout, but fairly likely that the outlet from the tank splits into two, there are two pumps then feeding the hot and cold system. So you would need to remove one pump blocking off the feed from the tank, and T the pipe coming from the removed pump to the outlet of the remaining pump.

 

Pretty straightforward. In theory at least, because in practice access and space may or may not be a problem. However if you are not accustomed to plumbing, it would be better to get a boat plumber in.

 

I would imagine that the one pump would probably suffice. Keep the other pump as a spare.

 

Is this an ex hire boat? I think some used to use 2 pumps so that in the event of a failure, the system could be reverted to single pump use easily as a temporary fix - in other words it might be quite an easy thing to do.

 

A photo of the pumps and associated plumbing would help.

Edited by nicknorman
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33 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Hard to give details without seeing the layout, but fairly likely that the outlet from the tank splits into two, there are two pumps then feeding the hot and cold system. So you would need to remove one pump blocking off the feed from the tank, and T the pipe coming from the removed pump to the outlet of the remaining pump.

 

Pretty straightforward. In theory at least, because in practice access and space may or may not be a problem. However if you are not accustomed to plumbing, it would be better to get a boat plumber in.

 

I would imagine that the one pump would probably suffice. Keep the other pump as a spare.

 

Is this an ex hire boat? I think some used to use 2 pumps so that in the event of a failure, the system could be reverted to single pump use easily as a temporary fix - in other words it might be quite an easy thing to do.

 

A photo of the pumps and associated plumbing would help.

I have a two pump system but my boat is an Orion so eccentricity is the name of the game.

 

Looking at it, it would be simple to change but I haven't done anything - seems more trouble than it's worth.

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Just now, frahkn said:

I have a two pump system but my boat is an Orion so eccentricity is the name of the game.

 

Looking at it, it would be simple to change but I haven't done anything - seems more trouble than it's worth.

 

My Orion boat has one pump!

 

Eccentricity, what on earth can you mean? (Unless you mean that 9ft engine room with a Kelvin K2 in it yet no space in the shower room for a basin :giggles: )

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42 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Hard to give details without seeing the layout, but fairly likely that the outlet from the tank splits into two, there are two pumps then feeding the hot and cold system. So you would need to remove one pump blocking off the feed from the tank, and T the pipe coming from the removed pump to the outlet of the remaining pump.

 

Pretty straightforward. In theory at least, because in practice access and space may or may not be a problem. However if you are not accustomed to plumbing, it would be better to get a boat plumber in.

 

I would imagine that the one pump would probably suffice. Keep the other pump as a spare.

 

Is this an ex hire boat? I think some used to use 2 pumps so that in the event of a failure, the system could be reverted to single pump use easily as a temporary fix - in other words it might be quite an easy thing to do.

 

A photo of the pumps and associated plumbing would help.

Nick, my udson had twin pumps fitted from new. A proper mess and I replaced with a single pump that immediately improved the system, praps he did different systems??

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51 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Nick, my udson had twin pumps fitted from new. A proper mess and I replaced with a single pump that immediately improved the system, praps he did different systems??

Presumably learnt from his mistakes. All his later ones that I’m aware of, had just the one pump.

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3 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

2011 for us. He did build over 200 boats so I’m sure things evolved. Or, perhaps the original purchased specified twin pumps for your boat.

I think its probably more to be that it evolved. First owner didnt like the two pumps when I asked him about it. I know Dave Dares hire fleet always had two pups fitted in tandem and I have taken two lots off and replaced with a single pump without problem.

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