By Kerry Hale

Hot, Hot, Hot Showers

  • Monday 19 June 2017
  • 3 minute read

This post was originally published in the summer of 2017 but the we provide the same advise every summer. We're certainly enjoying this current bout of sunny hot weather here in the UK. However, did you know the warmer weather during the summer months can impact the flow and performance of your shower?! Our Customer Service team help explain the effect the seasonal weather can have on your electric shower, and how to make the necessary adjustments so it’s not running too hot!

How do electric showers work?

Electric showers work in a similar way to a kettle, where the water is heated by two heating elements. Power is split between heating these elements and generating the water flow from the mains water supply to the showerhead. As the power is distributed in this way, a balance is made between water temperature and the rate of water flow.

Most electric showers have three heating settings:

  • High - where both heating elements are used at the same time
  • Eco (depending on model might be Medium) - only one heating element is in use, which minimises energy consumption
  • Low - no heating elements are in use

What difference does the weather make?

As the temperature rises outside so does the temperature of the cold water coming into your home, on average this will be about 15˚C compared to 5˚C in the winter months. With the higher incoming water temperatures, your shower heating elements won’t have to work so hard to achieve your desired showering temperature.

How do you adjust your electric shower?

The first thing you should do is to ensure your showerhead is clean. Our showerheads feature rub-clean nozzles for easy limescale removal to ensure you have a good spray pattern from the spray plate. For more information on how to clean your showerhead, check out our step by step guide to descale your showerhead.

Then on your electric shower try turning the power selector to ‘Eco’ or ‘Medium’ this will switch off one of the two heating elements. Then reduce the flow using the temperature control and enjoy your shower at half the cost as well as a better performance during the warmer months.

The Mira Advance  is the only electric shower that is perfect all year around. This fully thermostatic shower will be the same temperature setting summer and winter – but you will notice a drop in the flow rate.

Some showers, such as the Mira Elite SE heat water from a cold stored supply. The supply is normally stored somewhere such as the loft, which can still be affected by the hot warm weather. You will, therefore, still need to make adjustments to your temperature settings

For more information on how seasonal changes affect your electric shower, watch our information animation which helps explain the impact in both summer and winter months.