As digital showers work in a similar way to mixer showers – taking the water from the hot and cold supplies and blending together to achieve the desired temperature – their benefits could potentially be overlooked. However, the key difference between a digital shower and mixer shower is that its digital technology enables ultimate precise temperature control – to within a degree.
Digital showers, depending on the product type, also have precise flow control as well as other innovative features that aren’t available on mixer showers. In the past, digital showers may have seemed like a complex installation choice however, at Mira, we have all of the tools that you need to be able to confidently recommend and install a digital shower.
So, how do Mira digital showers work?
There are three parts that make up our digital showers: the digital mixer valve, user interface and shower fittings. Put simply, the digital mixer unit is the “brains” of the shower. It takes water from the hot and cold supplies and mixes it to the perfect showering temperature, just like a normal mixer. The main difference is that, unlike a normal mixer, you can mount the digital unit away from the shower control, so you can hide it away in the loft, under the bath or in an airing cupboard. This makes installation much quicker and more flexible, causes less disruption, and gives a sleek, minimal look to the shower area. Always remember that safe and easy access to the digital mixer valve should be available at all times, so make sure there is enough room for regular servicing and maintenance and space to remove the digital mixer valve lid.
What’s the difference between the digital mixer valves? How do I choose?
We offer a choice of two different Mira digital mixer valve types. You can choose a pumped for gravity mixer for low pressure gravity fed systems, this intelligent valve has an integral pump ensuring a strong and consistent water flow through the shower on pressures from 0.1 bar to 0.4 bar.
Alternatively you can choose is a high pressure valve, suitable for mains pressure or combination boiler systems where the supply pressure exceeds 0.5 bar.
This choice of valves means you can fit a Mira digital shower on any standard plumbing system, providing the supply pressures are balanced. Please note that digital showers are not suitable for installation on a mixed supply - for example a high pressure cold mains feed and a gravity fed hot water feed. If you have this system, why not choose a Mira electric shower?
What showerhead options are available?
No doubt many of your customers are wanting to create a luxurious, spa like environment in their own bathroom, there is a growing trend for dual outlet digital showers including both a deluge overhead and a separate handshower. Mira dual outlet digital showers allow the user to have both deluge head and handshower on at the same time, delivering a powerful and drenching water flow up to 16 l/min.
The location of the digital mixer valve may influence which fittings option to choose. For example, if the digital mixer valve is situated in the loft, it is easy to run pipework down through the ceiling to the ceiling fed deluge head and fittings kit. Ultimately the choice may be one of style as both ceiling and rear fed fittings offer the same easy installation features.
Are there any differences in installing the Platinum or Mode user interface?
Our latest digital shower, Mira Mode, offers a quick and easy installation from the valve to the user interface to the shower fittings. The Mira Mode user interface communicates with the digital mixer valve via a low voltage data cable meaning there is no need for an electrician or additional wiring. Everything you need to install is included in one box making the point of purchase easy. What’s more, Mira Mode is available with a free app for your smartphone, which is available to download on both iOS and Android with helpful installation and troubleshooting features. The new app makes switching outlets possible at the touch of a button, removing the need for additional pipework.
When it comes to the user interface, it doesn’t get more flexible than our wireless controllers such as Mira Platinum and Mira Vision. You can mount them up to 10 metres away from the digital mixer unit and they communicate with the digital mixer valve with a wireless RF signal.
You can even add a second control with all our digital showers so your customer can adjust the settings from outside the shower area!
Installation Tips
Always remember that safe and easy access to the digital mixer valve should be available at all times. Therefore, make sure there is enough room for regular servicing and maintenance, as well as space to remove the digital mixer valve lid. Remember not to install the digital mixer valve in an area where it could become frozen or subject to temperatures in excess of 40 degrees, for example in an uninsulated loft space, or where air locking could occur.
Like conventional mixer showers, digital showers mix both hot and cold water together. To ensure a constant and sufficient flow of water, for stored water gravity fed systems we recommend a minimum cold water cistern size of 230 litres.
Take time to choose the right type of digital mixer valve for the plumbing system it is being fitted to. A high pressure/combi boiler valve is not suitable for a gravity fed system and will deliver a very poor flow of water, whereas the integral pump in the pumped for gravity digital mixer ensures a strong and enduring water flow.
Our range of wireless digital showers such as Mira Platinum offers ultimate ease of installation with wireless communication between the digital mixer valve and user interface. To ensure optimum efficiency, install the user interface within ten metres of the digital mixer valve in an area where the wireless communication will not be blocked – for example by a metal hot water cistern or on foil backed plasterboard.
We hope that this article has been useful in explaining the benefits of Mira digital showers! You can take a look at the full range of Mira digital showers here or for further resources visit our dedicated Resource Centre part of our Installer Zone.