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They’re very good for temperature control, because they take the cold water from the main pipe and heat it within the unit, so you don’t have to spend ages fiddling with the hot and cold taps. A thermostatic control ensures that the water doesn’t suddenly get too hot if there’s a sudden reduction in water pressure due to heavy demand on the water main elsewhere, for instance if someone turns on the washing machine or flushes a toilet. If the flow of water gets too weak, the heater may even shut down altogether rather than risk you getting a scalding.

Some instantaneous showers run on for a short time after you turn off the unit, to ensure that anyone using the shower immediately afterwards doesn’t get a scalding.

Because of the heavy demand the water heater makes on the electricity supply, and to ensure that the circuit breaker works properly in case of an electrical fault, instant showers have to have a dedicated circuit from the consumer unit. The main switch for the appliance will be a double-pole switch in a ceiling mounting, usually with some kind of indicator (a light or a flag) to show when the power’s on.

Often a single mixer cabinet mounted on the shower wall contains the necessary connections, both plumbing and electrical. But it’s also possible to buy split-unit showers, so that the control panel on the wall of the shower is connected to the heater unit installed somewhere out of sight, but not too far away; suitable locations include under the bath, in an airing cupboard or even in the loft above the shower cubicle.

To enable you to have the shower unit serviced easily and conveniently, it’s a good idea to fit a stopcock or an isolating valve in the water supply pipe.

Connections

The pump can boost the pressure of water from the hot and cold tanks, but not from the mains direct.

Cold water: It’s best if this comes direct from the cold water tank, rather from a branch pipe which also serves other outlets such as baths, sinks or toilets.

Hot water: A straightforward connection between the pump and the cylinder may lead to the pump sucking in air from the cylinder vent pipe and thus creating a spluttering flow of water. To counteract this, ensure that the connection is made with a Surrey flange or an Essex flange.

Depending on how your hot water storage tank is heated, you’ll need to take one of the following precautions:

• If it’s an electric immersion heater, you’ll need to ensure that it’s filled via a dedicated feed (not going to any other outlet) and that the gate valve is fully open. Otherwise there’s a risk that the top of the cylinder may run dry and cause the heater element to burn out.
• If it’s heated from a boiler, you’ll need to fit a thermostat, otherwise if the water’s too hot this can be another cause of spluttering.

Electricity: As usual with electrically-powered devices in the bathroom, the main switch should be either outside the bathroom altogether or mounted on the ceiling.

The pump

There are three different basic types of power shower, depending on where the pump’s housed:

• The simplest is the all-in-one type, where the pump is an integral part of the mixer unit in the shower cubicle.
• You can also find installations where the pump is a separate unit providing pressure for both hot and cold feeds (a twin impeller pump). This sort of pump may be the only pump or a booster for an all-in-one power shower. A common location for this kind of pump is next to the hot water cylinder, on or near the floor to ensure that the pump stays full of water at all times.
• Some pumps are designed to work at a high level where space at a lower level is limited. If that’s the case, the best solution is generally to fit a single impeller pump between the mixer and the shower head, so that the hot and cold water are already mixed by the time they reach the pump.

Whichever form of shower you’ve got, remember that if there’s any chance that the shower head can dangle in dirty water, you’ll have to fit non-return valves in the cold and hot water feed pipes to ensure that dirty water can’t be sucked back into the system.

Which is safer, cold water from the upstairs or downstairs taps?

In theory, both should be equally safe! However, it’s not always as simple as that. (I’m limiting my answer to the case of mains water supply in the UK; things may well be different in other countries or with UK non-standard water supplies such as wells. I’m also making the working assumption that the mains supply itself is safe!)

In ye olden days when running water was first invented, it was often supplied just to one tap in the household, which would almost invariably be in the kitchen. But as households grew wealthier, the supply would be extended to further taps, and also to a hot-water storage tank. (Oh, the luxury!) Many older properties have a direct water supply of this kind.

Then the trend in house plumbing design changed, and it became much more common to have an indirect water supply, with the mains water pipe supplying a cold water tank in the loft, which in turn would provide cold water to the toilet cisterns and to all the other taps in the house, upstairs and down. Nevertheless, the kitchen tap would still be plumbed direct to the mains as it was thought better to have fresh drinking water – without any risk of contamination in the tank – available for cooking, washing food and, well, drinking!

In recent years the trend has switched back to direct plumbing. But if you have a cold water tank in the loft your water elsewhere may well still be safe to drink, as long as your tank is kept clean.

Under the water regulations, a storage tank has to be fitted with warning and overflow connections (to let you know when the tank was overfilling) which are designed in such a way that they prevent insects from getting into the tank – generally by means of screening. The lid of the tank must be close-fitting (though not airtight), must exclude light (to prevent algal growth) and insects, and must be made of a material which doesn’t contaminate any condensation which may form on it. The tank itself should be insulated to minimise the risk of freezing and heat gain (water is best stored below 20°C/68°F).

Kits to ensure that storage tanks comply with the regulations are commonly known in England and Wales as “Byelaw 30″ kits, named for the relevant byelaw in the old water byelaws. (The legislation on water fittings is now known as Water Regulations in England & Wales (in full, the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999). In Scotland there are still Byelaws, updated in 2003, and the kits are known as “Byelaw 60″ kits.

Anyway, to cut a long story short… As long as the mains supply itself is clean:
The kitchen tap will always be safe.

The rest of the house (upstairs and down) will be safe as long as either:

(a) the taps are on a direct water supply; or

(b) the inside of your cold water storage tank is kept scrupulously clean.

We have a large 5-bedroom house with central heating/hot water system and three shower/bathrooms. What size of cold water tanks do we need? Will 82-gallon tanks be enough?

John, after a bit of researching it seems that this is something of a “How long is a piece of string?” question – it depends on the reliability and pressure of your mains water supply.

Many houses (both very old and very recent ones) don’t have a cold water tank at all and simply take all their cold water direct from the mains. This is great if you like your showers to have a good strong supply of water – no need for a pump or so-called power shower!

It also saves loft space. Put it this way: a 220-litre/50-gallon tank typically measures about 1175mm x 600mm x 500mm, or 46″ x 24″ x 20″. That’s taking up 0.7 square metres of space (8 sq ft) which you might want or need for other purposes. And if you’ve had a loft conversion, you won’t have much space left to store a water tank!

The downside is that if your water supply fails at all, then you’re without cold water, which means you’ve only got one flush on each of your toilets. If you’ve had no notice of the outage, and no time to fill buckets or baths, then you’ve got trouble!

Another problem with a direct cold-water system is that if the pipes have tight bends in them, the pressure of the water can lead to “water hammer” when you turn the taps off.

An indirect water supply does have the advantages of being quieter and of giving you some reserves if your water supply’s at all unreliable. But if your showers are gravity-fed, you’ll need a minimum of about 220 litres/50 gallons. For a larger household, you’ll probably want something of the size you suggest – about 360 litres/80 gallons – or conceivably more than one tank, although that’ll take a bit more ingenuity from whoever does your plumbing.

Your tank should be fitted with a Byelaw 30 kit to ensure that the water stays clean inside the tank.

Screwfix do a range of shapes and sizes of cold water tanks:

Cold water tanks from Screwfix Direct

Bear in mind, too, that if your showers are gravity-fed they’ll need a minimum of 900mm/3ft head (the head is the vertical distance between the bottom of the cold water tank and the shower sprayhead).

Last of all, water is heavy! The loft floor should be strong enough to support the load of your tank, which will be approaching 400kg/8 cwt for a 360-litre/80-gallon tank.

I’ve just moved into a house with an asbestos (header?) water tank in the loft. There is no cover (top to it) and no insulation. Would it be safe to cover it with a piece of wood or flattened cardboard box resting on the top to stop dust, spiders etc getting into the water and help prevent it freezing? Also, does it need to be insulated or lagged?

I’m aware of the dangers of asbestos, which is why I ask!

Ossie, this is a tricky one. I’m going to answer the best I can…

The first thing for you to do is check the state of repair of the tank. Use a good torch/flashlight, a good respiratory mask and gloves. Check the inside and outside thoroughly. Also check the top edges of the tank for any sign of wear and tear.

If the tank is in good condition, then I suggest that simply leaving it be may be the best course of action. You can put a piece of ply or cardboard on top if you wish, this is not a problem – simply lay it on top, don’t try to hammer or screw it onto the asbestos…

Having said that, I would suggest that the tank is replaced ASAP. This tank feeds your house water – and if there are any particles or debris in that water, then that is possibly going to be bad for your health and the health of your family.

I’ve been doing a bit of research and have come up with the possibility of getting the old tank removed and a new tank installed – my estimate is somewhere between £1,000 and £2,000 for this. A lot of money, but not as expensive as bad health!

For the removal of the tank, you must bring in a licensed contractor. These guys have the right tools and knowledge to be able to do the job safely. PLEASE do not attempt to remove the tank yourself.

Whether you choose to replace the tank is up to you. I would suggest that whether you end up with a new tank or stick with the older one, it should be lagged. Lagging cuts down on your heating bill, for one thing – and is a cheap and easy way to do so!

I would suggest that it might be worth you calling your local council and asking if they have a department who can help you further. Many councils have fully trained staff who can come out and give “on the spot” advice and information. This service is usually (but not always) free of charge. If you explain the problem to them, they will be able to let you know more fully the financial and health implications…

Ossie, good luck, and please let us know how you get on.