How Does an Electric Shower Work and Why You Must Have It

Last Updated on January 6, 2023

Have you ever wondered how your electric shower works? Then you’ve come to the right place, especially if you are considering switching to an electric shower at home.

The truth is that an electric shower works in a very simple way. So let’s explore its inner workings to understand better what is going on whenever you turn on your electric shower at home.

Heating the Water

An electric shower works by feeding its system with cold water and then heating it up until it reaches the showerhead. This mechanism means that you never have to worry about running out of hot water via your heating unit. Especially, as you know, there’s always a cold water supply on tap for your shower.

Many people will install an electric shower simply because they are fed up with getting halfway through their shower, and suddenly, there’s no hot water left. This can happen if you live in a large household and someone has showered before you, using up most of the hot water –and not enough hot water was heated in the first place.

The Heating Process

An electric shower works the same way as other electrical items that involve heat. However, it does mean a heating element involved has an electrical current passing through it. In short, it is turning cold water into hot water.

The heating element is basically a small piece of metal encased in a box. This heating element in electric showers has a very low resistance, allowing it to swiftly heat the water while also being hot to the touch.

But Isn’t Water and Electricity Dangerous?

You may find yourself thinking about the combination of water and electricity. Particularly when considering that the two don’t go well together, in which case, you may be asking yourself: how does an electric shower work and keep you safe at the same time?

You see, even though electric showers work by combining two components that really shouldn’t go together, it does so in a safe way. Everything is planned to perfection. Plus, you never have to worry about being injured.

In this instance, the heating element is in a completely sealed case. The case is the part that heats the water as the cold water flows past it and picks up the heat aspect of the element. In this manner, metal, water, and electricity never come into contact with one another.

Dealing With the Temperature

But let’s move on to controlling the temperature of your electric shower, and keep in mind that this will only work and apply if you have a power shower installed in your home.

When dealing with the temperature part, electric showers work by allowing you to turn a dial. You will usually see it as having a red end and a blue end. Red means you have hot water, and blue means you have cold water.

But this part is not as apparent as you would think with an electric shower.

The Dial Changes the Water Flow

In the most basic electric showers, the dial will change the flow rate that goes past the heating part. Essentially, it either increases or decreases the flow, which, in turn, changes your shower experience.

Advanced Electric Showers and Their Temperature Control

If you have more advanced electric showers, then their temperature control will work slightly differently.

In this instance, these electric showers have a more complex plumbing system in place. This will stop you from getting sudden bursts of temperature changes as you play around with the dial.

They use a mixing tank, which is built into the shower unit, along with more thermostats and valves that keep the temperature of the water more evenly.

They also contain special sensors that are part of the water system that will regulate the flow and water pressure to make sure you have a constant hot water supply and stay at the temperature you want.

What About Power Showers?

Let’s quickly say a few things about power showers because many will have this type of shower in their home.

A power shower works well for any individual who doesn’t have much water pressure in their home. The problem here is that electric showers need enough initial pressure as they then reduce this pressure by a certain amount to deal with the cold water supply coming into the system.

What can then happen is you have only a trickle of water coming out of the shower head, and that makes for a useless shower.

A power shower can change things for you. Of course, it still takes the cold water supply like standard electric showers, and it still uses the same energy. Still, it deals with this problem of low pressure in your bathroom.

This is because it incorporates a pump in the unit, so you aren’t merely dealing with the water tank’s pressure. A power shower will give you a helping hand while also giving you a hot water supply.

The outcome is the water will come out of your shower head with more force, giving you a better experience overall.

Shower Time!

So, we hope that has answered how an electric shower works, and you can now see that it’s a pretty simple process.

An electric shower can be a wonderful unit to have in your bathroom, and it does tend to use less water than other units. Also, the cost of this type of shower tends to be lower.

If you are struggling with pressure, or want something with more control over your water pressure, have this type of shower installed. An electrical shower will make a real difference to your showering experience. It also does away with the need to rely on your boiler unit as it deals with everything on its own.

In a nutshell, an electric shower provides a quick way of ensuring you always have hot water whenever you need it. More than that, you can manage the temperature of your shower based on your preference. Lastly, you are cutting your energy bills and conserving nature’s resources.