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How do thermostatic shower valves work?

How do thermostatic shower valves work?

By Benjamin Clarke | Published on 15th December 2020

Thermostatic shower valves are becoming more and more popular as people seek to increase control over their shower and get the maximum comfort possible.

In this article we'll explain exactly what a thermostatic shower valve is and how it works.

What is a thermostatic shower?

Rather than a regular shower where you have to adjust the hot and cold taps to try and get exactly the right temperature, a thermostatic shower contains a mixer valve that provides hot and cold water to an exact temperature.

This provides greater convenience, control and safety because it means you don't have to worry about the temperature either being too cold or too hot. The shower takes care of this for you.

These types of showers are therefore especially useful for older people or parents with young children. The potential issue of being scolded by hot water is severely reduced.

A thermostatic shower valve

How does the valve work?

On a thermostatic shower valve, you will see a selection of settings or temperatures to allow you to control how hot or cold you want your shower.

In order to achieve the right temperature, these types of showers store a large amount of hot water and mix in the right amount of cold water accordingly.

If the temperature is changed on the valve mid-shower, the result should be almost instantaneous, rather than days gone by of waiting for ages get the desired temperature.

An excellent safety feature on most modern thermostatic safety valves is the ability to detect when the cold water supply has failed, causing an instant shutdown of the shower. This helps to ensure the the person showering is not scalded by extremely hot water.

Can I get an electric thermostatic shower valve?

An electric shower, which uses cold water heated up rather than a mixture of hot a cold water.

No, you must have a conventional hot water central heating system to run a thermostatic shower valve, as they rely on mixing hot and cod water to achieve the desired temperature instantly.

Electric showers work in a slightly different way, in that they have their own heating element that heats up a supply of cold water. An electric shower is useful in many instances, but unfortunately is not compatible with thermostatic shower valves.

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