A nice, relaxing shower with the perfect amount of water pressure and temperature is a great comfort to be thoroughly enjoyed. But to experience this luxury you will need just the right type of shower unit and if you’ve never bought one before, you may be a bit confused by the different types available and the pros and cons of each.
Here’s the information you need to know first to best decide between an electric, mixer, thermostatic, or power shower for your bathroom.
- Electric Shower: With an electric shower, as you might expect, the more elaborate the unit, the more expensive it will be; however, with this type of shower, the more features it offers the better it will perform regardless of the outdoor temperature. With this choice, water pressure coming from the main must be at a certain level (at least 0.7kilogram per square centimetre or 10lb per square inch) for the unit to work correctly.
An electric shower with a temperature stabiliser is a better choice as it won’t affect the shower’s water when other taps in the house are being used. But the downside of the electric shower is that their control knobs only allow for a high water temperature with lower water pressure, or alternately, lower temperature with more pressure, which can quite problematic in the winter months when the water coming from the main is colder. Some models of electric showers are equipped with a setting for either winter or summer as a solution to this problem.
- Mixer Shower: With a mixer shower, both the spray and the hose are combined together with a bath mixer tap. The bath/shower mixer is perhaps the least expensive of all the shower head options as no extra type of plumbing is involved. However, there are some drawbacks to this choice as its temperature control option can be inconvenient since water temperature is adjusted through the bath’s tap.
- Thermostatic Mixer Shower: Perhaps the most attractive feature of the thermostatic mixer shower is its convenient temperature controls, which adds to the price as this type is one of the most expensive of all the mixer unit options. With this particular type of shower, the spray and hose are both a part of the shower’s wall unit with the cold and hot water supplies being connected with one single valve. A stabiliser then completes the unit that contains a self-adjuster to keep the water’s temperature from becoming too hot or too cold.
- Power Shower: This type of shower is one single unit comprised of an electric pump whose purpose is to regulate both the water’s temperature and pressure. But, note that the convenience of dual capability for adjusting both temperature and pressure is unsuitable for water supplies that are heated by a boiler or by the shower itself and instead must be used with a water supply coming from a hot water cylinder and cold water cistern.
Whichever option you ultimately decide upon for your bathroom, first make absolutely certain that your water supply is the right kind for the unit to avoid returning to the store or shipping your purchase back for another type.
Archive for April, 2010
How to Decide Between an Electric, Mixer, Thermostatic or Power Shower
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010Guidelines to a Traditional Japanese Bath Shower
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010Many people have often wondered why the Japanese people enjoy such lengthy and healthful lives. In part, their health and well being has been maintained through regular use of the Japanese bath shower. This means of soaking and relaxation has long been used in rituals and as a way to soothe the body, mind and spirit. At the end of a long and stressful day, these baths can relax and distress you. Below you will find basic guidelines about how a Japanese shower and Japanese style bath tub are used in order to create a more peaceful and healthful way of life. How to Use a Japanese Bath ShowerUnlike in western countries, the Japanese shower and bath are not used for cleansing purposes alone. In fact, the bathtubs are not used to clean your body at all. The shower which is located separate from the bath will be used to clean your body with soap and water.After you are completely clean and free of dirt you will enter the steamy water of the Japanese bathtub. The soaking and regeneration of the body’s tissues is what leads to a long and healthful life for the Japanese people.Temperature and DesignUnlike western tubs and showers which are usually used with warm or even cold water in some cases, the Japanese shower utilizes water of a much higher temperature. This water is almost hotter than most westerners can stand and will come as quite a shock at first. It is this water that allows for deep penetration and relaxation of the muscles of the body though.The shower in a Japanese bathroom is generally just a fixture attached to a way in front of the bathtub. This shower is used to rinse the soap from the body before entering the tub. The bathtubs are much shorter and far deeper than western models. They can be made from many different materials including stone, tile, and wood.Cost and PurchaseA Japanese soaking tub and shower will run you at least several hundred dollars for the most basic of models. For a one person tub with basic features and general materials, you can expect to pay $500-$800. More expensive two seat models with the best in features and materials will easily run you several thousand dollars. If you are looking to purchase discount Japanese bathtubs, you have a few choices when it comes to retailers. Local home furnishing or improvement stores may have the products you are looking for. If not, they can often special order them at an additional cost. Online retailers are plentiful as well and can allow you a far greater choice of products to choose from. These retailers will often be willing to ship directly to your home, but expect to pay a larger shipping fee. There are many unique aspects when it comes to the use and look of the Japanese bath shower. A Japanese shower and bath is not something to be taken lightly. It is believed that this method of soaking and bathing is in part responsible to the long life of Japanese individuals and is becoming quite popular with the western world. The information above can help you learn more about these products, how they are to be used and whether they might be a good option for you.
Construction Health and Safety
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010On the 6th of April 2007 the government introduced The new Construction (Design and Management) Regulations which are designed to improve the general safety of construction sites and cut down on the number of accidents experienced during construction projects.
This new set of regulations will replace two predecessors – The CMD Regulations 1994 and The Construction (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996. Any outdated regulations were updated before the two sets were consolidated into a single new set of rules and guidelines.
Despite advances in construction and communication technology construction sites are still considered to be unnecessarily dangerous working environments, with around one third of all workplace fatalities occurring in construction and many thousands of injured occurring during construction projects each year. These injuries and deaths have a wide reaching significant impact with colleagues, family, friends and of course the unfortunate individual, not to mention the possible legal implications for the construction company involved.
The primary aim of the new regulations is to build construction health and safety into every stage of building projects from start to finish. The regulations apply to everyone involved with a construction project and stipulate that each must take account of health and safety. This starts with the Client who commissions the construction works and includes Designers, Principle Contractors, Contractors and Construction Workers.
Another aim of the new regulations is the discouragement and removal of all unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy which are since as a major contributing factor in construction injuries and fatalities. By eliminating hazards at the earliest stages of design and focussing effort where it will be most effective the new regulations should allow for more attention to be paid to important on site issues.
Whilst these benefits of the new CDM regulations clearly apply to construction companies, construction workers and other related professions, many of them also impact directly on clients who either do their own small scale construction and maintenance work or contract it out to others. If a person believes the new regulations do not affect them because they are not involved in the construction industry then they are probably wrong. For example, if the person has responsibility for any property that requires occasional maintenance work then, as the Client, they are required to comply with some very specific duties.
Within the new Construction (Design and Management) Regulations a domestic client is defined as anyone who lives, or will live in the premises where the construction work is carried out. Although a domestic client does not have construction health and safety duties under the CDM Regulations 2007 anyone employed by them on a construction project will.
Other roles also have defined duties under the new CDM regulations, for example:
If a person is in doubt about the specific implications of the new CDM Regulations on their own construction project and require guidance about their own responsibilities, it would be advisable to employ the services of professional construction health and safety consultants.