Will an electric shower bought from the UK (eBay) work in Ireland?

L

LadyJane

Registered User
Messages
139
We are planning on installing an electric shower. Had a look around and, as usual, they are about a third the price on eBay compared to DIY stores here in Ireland.

The only vendors of these electric showers on eBay, however, are all from the UK.

I am wondering if we would have problems with the difference in voltage? This would be a standard Triton shower.

Thanks.
 
Last edited:
UK and Irish mains [broken link removed] are the same so you should be OK but double check and maybe post the ratings mentioned on the unit here for confirmation.
 
IT is the
Triton t80xr and it is available in 7.5, 8.5, 9.5 and 10.5kW.

I am not sure which I would need to work on our system here?

Cheers.
 
The wattage refers to the heating element and/or pump - the higher the wattage the more electricity it will use and the more water it will heat or the faster it will heat or the higher the pressure it will generate etc. You need to double check that the units are rated c. 240V/50Hz. Almost certainly they are if they are UK models.
 
Just ask the seller to guarantee that they are compatible with Irish mains electricity. Quote the link that I posted above if necessary. Almost certainly they are compatible but best to be sure before purchasing. Bear in mind that you will need a suitable circuit in you house and connected to your fuse/circuit board when connecting such an appliance. I think that such a load would generally be on its own circuit. You should get professional advice from an electrician on wiring/installing it if in doubt.
 
Any mains item certified to be sold in the UK market will be compatible with the Irish electrical system. There are regulations on the range of voltages an appliance must be able to perform under to be sold in these markets, and indeed the supply voltage itself varies in voltage over time, generally within a tight band though.

What is different between Ireland and the UK is plumbing fittings, with metric and imperial systems in place respectively. With the likes of B&Q operating here now though, it is possible to source both metric and imperial fittings here.
Leo
 
Just heard back from the seller and he said, "Hi, yes the shower is 240V/50Hz" so it looks like it will be grand.

Clubman, what kW would you recommend? A middle one? ie 8-9.5kW?
 
LadyJane said:
Just heard back from the seller and he said, "Hi, yes the shower is 240V/50Hz" so it looks like it will be grand.

Clubman, what kW would you recommend? A middle one? ie 8-9.5kW?
Click to expand...

LadyJane, look at what Leo said...I was going to post soemthing along similar lines but I don't have the knowledge he does in this area. There are different size fitting in Ireland and the UK so this could also be an issue and needs to be checked out. A botch job to marry the two sizes together can often result in leaks and damage to your bathroom.
 
Ok cool, I will contact the seller and see if the units are metric. It seems you can buy Imperial fittings here though? It would be worth the trip to B&Q and saving 200 euro on the price of the shower.
 
the unit will be metric, most of the showers fitted here come from the UK. We have 1/2" pipes here and 15mm pipes in the UK. because the differance is so slight, the UK fittings will compress on our imperial pipes. it only becomes a problem when the pipes increase in size, 3/4"- 22mm 1" - 28mm, because the difference in sizes gets bigger. Interesting stuff, eh?!

I would pay more attention to what type of water feed to go for,I.E mains fed or fed from storage tank in attic. whichever one you choose will dictate what model of shower to go for. they both have their own advantages and disavantages.
 
Thanks DavyJones. Actually it IS interesting. Is if funny how your concept of "interesting" changes when you become a home-owner.

Dare, I ask, what are the advantages/disadvantage of mains fed or fed from a storage tank? Our cold water is from the mains (we have our own well that pumps it in to the house as needed) and the hot water is in a storage tank at the top of our house which is heated in a boiler in our ground floor bathroom. The shower will be in this room, and the pressure is non existent. Hence our need for an Electric Shower.
 
Firstly I should add, I hate electric shower's as I feel they underperform in our modern world. I would suggest a good pair of thermostatic bath/shower combi taps. these are easy to fit and if your bathroom is on the ground floor, you should have decent water pressure to drive shower. Sorry, really hate electric showers!

Mains fed shower,
Slightly better pressure, and may be easier to pipe depending on location of mains pipe. Bad stuff- if someone runs kitchen tap/washing machine,dishwasher you in the shower will lose pressure.

tank fed shower,
direct lone feed from tank, so constant flow. Can be hard to gain access to pipe route.
Whichever one you go for, you should note in the summertime they will perform ok but in the depths of winter they struggle to heat the very cold water quickly.

There are probably more pro's/con's that I can't think of!
 
Ok, thanks for the info. Your mention of the thermostatic bath/shower combi taps has me intrigued. That will be my next point of research.
 
Last edited:
Just make sure that if you op for the 10.5k your mains are capable of supporting this load. You will require 10 square mains for this load.
 
Just to reiterate - get an electrician to do the electrical work.

Don't believe a plumber who tells you he can do it.

I had a recent near death experience because of this.

You need overcurrent (fuse) and earth leakage (RCD) protection, preferably on a dedicated line to the house supply. It's a job for a professional electrician.

Water and electricity do not mix.
 
I would reiterate what chippengael said..very dangerous and its quite common thing

I have bought all my showers (triton & Mira) from the UK, both electric and thermostatic mixers showers and they have all worked, no problem and at half the cost they charge here...still dont understand how they are getting away with it here..can you pm the website you used just to see if i haven't used it before..also check warranty and returns on goods that don't work..cheers
 
Thanks for info. I was wondering if we needed to get a sparks or a plumber or both. It is hard enough to get either! But you are right, it is better to be safe than sorry.

In terms of thermostatic mixer taps vs. electric shower: I think only an electric shower would work for us as we have low pressure and a smallish boiler. I am not sure if it would heat enough water for a decent shower.

Thoughts?
 
I bought a Triton AS2000XT power shower from godfreys online in the UK for €240, including delivery to my door.

The same shower in the local Irish retailer was €365.

Rip off republic.

Instalation was not a problem, the near death experience notwithstanding.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register