Gainsborough SE Electric Shower

...shower in question is the Gainsborough Electric shower, which is a brilliant white colour and comes in a few power ratings, ranging from a 7.5KW to a hefty 10.5KW, but the one I am reviewing is the 8.5KW at 240 volts, power rating option ( albeit 7.8KW at 230 volts).


'''NOTE:'''
The higher the KW of the shower the more likely you will have to have your wiring and plumbing changed, although 8.5KW is more the norm for ...
.../> Even though I know Gainsborough is a well known name within the shower world I was still a little apprehensive of this one, mainly due to its size really, but once I had installed it and used it a few times, (I don’t mean one shower after another in a day, I wasn‘t after setting a new world record for bodily cleanliness), I was quite impressed with the results.

It is a nice looking shower, being approximately 280 by 225 by 65 mm ... more

A while back I was given a new shower, still in its box, which was nice, and as the shower I already had in my bathroom was put there by William the Conqueror I decided to install this brand new freebie, even if it was supposed to be a temporary matter. But after a few uses I realised that this was quite a good little shower and well worth leaving in for quite a while, or until it broke anyway.

The shower in question is the Gainsborough Electric shower, which is a brilliant white colour and comes in a few power ratings, ranging from a 7.5KW to a hefty 10.5KW, but the one I am reviewing is the 8.5KW at 240 volts, power rating option ( albeit 7.8KW at 230 volts).
NOTE:
The higher the KW of the shower the more likely you will have to have your wiring and plumbing changed, although 8.5KW is more the norm for most houses and the difference between an 8.5 and a 9.5 isn’t worth the hassle of a rewire, although a 10.5KW may be worth thinking about.

** INSIDE THE BOX…

• The main shower unit.
• Shower head
• Shower head holder
• Shower hose
• Riser rail
• Rail ends and caps
• Hose ring

Also…

• Installation instructions
• Guarantee registration form
• Shower fixing template.

It states on the box that it has a phased shut down system and an optimised flow rate, plus a rub clean handset and spray control.For those interested in the environment the box is well packaged and takes seconds to unpack without leaving anything that can not be recycled, unlike some packaged items.

** FITTING THE SHOWER…

(bit of a boring bit)

This should really be done by a very competent DIYer or preferably a ‘Part P’ qualified electrician, and as I am the latter I fitted this in no time at all, although it does help that the electric and plumbing were already in position and saved me hours of frustrating ‘channelling’ and cutting of floorboards, so it was just a basic plan of taking an antique shower out and fixing a newer one in.
Anyway, the installation instructions are supplied in the box, together with a very useful template for the position of the screw, and because the instructions are easy to follow your new shower will be up in no time at all.

I could go deep into the installation itself but I would consider this as too much ‘padding’ so I simply recommend reading the installation instruction booklet or, if you don’t feel confident, hire a qualified person to do the installation.

**CAUTION…

• Firstly, and most importantly, TURN OFF THE WATER AND ELECTRICITY SUPPLY before starting this project.
• Do make sure that the shower is connected directly to its own RCD at the main ’Consumer Unit’ (fuse box).
• Separate the electric connection between the shower and ’Consumer Unit’ via the use of a ‘double pole’ pulley ‘neon’ switch, (can be used inside the bathroom), or a ‘neon’ standard switch, (which can NOT be used inside a bathroom).

** IF IN DOUBT, GET A PROFESSIONAL IN TO FIT IT….

But shop around for quotes, which could possible range from between £50 and £250, depending on the amount of work needed, such as any wiring and plumbing which may be required.
Remember, most of the payment is actually Labour cost so the more you can do the less you will be charged.
So if you can run the wire from the shower to the ‘Consumer unit’, and even plumb into the nearest cold water pipe then you will save a fortune in labour cost as all the professional will have to do is make the final connection and sign the shower as safe, ten minutes, maybe fifteen at the most, depending on them having a brew whilst doing it.

** IN CONCLUSION…

Even though I know Gainsborough is a well known name within the shower world I was still a little apprehensive of this one, mainly due to its size really, but once I had installed it and used it a few times, (I don’t mean one shower after another in a day, I wasn‘t after setting a new world record for bodily cleanliness), I was quite impressed with the results.

It is a nice looking shower, being approximately 280 by 225 by 65 mm in size and a nice white plastic, fitting snugly onto the tiles on the wall of my bathroom without looking out of place at all.
It looks simple to use and believe me, even a baboon with missing thumbs and an eye patch could manage to turn it on without scolding itself.
With its simple white look and petite size it really does sit quite pleasantly on any wall.
The face of the unit has a large dial, which clearly shows red markings for hot and blue markings for cold, thus, turning the large dial either heats up the water or cools it down, and once the desired heat setting is achieved it is just a matter of minor adjustment to keep that control.
Then, there is a stop/start button, which lies just beneath the large dial, this button simply turns on or off the water flow, allowing you to keep you heat settings at the desired settings.

The shower hose is long enough to handle the full length of the Riser rail, thus giving the user ample height control regardless of how tall or short they are. This being achieved by a slight twist of little knob on the shower head holder. (a little like all showers I suppose), but as I am a wee bit taller than my wife, and my kids are even shorter, this height adjustment is a necessity indeed.
And as for the shower head itself, well, it may not be the biggest on the market, nor have multiple water outflow settings, but it certainly has enough holes drilled into it to give plenty of spray power to get your body clean.

In all, it is a cracking little shower from a very reputable company, which looks neat and tidy sat on ones tiled wall.
I have had mine installed for a while now and am very happy with the power of the 8.5KW and the cleansing results it gives.
It is easy to keep clean with a simple wipe over using a damp cloth, there are no need for special cleaning fluids apart from maybe de-scaling the shower head once in a while, as with all shower heads.
It may not have the power of Niagara Falls and it may not look like it’s wanted by the Sultan of Brunei to fit in with his solid gold mixer taps, but for the price it certainly is worth seriously looking into for a cheap and very cheerful shower unit which gets you clean under the warm water which sprays gently over your body from the small, but very adequate, shower head.

As I stated earlier I was given this shower as new but after a quick search online I found the same unit for various prices, such as…

• £ 59.99 from B and Q
• £ 64.98 from Plumb world
• £ 59.00 from www.Gainsboroughshowers.co.uk , where you can also buy replacement parts from.

Which, at these prices, is a fantastic bargain indeed, but when I found the same shower for an astonishing £102 from a well known catalogue I was a little miffed at the extortionate rip off and I wouldn’t recommend buying it at that price.

So do shop around as someone somewhere may be offering a bargain.
 

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