Plumbing a power shower need not be that complicated providing you plan carefully and take care to fit an appropriate model. If possible, choose a shower which has an integral pump, as this will make for a much easier fitting job. Before you even consider a power shower check that your cold water tank meets the required minimum capacity which is usually 115 litres/ 25 gallons. Some models of shower will also require a certain minimum capacity in the hot water cylinder, and a minimum run - usually about five metres/ fifteen feet - of pipe between the cold water tank and the bath or shower room where the fitting is to take place. Power showers generate their own pressure using a pump and do not need to be plumbed direct to the main - in fact in most cases this will be a breach of the Water Regulations.

Although none of the work involved is particularly complicated, as with all jobs that mix plumbing with electrical work regulations will need to be observed and certain parts of the work overseen by a qualified electrician. The shower will need to be wired direct to the ring main by means of a separate fused connection unit which must be installed outside of the bath or shower room. The user of the shower does not need to switch the motor on and off as this happens automatically as the water is turned on.

As with all gravity fed showers, your power shower will need to be fitted with dedicated hot and cold water supplies. These should be fitted with gate valves in order to isolate the shower for maintenance.

One downside of power showers - and especially older models and those at the cheaper end of the market - is that they can cause surprisingly intense vibration. If you're fitting a power shower to a timber frame wall you can offset some of the problems this will cause by mounting the shower on screws with rubber washers. Likewise it is important to ensure that all tiling and grouting around the shower unit is secure, as even the barely perceptible high frequency vibrations caused by an efficiently operating shower can loosen second rate tile work.

If you don't want to go to the hassle and expense of installing a whole new shower you can give your existing shower a new lease of life by installing a booster pump. This simply requires the installation of a single-impeller pump between the mixer and the spray head to boost the pressure and volume of the mixed water being pumped through. If the pipe work is not easily accessible and you don't want to go digging into your wall, install a twin impeller pump. This can be positioned in the system before the mixer. If you generally have a low pressure water supply to your bathroom you can use a twin impeller to improve the supply to the whole room. A twin impeller pump like this should be positioned carefully as they do have to be serviced once in a while. A good position is tucked away beneath a bath or vanity unit mounted on a rubber mat to absorb the concomitant vibrations. The pump need never be switched on and off because it is activated by flow switches and should therefore be wired direct into the ring main. Bear in mind that if you live in a hard water area your pump may fur up quite easily. This problem may be solved by installing a water softener.