Bathroom Showers

The bathroom shower and/or tub is the focal point of any major bathroom remodeling job. But before you decide on the bathing experience of your dreams, you'll need to look into your plumbing. Using the current plumbing to install a new shower or tub is much less expensive than relocating the plumbing. Once you've figured this out, you're free to browse the virtually limitless options available for your ultimate bath experience.

Style vs. Performance
Who doesn't want a sheik and beautiful shower in their bathroom? But just remember that performance is equally as important as style when it comes to bathroom showers. You want a shower that's going to deliver a consistently warm and moderately powerful flow of water for those cold winter mornings.

Types of Showers
There are a number of different showers to choose from and each has their advantages and disadvantages. Here are a few popular showers on the market today.

• Pumped Mixer Shower - These bathrooms showers ensure a powerful and steady flow; however, they are rather costly. The pump itself is versatile and can be integrated into your current unit or installed separately.
• Electric Shower - These bathroom showers heat water from the main cold supply, thereby conserving usage of the hot water tank. The water stays warmer longer and the cost is less, but the pressure is not as high as other showers.
• Manual Mixer Shower - These bathroom showers use water from both the hot and cold inlets. They are much cheaper and don't require any electrical connection, but the temperature is very unstable, especially if a toilet is flushed.
• Thermostatic Mixer Shower - Much like the manual mixer, but with control over temperature and pressure variations. The safety feature on this model raises the price tag.
• Pressure Balanced Mixer Shower - This bathroom shower compensates for pressure variation, but not temperature. You still might feel the wrath of the flushed toilet, but not as badly as with the manual mixer.