Ever wondered how showers work? Here’s all you need to know!

Ever wondered how showers work? Here’s all you need to know!

It goes without saying that no one can ever overlook the importance of a shower in our daily lives. A nice refreshing shower to start and end the day is something many of us look forward to, due to the feeling of rejuvenation and pure relaxation that we experience while bathing under a shower. Just like the toilet, faucets and sanitaryware, showers are also an integral part of bathrooms and cater to our hygiene needs every day.

But have you ever wondered how showers work? There are plenty of technicalities involved in the working of a shower and we’ll tell you all about it in this blog!

Ingredients of the shower recipe!

Before we dive deeper, there are several components that constitute the internal system of a shower and it would certainly do you good to make yourself aware of the following terminology:

Valves

Valves are essentially fittings or devices that regulate the flow and temperature of water. In a nutshell, this is primarily the internal part where the cold pipes connect with the hot pipes. It would also interest you to know that there are multiple types of valves – 

– Mixing Valve: 

A mixing valve facilitates the mixture of hot and cold water for enjoying showers at an optimum temperature. This way a thermostatic mixer knows the temperature of the water before it reaches the shower head. 

– Thermostatic Valve:

As mentioned above, thermostatic mixers or valves do the job of mixing the hot and cold water. Please keep in mind that the volume of the water will be controlled separately; same is the case with the temperature. 

– Pressure Balance Valve:

With the function to control both the flow and the temperature of the water, a Pressure Balance Valve can sense the cold water to hot water ratio.

– Diverter Valve:

This particular type of valve comes to use in case of a shower with multiple heads or outputs such as body jets and hand showers. As the name suggests, this valve diverts the flow of water into other heads (hand shower/body jets) from the main shower head. The diverter is usually a part of the trim. Wondering what a trim is? Read on!

Trims

The handles or knobs that we conventionally use for turning the shower on or off are known as ‘Trims’. It is not uncommon for separate trims to have different functions which go beyond just the on/off function of showers.

Rough/Rough-in

‘Rough’ generally refers to the pipes, valves and diverters present inside the wall. On the other hand, ‘Rough-In’ refers to the part of plumbing which is not yet complete. It can also refer to the installed yet un-connected system of showers.

How do shower valves work? 

When you make use of a trim, the source of water gets activated and helps in beginning the process of channeling the water. Hot water makes its way to the water heater part first, whereas the cold water flows directly into the cold pipe. After this, the main shower valve comes into the picture and this is where both the hot and cold water is mixed, before flowing out to the shower head(s). Since showers come in a wide array of styles and designs, it is natural for them to also have different configurations. Make sure you get the appropriate hardware, so that compatibility does not end up being an issue. 

Now let’s talk about the different types of shower systems and how they function:

Showers with Single-Function

This is perhaps the most basic and simple configuration in which you’ll find a pressure balance valve. From both the cold and hot pipes, the water flows into the valve, where its temperature is then regulated. Post this, the water flows to the shower head through a single pipe.

 Multi-Function Showers

Multi-Function showers are gaining popularity immensely, due to the fact that they add the most special touch of luxury and style to your bathroom and make showering an ultimate experience . In simple words, the most primary difference between a single function shower and a multiple function shower is that the latter come with different outputs for the water, such as body jets, hand showers and of course the main shower head. Depending on how you want your shower experience to feel, you will have to either get a three-way diverter rough or a six-way diverter rough installed. This will allow you to simultaneously enjoy all the functions of your shower. 

Apart from these two main types, there are also ‘Exposed Showers’ (all the plumbing is visible outside the wall) and ‘Dual-Function Showers’ (water is diverted to two or more shower heads). 

We hope you can now make an informed decision the next time you feel the need to call a plumber to have a look at your shower.

Happy bathing!