Are you considering upgrading your instant heater to a storage heater? Storage heaters are a popular choice in Singapore for those who want better water pressure and more consistent hot water temperatures. However, making the switch also involves some extras that you should know about!
Follow this 5 step checklist to ensure you haven’t missed anything out. We’ve included some diagrams for clarity and listed some related costs so that users will have an idea of what to expect.
1. Changing your stopcock (or single lever tap) to a mixer
A storage heater works differently from an instant heater. You can use an instant heater with a simple stopcock but you need to upgrade to a mixer to use a storage heater. A stopcock controls a single incoming cold water flow. A mixer (as its name suggests) controls two incoming water flows – hot and cold.
Costs:
Stopcock (single-lever tap) $25
Mixer $150
2. What type of mixer to use?
There are two basic types of mixers - shower mixers and bath mixers. Bath mixers come with a spout while shower mixers do not.
Choose the right type of mixer for your bathroom. Bath mixers are a good choice for common bathrooms where you may need to fill in pails of water. You may opt for a cleaner look for the master bathroom with a shower mixer.
3. Get a better shower set
Often, the shower set is overlooked till the last minute. While instant heaters come with their own shower set, you should take full advantage of the better water pressure delivered by the storage heater over the instant heater by upgrading your shower set.
To give you an idea:
A shower set (which includes shower bar and hand shower) costs $80
Rain shower sets $200
4. Do you need a wall flange?
A wall flange is used for exposed installations where water pipes are visible and running along the bathroom wall. They connect the existing water pipes to the new mixer. You do not need a wall flange if your pipes are concealed, or coming out of the wall.
Cost:
Wall flange (comes in a pair) $28
5. Pipes
Changing from an instant to storage heater requires additional piping. (Storage to instant is easier)
Refer to the two diagrams below, the first diagram shows pipes required for an instant heater.
The second diagram shows extra pipes needed (in green) for a storage heater.
The estimated costs of extra piping for HDB:
One bathroom $300
Two bathrooms, side by side $850
Amanda
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