How Do Digital Showers Work?

Thinking of upgrading your shower but unsure if a digital shower is the right choice for you? Take a look at Victorian Plumbing’s breakdown of how digital showers work and what hi-tech features they can provide for your home.

What is a digital shower?

In the simplest of terms, a digital shower is a mixer shower with technological enhancements. Just like a mixer shower, a digital shower takes water from both the hot and cold water supplies to create your desired temperature. This makes digital showers suitable for mains pressure systems and gravity fed water systems. A setup like a combination boiler is perfect for digital showers.

How do digital showers work?

Well, outside of utilising both hot and cold water supplies, digital showers have a high tech edge that typical mixer showers lack. Tech in home facilities is centred around making the experience of the user easier and more convenient. Digital showers certainly fulfil that desire to experience the ease of luxury.

Digital showers work by controlling the temperature through an internal digital-thermostat concealed within the shower unit. This is then controlled remotely from an independent unit which can take the shape of a hand held device, a thermostat installed in your bathroom, or an app for smart devices. Some digital showers may even provide you with two or three of these control options.

If your digital shower utilises an external thermostat that’s installed into a bathroom wall, then this will communicate with your shower through specialised cables. The Aqualisa Optic Q Smart Shower is a great example of the ease and ingenuity provided by digital showers with a wall outlet control.

If, however, your shower comes with a handheld device or smart app then this will likely use Bluetooth technology to communicate with your shower unit. The Mira Mode Digital Shower utilises an app for smart devices which strikes the perfect balance of hi tech luxury, provided through an accessible and easy to use interface. From the Mira mode app you have the control to set the temperature, waterflow, and the type of spray you like for your shower.

This makes the need for physical valves on a large shower unit obsolete. Because you can control the shower from external elements, there is no need for a cumbersome shower unit that can take up room and ruin the carefully curated aesthetic of your bathroom. This is why concealed digital showers are a great choice as the shower valve and any pipework is concealed within your bathroom wall. However, many digital showers do still feature exposed valves should you need to adjust the temperature when showering. But, these tend to extend directly from the wall rather than from a typical shower unit box.

From your external thermostat or smart device app, as well as the temperature you can also control water flow. Most digital showers also allow you to set personalised settings for your shower. This means that all you need to do is select your personal, pre saved setting and your shower will adjust itself to exactly how you like it.

This is a great feature for households with multiple members who all like their shower a certain way. Some digital showers even have a timer feature so that no one gets a chance to use up all the hot water!

Best digital shower brands

So, if you’re considering investing in a digital shower, what brands are going to provide you with the most reliable tech and the best shower experience? Among the most trusted brands, Mira, Triton and Aqualisa are some of the best in terms of quality and features provided. Not only do they have a variety of options when it comes to controlling your shower, from apps, to devices to thermostats, they also provide digital showers in a variety of forms. Between all three brands you will have options of both concealed and exposed digital showers, as well as diverter digital showers to allow you to alternate between showerhead and bath tap!

It would seem that a digital shower is a pretty cool and convenient upgrade to make. From personalised settings and greater control, as well as some great aesthetic benefits, digital showers are a great choice if you're considering embracing the world of tech in your bathroom.

If you’ve read into how digital showers work and it seems like they’re for you, feel free to check out our digital shower range!