Electric Showers - the inside! replaceable parts? etc

[steved101]

quick questions about electric shower!:

do they all work on the same kind if principle? i have one which I am studying (for my city & guilds course) and know it's an instantaneous water heater basically. I have installed a manual shower mixer before but these look scary inside!! I've been told if something goes wrong with one, it's best to just swap it for a new unit. IS this true as there does not seem to be any replaceable parts inside. Just a lot of wires, a small copper cylinder and a type of switch, which obviously controls the temp from the handle on the outside of the casing.

The model I have been looking at is a CREDA Aqua 9.5e

Any info on them would be helpful, or any links to pictures, etc?

Thanks all for your help, Steve.

 

[seco services]

9/10 parts in a electric shower are replacable.
one of the only showers that has not got replacable parts are Gainsborough showers as they have what is called a engine and you change the complete unit.
most people will say just change the whole shower thats because they don't know how to check certain parts and find a fault.
many showers i've seen changed then when you ask the customer why they have changed the complete unit and paid a few hundred for a new shower and fitting, and all they needed was a £20 part replaced.

long as you have a descent multi meter you'll be ok.
checking for continuity and resistance.

use a continuity to test and locate the pairs of heating elements
then do a resistance test a good element will give you about 18 ohms
a open circuit will be a burntout element.

tco (thermal cut out ) should have power both sides when shower on, when off it will have a closed circuit on a continuity test.

a solenoid valve in a good order is 3.4 ohms or above anything below is faulty or on its last legs.

 

[steved101]

ok thanks for that info seco. had been helpful. where is the solenoid valve located ? In the Creda one it just has a lot of wires, to and from the small copper linder, and to the green dial. It doesn't look li things can be removed? very fiddly looking!

 

[seco services]

never ever fitted a creda electric shower.

can you post a internal pic of it.

the soleniod valve is the valve near where the mains inlet joins the unit.

post a pic if you can.

 

[steved101]

i wish i could post a pic-can't at the mo though. would be ideal. i will try to as soon as possible.

basicaly though inside the shower there is a plstic ebow (with a brass nut and olive as normal) this is screwed onto another internal pipe by a thick plastic nut. this then goeino a unit (and up into the copper cylinder) but there is a black box attached to it with wires go to and from it. the black box is attached to another plastic square part with 4 screws, one in each corner! this may be the solenoid valve then i presume?

there is a spring between the black box and other square part which has 4 screws in it also.

 

[seco services]

im abit lost at the mo not knowning the creda.
but a solenoid valve will only have two wires to it.

 

[steved101]

yep sorry i will try and get a pic up ASAP-but in the manu instructions for the shower it doesn't mention a solenoid valve. it has a thermal cut-out, terminal block, neon indicator, cpper cylinder, combined flow/power selector mechanism. no mention of a solenoid! ... ?

 

[seco services]

you could of picked a more common shower than creda they do fridges.

 

[seco services]

just found your shower.

http://www.applied-energy.com/spareparts/brand/diagram.php?id=1195&searchbrand=creda

your one must be built into the flow/stabilliser valve.

has this any wires to it ?

 

[steved101]

built in? the flow stabiliser valve? do you mean the combined flow/power selector mechanism? is this common?!! if this is it, it has 2 wires going to it and 2 away from it! not sure where to though! ....

 

[seco services]

its not common to be combined, useally a valve on its own

 

[steved101]

o i see - so would it be easy to replace the part ?

 

[steved101]

What exactly does the solenoid valve look like & do?

 

[Agile]

There are some misleading resistances being quoted above.

The heating element will be closer to 6 ohms!

The solenoid valve coil will be about 2-5 K ohms. It turns the water flow on!

The overheat stat should be less than 0.1 ohms!

Very few people ever repair them because its time consuming to diagnose the problem. go away, order the part by post and return to fit it. Its often more cost effective to buy a new one.

Tony

 

[steved101]

Thanks for your help.

The shower I have been looking at (to learn all the parts)! has a small spring, about an inch or so long which is connected to the circular switch inside-is this spring the solenoid valve or part of it?! am confused .....