Faulty Salamander Shower Pump.

[chrisofle]

Hi,
I have a Salamander 'RIGHT RSP 75' pump that feeds x2 showers. One shower works fine with no problems at all. However the other shower began with a fault some time ago where it would not start the pump unless the shower was on full cold to start with. Now it doesn't work at all now.
I'm assuming this is a sensor fault.
Any advise as to the best and most cost effective solution would appreciated.
I have very average plumbing knowledge, so go easy on me!
Thanks in advance for any help.

Chris

 

[Madrab]

If one shower activates it without issue then it's not the pump, look at the shower circuit that's not activating it, may need filters cleaned out/cartridge looked at.

 

[chrisofle]

Thanks for the reply Rob,
I've just cleared the x2 filters out from the hot & cold. Not much dirt in there, however one of them was dislodged and will need replacing as it has come away from the rubber seal. I have put it back together without the filter as a temporary measure to test it and the shower is still not working. I am looking at giving the pump a service now with kit SKELECT02. I'm looking for an online video to assist me with this but can't seem to find one specifically for this Pump. Any more help or advice appreciated.
Chris

 

[Madrab]

As mentioned previously Chris, if you have one shower activating the pump without issue then I wouldn't initially be looking at the pump, more the shower circuit. That being said, servicing the pump removes that from the equation I guess.

Salamander's own service blurb - http://shop.salamanderpumps.co.uk/media/technical_specs/SKELECT02final.pdf

 

[Gasguru]

Turn off the power to the shower pump. Measure the flowrate from the "faulty" shower. See if complies with the minimum flowrate to start the pump.

 

[chrisofle]

Had another go at the faulty shower this weekend. Unfortunately do not have anything to measure the flow rate. However I did strip down the shower unit. The filters were quite dirty which I cleaned. Also I de-scaled the cartridge. Still same issue when put back together. Thanks

 

[motorbiking]

You can measure flow rate with an empty plastic milk carton and stop watch. All you are doing is seeing how many litres it can fill in a minute.

is there a possibility that you have a leak in the pipework between shower two and the pump?

 

[picasso]

Is the shower your having problems with higher than the shower that works properly ?

 

[Madrab]

Did it work ok previously? Has anything changed?

 

[chrisofle]

Thanks for that, I will test the flow rate later this evening. Both showers are at the same level, 1st floor family bathroom and en-suite. Virtually back to back. The pipes (pvc) leave the pump within the airing cupboard into the loft then T off to each shower which are within a couple of metres of each other. Nothing has been altered or changed with system. No alterations. This fault has got gradually worse. When the fault first started if you turned to cold water only, the pump would start, then turn back to the required temp. Now this method hardly ever works. The only way is to switch on the working shower to start the pump. Then switch on the faulty one whilst the pump is running. Which isn't ideal!!

 

[chrisofle]

Ok, I've tried testing the flow rate with the pump switched off and no water is running out of the faulty shower at all. The good shower ran fine, 4 litres in 2 minutes on the cold. Not sure what this means.

 

[Madrab]

If nothing else has been done then you have a restriction that has built up in that shower circuit somewhere then. Either in the pipework, body, shower hose or head. Need to work your way back ... 2nd 2 are easy to test for, disconnect hose from the shower body and see if the pump kicks in. If not then you're into the shower and the on/off valve needs looked at. Still no joy then out with the valve and run the supply pipework alone.

 

[chrisofle]

Ok, I've swapped all possible parts from the identical shower in the other bathroom (the one that works fine) including the cartridge and the thing that turns the shower on and off. (See photos) Swapped the shower hose and head from the other shower, still same problem.
The parts from this shower I have put into the working shower and that is still working fine.looks like these parts on not the issue.
If I take the hose off it works. But neither shower hose works.
Just for info. It occacially works when you turn it to just cold. But then the next time you try it it doesn't work. This is not an issue with the working shower.

 

[chrisofle]

Found a temp. solution. If I drop the shower head below the shower unit it works fine, starts up ok then hook it back up on the sliding bracket.

 

[steve32]

Remove the non return valves there is not enough head height to open them and they are not required on balanced pumped supplies.
They should have been removed when the shower was installed.