Triton Ultra 2 shower - water stops after a few minutes

diabologuy · 15 Nov 2006

The shower is an 8.5kw shower. It's only about 3 months old and has been working fine until Sunday.

When I'm using it, it runs fine for 2-3 minutes then the water stops and the power light goes from bright orange to dim orange.

The customer services team said to check for loose connections so I did. There was a connection on top of the element that needed a full turn but everything else was ok.

The isolator switch also needed the connections tightening and after this it worked fine again...for a day...now I leave it for a while, come back and the same thing happens. I checked it about 10 times today...

Any ideas? Triton will send out an engineer but if it turns out to be something other than the shower I'll be paying their fee, so just want to make sure it's not something else first. (My dad fitted the shower, the other one wass 8.5 kw so only replaced like with like).

Cheers.

RF Lighting · 15 Nov 2006

Have you checked the fuse box and associated connections?

Is there any sign of burning anywhere?

diabologuy · 15 Nov 2006

it's an old style fuse box with the fuse wires...

don't see any burning in the shower, the isolator or the fuse box (but haven't looked inside the fuse box as it's not my thing...!)

thanks

RF Lighting · 15 Nov 2006

What is the rating of the shower in kW?

Is the shower fed with a rewirable fuse? what is the rating of the fuse in amps?

diabologuy · 15 Nov 2006

the shower is 8.5kw

the fuse wire is 30A but hasn't burned out...

customer services said that the solenoid valve needs the full voltage to open and let the water flow...do all showers have solenoid valves? perhaps my last one didn't and could handle a lower voltage (if that could be the problem)

diabologuy · 19 Nov 2006

Checked the connections again, a bit more closely this time, and could see evidence of burning at one of the connections on the isolator.

Replaced the isolator and so far everything's in order again...

Adam_151 · 19 Nov 2006

you really ought to look into doing something about the fusebox end, you are technically overloading the circuit, 8500/240 = 35A and while your 30A fuse won't blow, its not particulary good for it, with re-wireable fuses its possible to draw an overload as such that the fuse 'simmers' and turns the fuseway into a sticky plasticy mess

Also most of these fuseboxes have a maximum fuse rateing of 30A, so you are pushing the fuseway as well as the fuse

So bad circuit design at at time, but with re-wireable fuses it has the potential to cause damage

diabologuy · 20 Nov 2006

Cheers, Adam.

Would it be safer to use a 40A plug-in Mini Trip breaker in this case?

I assume that because these plug-in breakers exist at 40A that the fuseway could handle 40A if the situation ever arose?

Steve · 21 Nov 2006

diabologuy said:
Cheers, Adam.

Would it be safer to use a 40A plug-in Mini Trip breaker in this case?

I assume that because these plug-in breakers exist at 40A that the fuseway could handle 40A if the situation ever arose?

Wylex rewireable fuse boxes were never designed, AFAIK, for circuits over 30 amps. I think the 40A MCB or its base has a special "key" that will only fit certain boards, or certain fuseways in certain boards (unless you "modify" the MCB

)

RF Lighting · 21 Nov 2006

Whether you use a rewirable fuse or a plug in MCB you still have the same amout of [overloaded] current flowing through the 30A rated fuseway

Unfortunatly it can and does end it tears.

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Triton Ultra 2 shower - water stops after a few minutes

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