Advice on shower pull cord switch please

[Tekkers]

I'll probably just give replacing the switch a go, but the switch now takes three pulls to turn the shower on and one to turn it off... every time... can anyone explain this please?

 

[sparkwright]

Experienced this before; yes, it's a faulty pull switch.

Be sure to remember which cable is the supply and the load. Otherwise, if you have a neon indicator, it may be on all the time.

Make sure connections are tight, check again before you replace cover. Loose connections cause burning out, particularly on showers.

 

[bernardgreen]

Probably.

Each pull rotates a cam shaft in the switch by 90° ( a quarter revolution ).

Two positions 0° and 180° are OFF and at each of the other two positions 90° and 270° there is a cam which presses the contacts together to allow current to flow.

Very possible that one of the two cams has broken or burnt and is no longer able to press the contacts together. Sure sign the switch needs replacing.

A broken cam may jam the mechanism. A burnt one indicates contacts over heating.

 

[sparkwright]

Use a decent make like MK or Crabtree. The cheaper ones do tend to go wrong fairly quickly.

 

[Tekkers]

Thanks very much for all your help

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Make sure connections are tight, check again before you replace cover.

And then a couple of weeks later check them again.