Aqualisa Themostatic Unit Removal

[Shepdog]

I've got a leak from my shower. It seems to be coming from the back of the unit or connections hidden in the stud wall. I don't know how to dismantle the front of the unit without breaking it! I don't want to damage anything in the shower cubicle so I have cut a hole in the plaster board wall at the other side to try to see exactly where the leak is coming from but there is a piece of chip board obscuring the back of the unit, presumably the unit is mounted on this chipboard.

How do I dismantle front of unit? Do I have turn off mains first? Any suggestions?

 

[Lee-King]

Firstly, are there isolation valves on the pipework anywhere? If so turn them off. trace back the pipework and see if you can find some.

You need to find out what model of Aqualisa valve it is before anyone can tell you how to take it apart.

If you haven't got any instructions for it try looking here for your model.

 

[Shepdog]

Thanks for the reply.
Its a bit difficult to tell exactly which model it is. It looks like it could be the Classic Aquavalve 200 but this model was sold 1978 to 1990 and the house was built in 2001. The only other one it could be is the Aquavalve 609 thermostatic sold 1999 to 2003. I haven't found any isolation valves yet but look again in the morning.

 

[Lee-King]

Take a picture of it to show us if you can. We might be able to tell you what model it is or even how to take it apart.

 

[Shepdog]

I've took a picture and stored on my computer but not sure how to place it on here

 

[Lee-King]

www.photobucket.com

Or

http://imageshack.us/

Try them

 

[croydoncorgi]

Whatever Aqualisa you have, I think I'm correct in saying that you can DEFINITELY remove the thermostatic cartridge and the on/off control from the front.

But if you have a leak from behind the unit, likelihood is it's a connection TO the valve rather than the valve itself that's leaking. This is important for planning a repair, because you will gain little by undoing the front of the unit with the leak happening at the back!

The FIRST thing to check is that the leak is not from the seals on the control spindles on the front, with the water running back behind the tiles and into the wall from there. You can remove the control knobs quite easily without risking a deluge but we'll need to know the model before advising you whether these just pull off or whether there's (a) screw(s) hold them on.

From the sound of it, getting at the connections to the back of the valve is going to be a bit destructive!

 

[simond]

There are two likely scenarios with Aqualisa valves. The first is that the cartridge is leaking and this is easily spotted by removing the handles - on many models you push in one side of the Aqualisa logo and it pops out to reveal a screw.

The module -thermostatic or manual- is held in by four screws. To remove it you will need to isolate the water supply. However, leakage from the module will be apparent once you have got to it.

The module can be simply replaced at a plumbers merchant.

If it isn't the module, your attention should go to the plastic casing all the pipes run to. There is always one pipe connection with a blank screw cap - enabling the water outlet to be above, or below the mixer.

It is not uncommon on pressure water systems (eg: combi or unvented) for this blanking cap to split. In this instance the shower will only leak when being used, but it will fill up the cavity!

Aqualisa can sell you all their spares direct and are based just up the road from us in Westerham, Kent. Their web site has some spares listed.

 

[Shepdog]

I have now managed to remove it all and it looks like the main plastic body is cracked and a black washer is split. For the time being I have blanked off the hot & cold inlets until I can get down to a plumbers merchant. Looks like I may need a complete new valve. Are there any new ones that are compatable so I don't have to mess about altering the pipe work?

 

[croydoncorgi]

Many will fit. There's a sort-of standard layout (Hot left, Cold right) and spacing. Any idea why it cracked? Be careful (especially if you choose a plastic body again!) that the pipes and the valve's fixings are not pulling in opposite directions!

 

[Bolivoir]

Hi, this is my first post here and I'm not too sure if this is a silly question but here goes. No question is ever silly

I have a Redring shower which seems to be banjaxed. It is a tank fed shower however there seems to be good water pressure in the house and I want to swap it to a mains fed shower as 1) they seem to be cheaper 2) in my area they seem to be the only ones with the inlet water pipe on the right hand side which is critical in the shower I want to fit it into.

Is fitting the shower just a case of taking the shower connection from the tank and connecting it to the tank feed??

No. Direct mains cold water will give you round about 1.2 Bar depending on local water board pipe lines. Check with water board for certainty. The tank to give you a decent pressure needs to be about 10 Metres above the water delivery point. Look for the point at which you will take your mains feed from IE Toilet or wash hand basin. Upgrading the Kw rating of your supply may need a 10mm cable depending on length of run and other factors. Check electrical advice or qualified PArt P spark. If 10 mm required your shower needs to have the termination capacity to accept 10 mm, and your consumer unit needs to have a spare way to fit a breaker(Fuse) and be capable of handling the additional load. Also look at hte pipe sizes you have 15mm or 22 mm, and make sure that the shower you choose can accept this diameter pipe.

Make sure you indentify any pipes you are cutting in to as water IE Avoid gas, slow methodical thinking it all out will get the beest results. Look for the isolation points for the current supply IE Tank, and remember to blank those off!

Also the shower I want to put in is 9.5kW rather than the 8.5kW that is already there.

I would appreciate any advice anyone can offer. Thank you in advance