Low water pressure in power shower

[DI-Guy]

My electric shower (Triton T80) has pretty bad water pressure, even though the taps in the bathtub have great pressure. Are there any basic things I could try to alleviate that, or at least figure out if the problem is the shower itself or the pipes leading to it?

The pressure is low on cold as well as on hot, so I don't think it's the heating element. It's also not the shower hose or the shower head, since I can attach it to the tap and have perfect water pressure from there.

Unfortunately I can't access the pipework since it has all been tiled over. I can't even see where the pipe connects to the water supply.

I did notice that there is a small stream of water coming out at the bottom, next to where the shower hose attached. That might be some sort of overflow pipe or something like that? Could that indicate a problem? It's not a lot of water though, so I don't think that would account for the difference in pressure either.

 

[terryplumb]

Sounds like your pressure relief valve is passing water ,probably due to restriction within the shower unit itself .
How old is the shower ?

 

[DI-Guy]

I’d guess a couple years at least, it was already there when I moved in. Does that mean it needs descaling/replacing?

 

[terryplumb]

Replacing more likely, particularly if the pressure relief valve has operated. Can you show a pic of where the leak is ?

 

[DI-Guy]

It's coming out of a little hole next to the hose at the bottom. I circled it in the photo (which I guess also answers the question of how old the shower is - 3 years).

So it looks like the valve blowing is exactly what happened, doesn't it? And having googled around it a bit it sounds like I could just replace the valve without having to replace the whole shower, can't I?

 

[terryplumb]

Yes ,the prv can be replaced ,however there is no point unless you rectify whatever caused it to intervene. You obviously have an issue with pressure, more going in than is coming out. That pressure buid up caused the prv to blow.

 

[HERTS P&D]

It is normally caused by a semi blocked shower head.

Andy

 

[DI-Guy]

I got a new hose and cleaned out the shower head since i moved in, so hopefully that isn’t an issue anymore. An issue inside the case wouldn’t cause this would it?

Can I just get something like this to replace the broken part of it? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304353791509

 

[terryplumb]

Yes ,you can buy replacement prv. Just make sure you get the correct one for your shower model. Incidentally the hose and shower head should be the manufacturers for the model. If you choose ones that are too restrictive that can cause the Prv to blow.

 

[DI-Guy]

Will give that a try, thanks!