New shower not getting hot

[diycooper]

I have had a new 8.5kw shower installed.

It is installed with 6mm cable clipped with a 32 MCB.

The shower is getting warm but not hot.

Could it be the fuse needs changing t0 a 40 amp as 8.5kw is roughly 37 amp ?

Would the shower still not get hot but trip if this was the case so I suspect a fault with the shower ?

 

[Doggit]

Does the water get even cooler on the lower setting. If it does, then the water flow needs reducing. If it doesn't, then you've got a fault with the higher heating circuit.

 

[diycooper]

Does the water get even cooler on the lower setting. If it does, then the water flow needs reducing. If it doesn't, then you've got a fault with the higher heating circuit.

I do not think it does however I am not at the property. There is a isolation valve on pipe work to shower. Would closing this abit first to reduce flow check if it is a fault with flow ? If its not this and is the higher heating element I guess the shower needs replacing ?

It is brand new could it still be the higher heating circuit ?

 

[Doggit]

If the higher heating circuit makes the water hotter than than the lower one, then you've got too much water flowing through the shower, so put the shower on it's highest setting, and then turn the isolation vale down until the temperature right for you. If the water temperature is the same on both settings then, yes, donald ducked shower.

 

[Taylortwocities]

If the load is too much then the MCB will trip. A 32A MCB will allow 37amp to pass for several minutes before it will trip so methinks you need to get the installer back to sort it out for you.

 

[diycooper]

Right I have just been to the property and done a few checks. I turned the shower on setting 1 and run the shower. It went warmish, I turned to setting 2 and it went warmer.

I then lowered the pressure down with the isolation valve and the shower went cold not hotter on setting 2.

I then checked the pull wires and they are all in snug.

Is it the shower or could it be anything else ?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Right I have just been to the property and done a few checks. I turned the shower on setting 1 and run the shower. It went warmish, I turned to setting 2 and it went warmer.

Maybe what we have here is a mismatch between your expectations and the reality of an 8.5kW shower...

I then lowered the pressure down with the isolation valve and the shower went cold not hotter on setting 2.

That could be it shutting down because there's not enough water flowing through it.

Usually people adjust the flow-rate by using the control on the shower provided for that purpose, not by fiddling with an isolation valve....

 

[diycooper]

Right I have just been to the property and done a few checks. I turned the shower on setting 1 and run the shower. It went warmish, I turned to setting 2 and it went warmer.

Maybe what we have here is a mismatch between your expectations and the reality of an 8.5kW shower...

I then lowered the pressure down with the isolation valve and the shower went cold not hotter on setting 2.

That could be it shutting down because there's not enough water flowing through it.

Usually people adjust the flow-rate by using the control on the shower provided for that purpose, not by fiddling with an isolation valve....

Its not my expectations as I have 3 other 8.5 kw showers in other properties and they get alot hotter.

As for the shower shutting down that is what probably happened as I closed the isolation alot.

I did also check it with isolation valve fully open and adjusting the shower flow by turning the head on the shower.

Also just came to my mother's and her 7.5 kw is hotter than my 8.5 kw.

 

[flameport]

I did also check it with isolation valve fully open and adjusting the shower flow by turning the head on the shower

Is that the shower head and hose as supplied with the shower? Most electric showers require that the head used is the specific one designed for that shower.

Is there some reason you are deliberately avoiding turning the control on the front of the shower which is used to adjust the flow rate and therefore obtain various temperatures?

 

[diycooper]

I did also check it with isolation valve fully open and adjusting the shower flow by turning the head on the shower

Is that the shower head and hose as supplied with the shower? Most electric showers require that the head used is the specific one designed for that shower.

Is there some reason you are deliberately avoiding turning the control on the front of the shower which is used to adjust the flow rate and therefore obtain various temperatures?

Yes shower head is one what was supplied.

I have tried the various settings and also turned the flow setting as well to no avail.

This is the one control where the red bar getting bigger as you turn right to say its gets hotter.

 

[Doggit]

The shower head adjustment gives different spray patterns, and will give slightly different flow rates, but not a lot. You haven't said what make and model of shower it is, but it sounds as though it's in a tenanted property, and is therefore fairly basic; so as you turn the heat control on the front, it shuts down the water as you turn it to the hotter setting. But if there's too much water going through in the first place, then you'd need to close the isolation valve down first to get the optimum setting. At the minute, the incoming waters damned cold, so this may be confusing the situation.

The only sensible solution to the water getting colder as you turn the isolation valve, is that you've turned it too far, and then opened it up again, but you seem switched on enough not to have done that. All I can suggest is that you start from scratch, set the isolation valve to fully open, set the shower control to setting no 2, and set the control valve to the hotest setting, and then adjust the isolation valve slowly, and wait a little each time as it'll take time for the shower to react, and see if you can get it set up. If you can't then it's a faulty shower.

 

[Steve]

Do your tenants a favour and replace it with a mixer shower fed from an existing hot water supply. I wouldn't be happy having tenants in a house with an electric shower as their failure mode is usually burning contacts which can't be detected by any form of automatic disconnection device.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I have had a new 8.5kw shower installed.

Ask your electrician to come and measure how much current it is actually drawing.

 

[Taylortwocities]

I have had a new 8.5kw shower installed

get the installer back to sort it out for you

 

[diycooper]

Turned out it was a faulty shower, got replaced and other one fine. Not counting on it lasting long considering the first new one did not even work.