Power Shower Problem Who/What To Blame?

[as400]

Had a Mira Excel fitted new with a motor in the boiling cupboard, pretty standard set up with hot water from the tank and I guess cold from the loft.

Shower was working great for the first few months then abruptly stopped.

Plumber says although he supplied the parts its nothing to do with him now, I have to talk direct to Mira and/or the company that manufactured the power motor bit.

When I turn the temperature up to max in the shower the motor kicks in temporarily giving scalding water until it cuts out after 60 seconds. On coldest feed only no water comes out and the motor does not kick in....

The motor company say it must be a water feed problem with the shower and there is no fault with the motor as even with it switched off water should come through the shower?!(is that correct?...a power shower should still work with the motor switched off?).

The catch 22 situation I am in is that Mira engineer comes out and says the shower is fine and the problem is with the pump...and vice versa...thus I get charged by them both with the original plumber washing his hands of the whole situation.

Grrrr!!!!...i just want to have a shower and my wife is killing me!

Any advice gratefully recieved!

 

[simond]

Not an expert on showers, but that doesn't seem to stop many others on the site, so here goes.

Sounds like the cold feed is turned off, airlocked or blocked in some way.

If the hot comes through for a few secs then the thermo mixer (excel) is abruptly shutting off, causing the pump to switch off a moment later. The thermo mixer is shutting because there is no cold feed.

If it worked OK for a while, then it may be worth looking at the flexi hoses on the pump. Some plumbers use them as elbows, putting a tight bend in, and they can subsequently fold flat, especially on the neg pressure side of the pump.....

 

[grrinc]

Water can still pass through a pump even when it is not on. What should happen is when the valve is turned on, the flow-switch in the pump detects flow and automatically turns the pump on ( and off ). If no water is passing through then the pump cant switch on. So yes, it does sound like a supply problem.

First double check that the service valves are on - obvious i know but stranger things have happened.

If they are on, then it could be an air lock if the pipework was poorly laid out, or debris has made its way to the filters and blocking the flow.

Also, check the following......

The cold feed to the pump comes from the cold storage tank in the loft. It should be a unique feed and not teeing off of anything.

Check the hot feed to the pump is tapped off the side or the top of the hot water cylinder. Or it can be the first draw off with some makes of pump.


Also, find out what pump it is and post back.

 

[as400]

OK thanks for your quick replies!...the pump is a Showermate 1.4 bar TWIN.

The problem first started when her Ladyship left a sinkrunning with her swim costume in it which blocked the sink and caused an overflow which must have drained the hot water tank and thrilled the neigbor living below with his newly aquired waterfall ceiling feature.

I'm thinking maybe some hard scale stuff is blocking the cold water feed?...is there a filter I can check to see if its blocked as it all righted itself a few days later and now after two long showers and the washing machine being on it happened again...Im thinking along the lines here of excessive water usage stiring up limescale which blocks some feed?

Just grasping at straws here, shower seems to be working on an intermitent basis now...bit like the wife!

 

[grrinc]

The cold tank in the loft should always replenish from the cold mains, so the tanks shouldnt drain out un less the float valve itself is blocked.

The shower mate pumps should be fitted with inline filters. They are usually brass with an angled nut coming off of them. Isolate the water supply and undo the nut to reveal a strainer / filter. Give it a clean.

 

[as400]

Its going from bad to worse here, I'm at work doing a nightshift and she tells me she can't flush the loo and there is no cold water coming out the tap though there is hot water.

It seems then that the cold water feed coming into the bathroom is somehow corrupt...in the kitchen its fine!...I guess the kitchen feed must come from a different area as the pressure is strong?

So does anyone know where the feed for the bathroom comes from?...

 

[grrinc]

Your kitchen feed will come in off the cold main. The mains will then feed the cold tank and the cold tank will feed other outlets. These outlets should be, supply to hot water cylinder in your airing cupboard, a supply to your bath which will probably have a few tee offs for basin and wc, and, if the plumber did it right, a supply to your pump. You really now need to get up in that loft and make sure the tank is letting water through uninterrupted. Make sure no loft insulation etc, is obstructing the holes. That tank need to so fill up quickly and allow water to flow freely.

 

[as400]

Cheers Grrinc!....as soon as I get back to Swanage at 08:00 I'll be up that loft though would rather be in bed!...thanks for your advice.

 

[ChrisR]

Come on - computer operator on nights should be able to afford a plumber?! Good luck anyway

 

[as400]

The last plumber I spoke to used to work in IT then realised his hourly rate would be much better in the plumbing industry!...maybe I should retrain!

 

[Nige F]

The last plumber I spoke to used to work in IT then realised his hourly rate would be much better in the plumbing industry!...maybe I should retrain!

Read the threads on the subject Your mate was having a dream.......a wet one The bubble has long burst and it was all media hype The job is still 90% graft