Redring Slimline 650c shower - need to reduce flow

[BB78]

I had a Redring Slimline 650c 9.5kw electric shower installed in June 08, every time I use the shower I have to turn the temperature dial up more & more to get anything above luke warm water. The guy who installed the shower has moved 250 miles away so I called Redring (Applied Energy) & they advised me to turn the flow down by turning the water stop cock down. The problem is to make the shower happy the stop cock has to be turned so far down that the toilet struggles to refill when flushed & the flow is too slow for the kitchen & bathroom taps.
I don't want to be turning the stop cock everytime I want a shower or flush the toilet, is there anyway to reduce/restrict the flow to the shower only?

 

[crockett]

Yes there is a way, and I would have thought the plumber would have installed an isolating valve to the shower supply pipework somewhere. You can turn the flow rate down on this if you have one fitted, without affecting the pressure of everything else. Is the water pressure in your area quite high in general?

 

[BB78]

Yes there is a way, and I would have thought the plumber would have installed an isolating valve to the shower supply pipework somewhere. You can turn the flow rate down on this if you have one fitted, without affecting the pressure of everything else. Is the water pressure in your area quite high in general?

Is this something I'm going to locate/be able to do myself?
Is it likely to be behind or in the shower unit? otherwise all the pipework has been tiled over.
Don't know if the pressure is high in general but the water does blast out of the taps if turned on that little bit too far! Used to have a shower in the bath connected via a normal mixer tap & could have a nice hot powerful shower whenever I wanted!

 

[crockett]

Dependent on where your shower is sited, if you can try and trace where the pipework comes from, and by deduction find out which one is your shower supply pipe. This could be in the loft, airing cupboard, etc. Then, if your plumber has been a good chap, he will have put some form of isolating valve which supplies your shower on it. If he hasn't, then he's a twonk and you should curse him!

It seems strange that your shower isn't adequate heat-wise, unless you were used to a more suitable shower before. My electric shower isn't the best in the world in terms of heat, but then, like yours, it's only 8.5kW. And also, if the water entering the showers heating element is colder than usual, as it is this time of year, it will feel cooler when it comes out of your shower head.

 

[BB78]

Dependent on where your shower is sited, if you can try and trace where the pipework comes from, and by deduction find out which one is your shower supply pipe. This could be in the loft, airing cupboard, etc. Then, if your plumber has been a good chap, he will have put some form of isolating valve which supplies your shower on it. If he hasn't, then he's a twonk and you should curse him!

I think I'm going to be cursing?! I had the bath taken out & replaced with a shower enclosure, I've got a combi boiler & he didn't do anything in the kitchen & kept turning the stop cock on & off! I think he just took the cold water feed from the bath & extended/adapted the pipes to go up the wall & in to the shower unit? I saw the pipes in the channel in the wall before he tiled. If he has fitted an isolator valve the only place I can think it would be is either under the floor - not accessible! or at the end of the pipes before going into the shower?

Is it part of the Building Regs that isolator valves have to be fitted as standard when installing a new electric shower?

It seems strange that your shower isn't adequate heat-wise, unless you were used to a more suitable shower before. My electric shower isn't the best in the world in terms of heat, but then, like yours, it's only 8.5kW. And also, if the water entering the showers heating element is colder than usual, as it is this time of year, it will feel cooler when it comes out of your shower head.

I do like a hot shower & I know the incoming water is extremely cold at the moment but the water is now luke warm to cold on the highest setting & the problem has just been getting worse ever since it was installed. Redring are saying if the water flow is too high then it passes over the element too quickly & doesn't have a chance to heat up, tunring the stop cock down does make the shower hotter but also drops the pressure in the shower head which isn't good, as well as causing problems with the toilet & taps! They will come out & look at it but if there is nothing wrong with the unit & its the water pressure they will charge £90+!

 

[Rico99]

Can you get the bath panel off to confirm if that is where he got the shower feed from.

If so he MAY!!! have fitted an isolation valve there. If not then that would be the best place to fit it.

Yes it comes under water regs that all outlets should have independant isolation fitted. Other than that its just common sense to fit one, so if there is aproblem then you can just shut off the offending outet and not the whole house.

Rico

 

[BB78]

Good news... the shower is fixed!!
Wasn't the water pressure at all, the temperature knob was stuck & not aligned properly so although I thought I was in the hot water range the knob being misaligned meant I wasn't and now its not stuck anymore it turns much further.
Lovely hot water & plenty of pressure!!