Shower has no power

[Rykard]

HI,

stumbled across the forum this morning after having another naff shower. We bought the house about a year ago and things were OK. BUt now the cold has set in the shower has lost pressure. I regularly have the head off it to degunk it but the rate of flow is awful at th emo.

If I put more cold through the stream is OK ( but cold!). It is a plumbed in Mira.

Could someone give me an idea as to what is wrong, what a ballpark cost would be for someone to look at it...i.e are we talking simple easy fix or new shower etc...


Cheers
Rich

 

[Softus]

You've given virtually no information - the word "Mira" on its own is utterly useless.

Read the sticky topic at the beginning of the list in the P&CH forum, and then post here the information that it recommends.

 

[Rykard]

1) Boiler make / model (gas or oil) -gas bolier

2) What is / is not happening - the water from the shower head has no strength. If I turn the mixer tap to make the water hot the stream turns to a trickle , if I turn it back to cooler/cold the stream becomes stronger but the water is too cold.

3) Has ANYTHING else been done / changed recently - nothing has been changed.

4) When did it (problem) start - the problem has been on and off since we moved in December 05.

5) When does it happen? eg, heating coming on or going off - when running the shower

6) Anything else you feel may be of relevance - not aware of anything.[/b]

 

[HarrogateGas]

1) Boiler make / model (gas or oil) -gas bolier

2) What is / is not happening - the water from the shower head has no strength. If I turn the mixer tap to make the water hot the stream turns to a trickle , if I turn it back to cooler/cold the stream becomes stronger but the water is too cold.

3) Has ANYTHING else been done / changed recently - nothing has been changed.

4) When did it (problem) start - the problem has been on and off since we moved in December 05.

5) When does it happen? eg, heating coming on or going off - when running the shower

6) Anything else you feel may be of relevance - not aware of anything.[/b]

the model of shower would be benfificial, as would the system powering it. is it gravity, run of a combi, on a shower pump??

 

[Rykard]

Model - Mira - no other info known.
Don't know what type - it is plumbed in - i.e. has not electric heater on the wall, other than that I don't know...


rich

 

[Softus]

1) Boiler make / model (gas or oil) -gas bolier

You have GOT to be kidding. Can you truly say that this is your best attempt at telling us the make and model of your boiler?

 

[Rykard]

I think it is one if these http://www.plumbworld.co.uk/1291-2407

I will try to find some documentation on the boiler.

 

[Softus]

I think it is one if these http://www.plumbworld.co.uk/1291-2407

Well that one is an Aqualisa, but at least we're getting close to finding out what type of shower you have.

I will try to find some documentation on the boiler.

Most boilers have a badge, or label, on the front of the case.

I'm sorry if you're genuine, but I think this is a wind-up.

 

[Rykard]

I am not doing a wind up. I genuinely (sp?) know bu*er all about plumbing and don't want to go to the yellow pages and pick someone out at random and get shafted!

By boiler I presume this is behind the fire, not in the airing cupboard?

Rich

 

[Softus]

OK Rykard.

A boiler behind the fire is generally called a back boiler. If this is what you have then it tells us quite a lot about your system.

The thing in the airing cupboard is almost certainly a copper tank, colloquially called a cylinder by most people. It stores hot water heated by the boiler.

Whether your shower is a Mira, or Aqualisa, or something else, the chances are that you have a gravity fed mixer valve, and it might be thermostatic.

If all this is correct, then my best guess at the moment is that the shower valve is faulty. I've seen thermostatic valves that stop passing hot water altogether.

If it's a Mira then there are manufacturer's service kits - these are specific to the model. The valve can often be a b*gger to get apart.

If Aqualisa then there are replacement cartridges, which are expensive but readily available.

Have you asked friends and colleagues if they've used a local plumber, and perhaps know one that they can recommend as being honest and reliable?

 

[Rykard]

I think it might say thermostatic on the bottom of the mixer tap. It says Aqualisa across the mixer , so i think just the head is a Mira. Would a dodgy valve account for the flow change if the head is raised?

I have asked friends / family but as yet no-one has come back to me..

I appreciate all your help. I must sound like a right numpty....

Cheers
Rich

 

[Nige F]

I think it might say thermostatic , so i think just the head is a Mira.

I must sound like a right numpty....

Cheers
Rich

Sure it dosen`t say Dick on the head

 

[Softus]

I think it might say thermostatic on the bottom of the mixer tap. It says Aqualisa across the mixer , so i think just the head is a Mira.

OK - it's an Aqualisa valve then. Easier (than a Mira) for you to do yourself. However, before you do that...

Would a dodgy valve account for the flow change if the head is raised?

Probably not.

Reading your first post again, you say that you have to "degunk" the head. I'm curious to know what gunk is accumulating - can you describe it?

One possibility is that you have debris in the hot supply to the shower valve. What is the flow rate to the other hot outlets in the house?

Also, what's the height of the shower head (the part that sprays) relative to the cold storage cistern (usually in the loft)?

 

[Rykard]

sort of slimey black build up over a few weeks. Usually soaked the head overnight in in cillet or somethig such like.

The other hot flows seem to be OK.

the cold cistern seems to be approx 2-3feet above the level of the show head at the top (slow flow) and about 4ft when we drop the head down a little bit and get better flow.

Rich

 

[Softus]

sort of slimey black build up over a few weeks.

That's not good - it sounds like bacterial growth in the hot supply to the shower.

Does the cistern have a lid on it? If not then it's possible that a bird or rodent has dropped in and rotting bits of it have ended up in the shower supply.

And don't think I'm making things up - this does happen. Recently I removed five mouse carcasses from an F&E cistern that had no lid.