Shower not reaching set temperature

[MarkWilliams363]

What would be the best way to clear an air lock in the shower?

I've tried going from full power slowly turning to hottest setting so many times I've lost count now.

Whilst doing it with the shower on "cold" the water does not splutter but whilst it's on "high"(temperature/normal operating) it splutters everytime.

I tried previously turning off the stop cock turned off the heating, opened all the taps in the property and flushed all the toilets then left all the taps slightly open and then slowly turned on the stop cock again.

I did get some spluttering from the taps but ran them all until clear, but even that didn't make any difference to the shower situation.

 

[CountryFan]

One method is to close the stopcock, drain all points keeping them open, slowly open stopcock and allow pipework to fill turning them off once they start to run water.

 

[MarkWilliams363]

Tried that

 

[Johntheo5]

What would be the best way to clear an air lock in the shower?

I've tried going from full power slowly turning to hottest setting so many times I've lost count now.

Whilst doing it with the shower on "cold" the water does not splutter but whilst it's on "high"(temperature/normal operating) it splutters everytime.

I tried previously turning off the stop cock turned off the heating, opened all the taps in the property and flushed all the toilets then left all the taps slightly open and then slowly turned on the stop cock again.

I did get some spluttering from the taps but ran them all until clear, but even that didn't make any difference to the shower situation.

IMO, air has absolutely nothing to do with your problem.....for the following reasons, in test 1 at a 6.0LPM flowrate the shower heated up, test 3 carried out a few minutes gave exactly the same flowrate of 6.0LPM but the shower did not heat up. The other reason is that when your shower is operating "normally" it takes 30 to 40 seconds to heat up, no way should it take this long, 15 to 20 seconds max, mine, just now took just 7 seconds to feel it heating up and was up to full temperature after exactly 15 seconds, suggest running water through it (setting 6) with power setting off for 15 to seconds, switch off, change power setting back to both elements, switch on the shower and take time to just feel it warming up and to reach its normal temperature.

 

[MarkWilliams363]

OK so tried what was suggested.
Setting 6 on cold for 15 seconds then off. Power on hot setting 6 and heated up in around 8 seconds. Repeated this process 4 times and worked as 8t should. Turned the shower off at the wall (outside bathroom) and left it.

Went back a few hours later for an actual shower (temperature setting left the same at 6/not moved from previously) turned the power to hot setting and this time it took 90 seconds to heat up as opposed the 8 seconds it took the previous 4 times.

 

[Johntheo5]

Did you just do the 15 sec cold run just once and then the 4 hot runs or did you do a 15 sec cold run before each of the hot runs??.
Do you just turn off the wall isolator as a normal (and recommended) habbit.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Whilst doing it with the shower on "cold" the water does not splutter but whilst it's on "high"(temperature/normal operating) it splutters everytime.

The 'spluttering', sounds like the water being turned into small pockets of steam, in the heater.

 

[Johntheo5]

The 'spluttering', sounds like the water being turned into small pockets of steam, in the heater.

Every time a electric shower is switched off, the shower head might dribble for a few seconds due to the retained (latent) heat in the heating elements, (the Triton heating can that I checked years ago only holds 230mL of water including the elements), and, without fail, the TCO should operate and can be clearly heard doing so ~ 10 to 12 seconds after switching off the shower, if the shower is switched on again immediately or for probaby the most of a hour later the water will run scaldingly hot then cold for maybe 10 secs or so which resets/recloses the TCO, the time from switch on to reaching the require temperature under these conditions is ~ 30 secs vs the normal ~ 15 secs.
Some showers have a PCB which carries out a phased shutdown, the water is allowed to run on for probably 10 secs or so after the power to the heating elements is switched off, this, also apparently helps to prevent scale build up in a hard water area.

 

[MarkWilliams363]

Did you just do the 15 sec cold run just once and then the 4 hot runs or did you do a 15 sec cold run before each of the hot runs??.
Do you just turn off the wall isolator as a normal (and recommended) habbit.

Yes 15 second cold runs before each hot run. 4 times in a row. (did not switch off the shower at the switch outside the bathroom)

 

[Johntheo5]

OK, do the same test above, but only run the 15 sec cold once, the time to full temperature will then be ~ 15 secs on the first hot run and ~ 30 secs for the remaining runs but this is quite normal for reasons in post #23, also, if happy to do so, leave the outside isolator on overnight and just start the shower normally tomorrow, it should then reach full temperature in ~ 15 secs.

Can you hear the TCO clicking open ~ 10/15 secs after each time you switch off the shower?.

 

[MarkWilliams363]

This morning I took a shower. (left on previous settings 6) the shower took 15 seconds to heat up. Turned off afterwards at the shower and then at the switch.

Over 6 hours later thought I'd try again to see. This time (same settings) the shower took 90 seconds to heat up.

As per the previous reply.
1st run. 7 seconds
2nd run 15 seconds
3rd run 15 seconds
4th run 15 seconds

The showers now turned off/switch left on I'll try again in the morning.

Yes I did hear the tco click after 15 seconds (can't say for sure I have listened for it previously)

 

[Johntheo5]

When your testing is complete I would suggest isolating the shower and removing the outside isolator cover and examine the wires for signs of scorching, etc, check terminal screws for tightness, replace if nothing obvious.

 

[MarkWilliams363]

So this morning (after leaving the power switch left on overnight/and temperature setting the same) the shower took 90 seconds to heat up surely something is not right

 

[Johntheo5]

Of course not, I would check the isolator wiring as suggested even though very unlikely to be the problem, suggest then contacting Triton explaining your max flow rates etc, mind you their reps don't instill much confidence when they don't even have a flow measurement cup. It might do no harm to check the shower terminals also by removing the cover.

 

[Johntheo5]

Another test you might do, rather than running cold for 15 secs after each prolonged off period, start the shower, then turn the temperature contol to minimum but only for say 3 secs or so then back to 6 or whatever your normal position is, if this results in the showr heating normally then points to a faulty pressure switch, if not, and you have to do the cold run, then points to a faulty TCO.