New Electric Shower Problem - Please Help

[bhavdeep_magar]

My new Mira Electric shower (Mira Azora 9.8Kw) has recently been installed in my bathroom. It is fed from the cold mains water supply, has the correct fuse (45amps) and the correct power cable.

When we switched it on for the 1st time we encountered 2 problems.

1) The water comes cold (no matter what settings I use on the shower)

2) the preassure flow from the shower seems low.

I rang my water company who infomred my the water pressure in my house should be 1.5 bars (the minimum requirement for the shower is (0.7 bar).

Please could you help me in identifying why I might be getting the 2 problems above (and if they are related)? i.e. would the lower water pressure stop the water from heating totally?

I have the Mira engineer coming in the next few days but dont want him to fob me off and say theres nothing wrong with shower unit and its to do wih my water pressure. Regardless of this the water should still be coming hot because it is a thermostatic shower..... correct??

Bhav

[Lobster]

Just because they say it *should* be 1.5 bars it doesn't mean to say that's what you have got.

What's the flow rate like? It would be worth measuring that... measure the time it takes to fill a container of known volume in the kitchen sink (which should give you the optimum flow rate in the house); and compare that to what you are getting from the shower head, and report back here.

By the way, is your shower connected directly to the mains? Or is it fed from a storage cistern eg in the roof? Because if it's not fed from the mains it's completely irrelevant what the mains pressure is.

David

[bhavdeep_magar]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi David

The shower is definetly connected to the mains (not via the storage tank in the loft).

I have recently re-installed my whole bathroom (including sink) and the water flow from the new sink and shower is definetly less then what I had before. The flow to my kitchen sink was also fairly strong though I cannot check this yet as I am having my kitchen re-fitted and the sink has been disconnected. It should go back on tomorrow. so I will check the various flows and report back.

But would a slowers flow affect it's inability to even heat the water?

[A.Clews]

Thus spake bhavdeep [e-mail] (bhavdeep [e-mail]) unto the assembled multitudes:

This might seem a really stupid and patronising question, but is there an isolator switch for the shower, and is that switched on? My mum's shower exhibited exactly the same symptoms when I used it, and then I remembered the isolator switch...

[F]

Has 'someone' not turned the main stopcock back on fully?

[airsmoothed]

quoted text -

The various electric showers I've used over the years have all had a flow rate cut-out to disconnect the shower's heater elements from the electricity supply if the water pressure is too low.

[The Medway Handyman]

All the electric showers I've experienced have a solenoid to start/stop the water flow. No power - no flow at all.

[cj]

Hi you say you recently refitted the bathroom and are having work done elsewhere on the plumbing. Did you (or your plumber ) flush the cold feed after this work?? Had many similar problems when the feed filter was clogged with rubbish from a new install. If all else fails disconnect the shower cold feed and check the flow into the shower.(you should have a service valve fitted so should be prety simple) . Oh! is the service valve fully open.

HTH

CJ

[bhavdeep_magar]

Hi All

Thanks for all your suggestions

Please see below answers to your recent questions:

- There is no seperate isolator switch for the shower. The power is being sourced directly from the main fuse box

- The stopclock is fully open. In fact I closed it yetserday evening, drianed the water and re-opened the clockstop. This did not make a difference.

- There is no other plumbing work taking place. Theres a new sink to be fitted in the kitchen. At the moment the kitchens main water pipe has a stopper on it until the sink gets fitted.

- I will get the installer to disconnect the shower cold feed and check the flow into the shower. (t.b.c.)

- Will also confirm if the service valve is fully open. (t.b.c.)

Bhav

[airsmoothed]

The really cheapo ones - like the 60 quid jobbie fitted at home don't have this solenoid, confused the hell out of SWMBO first time she used it - her normal method is to cut the power via the pull switch to stop the water - but it has no effect on this shower, water flow continues with no power.

[Pete C]

Hi,

Might be worth a look at the manual here:

The parts about commissioning and cleaing the inlet filter in particular.

cheers, Pete.

[bhavdeep_magar]

All thank you for your help and suggestions.

My problem has now been recitified. The probem was not the isolator switch. This had been fitted.

The issue was that because the water pressure was low it was not triggering the shower to heat the water due to lack of pressure. We then identified that the shower had been connected to the water pipe coming down from the water tank in the loft (not the mains) hence why the pressure was low. My installer then re-coneccted the shower from the 'mains' water pipe which prodcued enough water pressure to heat the shower. :-)

Thanks

[Johnny]

Hi there.

I had the same shower installed last week. I feel your pain. It was so disappointing. (Just had a complete bathroom refit - by so-called professionals). There was only a pathetic trickle from the shower head. Long story short . . . in the end I had to pay for a pump. Couldn’t tell you what sort, or any details other than it cost £260. Shower now works. It’s not like a really strong power-shower, but it’s just about powerful enough.