Redring Shower Faulty - Repair or Replace? & Other Shower Questions

[JJC]

X-No-Archive: Yes

My 14 year old Redring Plus 9S shower has developed a fault - When at a normal heat setting, the water is cool, if turned up very high, where it would normally be scolding, it is very slightly warm. Any ideas what the problem might be, and is it worth trying to repair, or should it be replaced? It worked fine one day, faulty the next.

I have contacted a number of electricians, and responses have fallen into two categories:-

1. Those I have managed to speak to have said something along the lines of "Very busy at the moment, might be able to take a look sometime next week, but no guarantee".

1. Those I haven't managed to speak to, instead getting wives, secretaries etc. have failed to phone back after being told that they would "call back later this afternoon or evening". A similar result occurred with messages left on answer machines.

Am I likely to be correct in thinking that they don't seem interested?

In light of this, I have thought about replacing the unit myself. I don't know much about showers, electricity etc, but as the mains and water are already there, it 'seems' reasonably straightforward, but I am wondering if someone who has only replaced ceiling roses or wall sockets in the past should be contemplating such a job? It would seem to be a simple (?) case of disconnecting the existing shower (after isolating from mains and water), and connecting in the new one, but things have a habit of not being a simple as they first seem :-(

In connection with this, can anyone confirm that the Redring Plus 9S is an 'Electric Shower', as opposed to 'Power', 'Thermostatic', etc. - as far as I can tell, it is connected to the water main, and doesn't have a pump, but would like confirmation.

If I am going to replace it myself, any recommendations for make/model of replacement? Should I stick to a 9kW, or would 9.5, 9.8 etc be okay?

Any tips etc. on doing a shower replacement?

TIA

[fred]

In article , JJC writes

There is a pretty common failure mode that causes this but it seems a bit unfair that you want the answer but won't allow others to see it in the future by blocking archiving, so for that reason, sorry I won't help.

Happy to help without the switch though.

[Brian Reay]

I'd suspect it has two heating elements, either using one at a time or both together, depending on water demand and required temp.

One has probably failed- although it could be the switch, corroded connection etc.

Have a look at the connections, even a small amount of corrosion can cause a problem with currents concerned. If you have a multimeter, check out the switch or, if you know what you are doing, wire the switch out of the circuit to isolate it.

As regards repair v replacement, I'd imagine spares would be a problem after

14 years. Look for a replacement that you can fit over the current position.

--

73 Brian

[Ed Sirett]

Very likely this model has two elements and one of them has gone down.

Generally this fault would be a replace. Getting a replacement model that is the same let alone a spare part will be really difficult.

You can replace it with one of the same power rating (but check the nominal voltage that the power is quoted for 230V or 240V - there is much confusion on this matter between manufacturers and models).

To uprate the shower would mean knowing

1) type of electric supply (TT, TN-S, TN-C-S) 2) Cable size, length & route 3) Break type and size.

Then you _might_ be able to upgrade.

The problem with replacing shower is that almost always the plumbing and electrical connections are in a different place to the previous model this usually means some rearrangement and/or repositioning of the unit is required. If the tiling was done after the unit was installed this will further complicate matters.

It will be really wroth having a hunt for the same manufacturer is possible.

[John Rumm]

How difficult is it to quote the body of the message in your reply so that it is archived?

[John Rumm]

yup... bigger fish to fry!

If you go for a "like for like" replacement - i.e. swap in exactly the same model again then yes. This does assume that the wiring etc was done correctly in the first place of course - but there is little chance that a straight swap will make matters any worse!

I don't know the model to which you refer, but does it look like any of these:

If I am going to replace it myself, any recommendations for make/model of

If you go for a more powerful unit then you will need to know far more about the electrics as they stand now to be certain of doing it safely.

[manatbandq]

Better to be archived and be seen to be a tosser than not be archived at all, eh?.

MBQ

[meow2222]

When replacing a faulty shower I would look at the wiring, as some showers are on 2.5 T&E, and fitting another to the 2.5 would not be safe.

NT

[Matt]

Just like the most prolific poster to the group. Always good for entertainment. :)