Shower Unit Problems

[Derek O'Brien]

Firstly, let's pretend that I have almost zero knowledge regarding plumbing, elctrical wiring, etc...

No, wait, I don't have to pretend... :-)

I moved into my house nearly six years ago, with an electrical shower installed, a Gainsborough Style 400x. Recently, the pressure seems to have reduced somewhat; removing and cleaning out the shower head didn't seem to have helped. And now this morning, I've found that I can't switch on the power switch that's mounted on the wall outside the cubicle. Before I fork out oodles of dosh to buy a new unit and someone with brains to install it, anyone have any idea what might be wrong with it (serious answers, please, what I'll have to do will affect my plans for the coming year)

Derek

[Rob graham]

The first thing that occurs to me is that the plumbing that feeds the shower has a rise somewhere along its length and that this is trapping air. It may be only a slight rise and that is why it's taken so long to come to light. It's vital that there is a continual fall from the start of the feed to the shower unit. If you find that my guess is correct, then either you have to in some way alter the routing of the pipe or cut it at the highest point in the rise, insert a tee with the leg of the tee pointing upwards and put in a vertical pipe whose end is higher than the level of the water in the feed tank. The top end of this breather pipe should be bent over like a walking stick to prevent dirt falling into it. This sounds complicated but it's not and may be the easiest solution.

Rob Graham

[ARWadsworth]

Your switch has failed for the power problem. Replace it.

6 years is a good life for an electric shower. It could be limescale that is causing the lack of performance.

Adam

[Graham]

Rob, wont this electric shower be fed with mains water? If Simon follows your advice I fear he will need a red light on top of that vent pipe to warn off low-flying aircraft.

Graham.

%Profound_observation%

[Rob graham]

It may be, in which case you'd be right. But I assumed otherwise (never assume, do I hear you say?).

Rob