cold shower - help please...

We have a newly installed seperate shower cubicle with a new (grohe) thermostatic mixer shower installed but have found that the shower is ice cold. We have a worcester combi boiler - less than 2 years old. Whatever we do to it, the is no sign of any draw of hot water and no change in the temp from ice cold.

Our cold water pressure is very high, the hot obviously not so high. We have a basic mixer shower head on the bath and that functions fine, quite good pressure at an appropriate shower temperature. The bathroom was installed by the builder, I don't think a plumber was involved (tho I could be wrong about that).

We have just had our bathroom overhauled (converted from toilet / bathroom to one larger room) in our small 3 bed semi. Previously we had a cheap electric shower over the bath which only took a cold water feed.

What could be wrong? Is it possible that it has been connected to two cold feeds? Is there any way to verify this? Is there a more likely alternative?

I am quite distraught at the possability of having to (or getting someone else to) tear the shower / tiles etc out :(

Reply to
n0tail
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Get whoever instlled it to come and fix it. The problem and also the word thermostatic should give you a clue as to what isn't working. Do you really need someone to tell you that!

Reply to
mal

air lock in the hot side ?

Reply to
mrcheerful

They could have connected hot and cold, but the wrong way round. Hence the thermostat says too cold and demands more hot, but gets yet more cold.

If it was fitted by someone else then it is their problem not yours.

(if the pipes are the wrong way around it may be simpler to switch them elsewhere even if it means re switching them in other places to compensate)

Reply to
John Rumm

Don't these kind of coda's really pi** you off. Maybe the guy doesn't know for god's sake. "clue" indeed!

Reply to
Dave

Which is exactly what happened to mine...the plumber had to put it right.

Pen

Reply to
pen

Thanks for the replies. The builder is coming to check it out tomorrow, I'll mention the suggestions in the thread.

I noticed that the shower

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specifies a max 'pressure differential' of 5:1. I am guessing this means the differetial between the cold and hot feeds (?), if so maybe our cold pressure is too high and the hot too low, does anyone know if that would cause the shower to be completely cold, or would it just mean the temperature wouldn't be controlled as intended?

Hopefully the builder will find out for sure what's wrong tomorrow.

Reply to
n0tail

Your original post said that the hot water was supplied from a combi boiler. That will be at pretty much the same pressure as the cold. So it seems unlikely to ba a problem in this case.

Big pressure differentials (i.e. mains cold and tank fed hot) can make control much more difficult - with a manual shower valve you end up with the full range of temperature control compressed into a tiny amount of the control travel. A thermostatic one may not manage the finnesse of control to get the ballance right in these cases.

If he is the one who installed it, then it is definately his problem to fix.

Reply to
John Rumm

If it's fed from mains and a combi, you may need a pressure regulator on the cold feed, there should be one fitted anyway to ensure that you get a (fairly) constant temperaturewhn someone flushes the lav, etc. - most plumbers skip fitting one, as they Cost Money!

Dave H. (The engineer formerly known as Homeless)

Reply to
Dave H.

hehe. During commissioning of my plumbing, at one point it was fairly arbitrary whether hot or cold water would come out the hot or cold taps...

Of course the fact that a shower had been partially installed was a bit of a pointer..the shower head had a blanking plug fitted, and the shower was left on....and the thermostat mixing valve was trying to do some kind of a dance as it connected the hot and cold water systems together..

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Would this be fitted on the cold feed just before the shower?

I have read about pressure reducing valves but these seem to be required to be fitted on the cold feed before combi (after stopcock).

Is the 'pressure regulator' you speak of the same as a pressure reducing valve?

Cheers.

Reply to
n0tail

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