electric showers

Bruthal

Laoiser wrote: »

I actually never asked about the cause of the problem, I asked about my proposed solution, which as I explained involved buying a new shower (which would be designed to at least enable more water to flow through it much more quietly than my 8.5KW T90XR could handle).

You asked if there were any pitfalls to your proposed pump through the standard electric shower idea. I simply explained that the flow rate is governed by the heating capacity of the element. Increasing the element to 10kw will improve it slightly compared to 8.5kw, and the fact the element is clear of scale in the new shower, it will appear to be a big improvement, but it will still be limited by the element size more so than the pump ability.

Turning off the heat elements while the shower is still running, for 15 or 20 seconds might reduce limescale buildup on showers over time. Im not sure many would get into the routine of doing that though.

I have heard of calgon tablets being put into the attic tank close to the water outlet now and again, and using that method to de-scale the shower. I myself have used methods closer to the other poster who mentioned using a bucket. Not exactly that way, but similar.

but please don't pretend you were trying to help.

That`s all I usually do when posting any explanations or ideas I might have. Thankfully, most others dont see it as being intentionally unhelpful. Good luck with your project.

Optimus Prime

Hey guys, hope you can help.

I got a new shower 2 weeks ago, T90Z, wired\plumbed it in no problem and it was working great, it was a 9.5kw. it worked fine until two days ago, now when i pull the power switch outside the shower, then press the show button, the light briefly flashes on then off and thats it. ive opened it up and checked all the wiring, it looks fine. I checked the power going into the shower once the cables pass through and its getting power alright. could something have gone in the shower itself? its only 2 weeks old, should i bring it back?

Bruthal

keithgeo wrote: »

Hey guys, hope you can help.

I got a new shower 2 weeks ago, T90Z, wired\plumbed it in no problem and it was working great, it was a 9.5kw. it worked fine until two days ago, now when i pull the power switch outside the shower, then press the show button, the light briefly flashes on then off and thats it. ive opened it up and checked all the wiring, it looks fine. I checked the power going into the shower once the cables pass through and its getting power alright. could something have gone in the shower itself? its only 2 weeks old, should i bring it back?

Which light is lighting, then going out, pull chord one, or the shower one?

Try it with the heating elements off (heat setting to cold) and see does it run.

First thing to mind is a loose connection or bad contact in the switch or MCB/RCBO, which fails when the heating element load comes on.

Optimus Prime

Its the shower light flashes, its blue. I checked the entire thing inside for loose wires, I even took the power wires out and put them back in again just to be sure. it doesnt even come on for 1 second, the light only flashes for a millisecond.

Bruthal

keithgeo wrote: »

Its the shower light flashes, its blue. I checked the entire thing inside for loose wires, I even took the power wires out and put them back in again just to be sure. it doesnt even come on for 1 second, the light only flashes for a millisecond.

If it is a loose connection, it could be on the load side of the shower pull chord switch.

If it was the supply side of the pull chord switch that had a loose connection, orindeed down at the MCB board, the shower switch neon light would also go off when the shower is switched on.

Try it with the heat elements off as this will remove the 9.5kw load, and possibly the shower will run. That would confirm a loose connection.

If it still wont run, it may still be a bad connection. When you tested for power at the shower, how did you test?

Optimus Prime

when you say heating elements off do you mean, turn the dial to the cold option and right down on the heat dial as well? if so i dont this already and it didnt work.

When i say i tested the power, i have a screwdriver mains tester, I touched the screw holding in the wires on the side that is in the shower with it to make sure power was going through. it was, it lit up.

Bruthal

keithgeo wrote: »

when you say heating elements off do you mean, turn the dial to the cold option and right down on the heat dial as well? if so i dont this already and it didnt work.

The temperature dial wont matter, it simply adjusts the rate of water flow. The heat selector dial to the cold selection i mean.

You have done this already so its academic now. But leave in the cold selection anyway, for test runs now.

When i say i tested the power, i have a screwdriver mains tester, I touched the screw holding in the wires on the side that is in the shower with it to make sure power was going through. it was, it lit up.

That test tells little though, firstly because it applies no load what so ever to the circuit, so will possibly light even with a very loose connection. And secondly, it fails to do any test on the neutral wiring part of the circuit.

Turn off the Breaker for the shower. Open the pull chord, and inspect its terminals. Best to undo the connections and ensure no insulation from the cable is under the screw, which does happen. You need to be certain the power to the switch is off, which would be indicated if it has a neon which goes out when you switch off the shower breaker.

The pullchord itself could be faulty or show signs of overheating at the terminals if a connection is the problem. The actual problem is simple to identify within a couple of minutes for the experienced with a multimeter in this sort of scenario, but check the switch anyway.

Optimus Prime

Do you mean open up the switch on the wall not the shower?

We dont have a pull chord in the bathroom, we have a switch on the wall outside that we switch up before we need to use the shower, a red light comes on there when we do this.

we then hop in the shower and press the button on the shower to turn it on.

Bruthal

keithgeo wrote: »

Do you mean open up the switch on the wall not the shower?

We dont have a pull chord in the bathroom, we have a switch on the wall outside that we switch up before we need to use the shower, a red light comes on there when we do this.

we then hop in the shower and press the button on the shower to turn it on.

Yes the wall switch. Most people have pull chords, some have a wall one.

Does the wall switch light stay on when the shower is attempted to be run?

Optimus Prime

Just tried it there, when the power on the shower is pressed, the red light on the switch on the outside does nothing, its just stays on as normal.

Bruthal

Turn off the breaker for the shower down at the MCB board, ensure the wall switch light goes off, unscrew from wall and inspect it. Check the terminals.

If no luck there, you`l have to get someone with a multimeter and check the switch, and circuit to find the problem.

Optimus Prime

Thank a lot for the help i appreciate it, ill check it out. would getting a 9.5 shower if we had an 8.5 previously cause this issue? I dont actually know what we had before but we got a 9.5.

Bruthal

keithgeo wrote: »

Thank a lot for the help i appreciate it, ill check it out. would getting a 9.5 shower if we had an 8.5 previously cause this issue? I dont actually know what we had before but we got a 9.5.

No not really, 9.5 usually needs a 10 square cable, where as an 8.5 might have had 6 square, but that would not cause this problem.

A badly connected terminal would cause it however. Or a loose connection anywhere from the MCB board to the shower itself. Whatever the problem, it is somewhere between the outgoing side of the wall switch and the shower though, evidenced by the wall switch neon staying on during the problem.

Optimus Prime

Thanks again! Ill look into it some more and see if i can find a loose connection. appreciate the help.

Bruthal

keithgeo wrote: »

Thanks again! Ill look into it some more and see if i can find a loose connection. appreciate the help.

Yes the wall switch being the first place to look.

Optimus Prime

Just took apart the wall switch, didnt seem to have any loose connections, just to make sure though i took them all out and screwed them back in tightly, tried the shower again. still the same, a flash of the blue light when i press the power button.

Bruthal

It would seem to be a problem in the shower unit itself then, again possibly a bad connection, check the connections coming out of the shower main terminal block into the shower.

I think the blue light is meant to be on all the time on the shower once the wall switch is on. I have the shower internal circuit here, and that also would indicate the shower light should be on all the time.

The fact the wall switch neon stays on would indicate the wall switch itself is not faulty. I assume the wall switch neon goes off when you turn off the wall switch.

Bruthal

Could also be a faulty start/stop button, but I have not really seen that happen.

Optimus Prime

Thanks ill check the insides again to make sure.

Optimus Prime

Just to update, i used my meter and checked the power on the shower, the neutral in the shower was only reading 65.

So turned off the power and was going to twist the live and neutral wire together at the switch end then do a continuity test at the shower end wires to make sure there wasnt a break somewhere and i decided to test the switch while it was off the wall.

The live side was getting continuity, but the neutral side wasn't. so it was just the switch in the end.

I temporarily used a connecter block for the neutral, and put the live back in the switch and the shower is working perfect.

The light was coming on the switch before which is why i overlook it as being the issue. thanks for the help!

Luna Moon Hunter

Need a bit of help guys. Our Dimplex 2000 pumped electric shower packed up and cannot find them anywhere to buy a new one. What would be the best alternative to replace it with without changing any plumbing and wiring? It's 8.5 kW tank fed, the pipe on the right hand side facing downwards. Thanks a mill

Sleeper12

Luna Moon Hunter wrote: »

Need a bit of help guys. Our Dimplex 2000 pumped electric shower packed up and cannot find them anywhere to buy a new one. What would be the best alternative to replace it with without changing any plumbing and wiring? It's 8.5 kW tank fed, the pipe on the right hand side facing downwards. Thanks a mill

You are in a bit of a bind. The main two pumped electric showers (& by far the best) are Triton & Mira. These have water & electric entry on the bottom left. Yours is on the right. Best thing is open the wall & move pipe & cable.

If you don't want to go to that trouble you could look out for names like Redring, Gainsborough, Newteam. none of these are particularly good.

Luna Moon Hunter

That's just a bummer. Wouldn't be able to do it ourselves unfortunately and couldn't afford to get a plumber and electrican at the moment to be honest. Are they not making Dimplex 2000 anymore? Also couldn't find and pumped electric showers by Mira which would take a water from the attic tank and heat it up?

Luna Moon Hunter

Would Triton need some special fittings or connectors or separate pump? Or is it just a question of moving pipes and wires? Thanks

Sleeper12

Luna Moon Hunter wrote: »

That's just a bummer. Wouldn't be able to do it ourselves unfortunately and couldn't afford to get a plumber and electrican at the moment to be honest. Are they not making Dimplex 2000 anymore? Also couldn't find and pumped electric showers by Mira which would take a water from the attic tank and heat it up?

Mira Elite ST is a tank fed pumped electric shower. They cost around €250. If you google Mira elite st you will see some companies doing this shower for around €320 supplied & fitted

K.Flyer

Luna Moon Hunter wrote: »

Need a bit of help guys. Our Dimplex 2000 pumped electric shower packed up and cannot find them anywhere to buy a new one. What would be the best alternative to replace it with without changing any plumbing and wiring? It's 8.5 kW tank fed, the pipe on the right hand side facing downwards. Thanks a mill

Contact Dimpco (Dublin)
They are the main supplier and distributors of Dimplex shower products and should be able to help you out.
Dimpco,
Airport Road,
Cloghran,
Co. Dublin.
Reception Ph: +353 (0)1 8424833.
E-Mail: reception@dimpco.ie 
Sales Ph: +353 (0)1 8424277.
E-Mail: sales@dimpco.ie 

Sleeper12

keithgeo wrote: »

Just to update, i used my meter and checked the power on the shower, the neutral in the shower was only reading 65.

So turned off the power and was going to twist the live and neutral wire together at the switch end then do a continuity test at the shower end wires to make sure there wasnt a break somewhere and i decided to test the switch while it was off the wall.

The live side was getting continuity, but the neutral side wasn't. so it was just the switch in the end.

I temporarily used a connecter block for the neutral, and put the live back in the switch and the shower is working perfect.

The light was coming on the switch before which is why i overlook it as being the issue. thanks for the help!

I know this is a few months old but I just noticed it today

If you turn the shower on & you hear no pump & not even a trickle of water (solenoid not opening) then you can be pretty much 100% sure that your shower is not getting 230V. Next step is put multi meter on both sides of pull cord switch (this is nearly always the problem) last thing is the rcbo.

Luna Moon Hunter

Thanks a million, will do that. Our situation is a bit complicated. The house we're renting is under receivership and it's going to be sold at the end of the year so can't ask landlord to fix it for us. That's why trying to keep cost to minimum. Also the immersion tank in the hot press was disconnected from day one - it's one of them tanks covered in a green hard foam shell and can't find a spot where you connect the 3 wires on it. Will have to get sorted either shower or immersion so it will keep us going until our move in the new year. In Sligo here so the shower and fitting comes together at around €500 unfortunately

Luna Moon Hunter

K.Flyer wrote: »

Contact Dimpco (Dublin)
They are the main supplier and distributors of Dimplex shower products and should be able to help you out.
Dimpco,
Airport Road,
Cloghran,
Co. Dublin.
Reception Ph: +353 (0)1 8424833.
E-Mail: reception@dimpco.ie 
Sales Ph: +353 (0)1 8424277.
E-Mail: sales@dimpco.ie 

Thanks a mill. Will do that!

cfeeneyinterior

Been looking around for an hour or two and can't seem to find anything. I need to replace a triton T90xr 9.5 Kw tank-fed shower but want to get the replacement one in Chrome as in shiny chrome.

Does anyone have one or can recommend one?

Thanks