Broken Shower Pump

RonnieL

Hi Everyone.

We had a major leak in our apartment and had to move out for weeks while the damage was being repaired. When I went back to the apartment I noticed the water was off completely. I turned the water back on under the sink in the kitchen, and the taps started working again. However, the showers don't work anymore, and it was obvious the pump (see attached picture) wasn't working. I've had a plumber (who I trust) out to look at it. He verified that there is power going to it, and he tried a couple of other things but it seems the pump is just bust! I was shocked to hear that the pumps are about 600 to buy (it's a stuart turner monsoon 3 bar neative head booster), and I can't really afford it, but it needs to get fixed. He said I can try getting a local shower crowd (O'Flaherty Showers in Galway) out to look at it, because they have some sort of exclusive right to repair these pumps. He said they are more likely to recommend a new one though.

Anyway, I guess I'm just wondering what's the best (i.e. cheapest) course of action to get it sorted?

Thanks in advance!

Ronan

Davy

Does the pump kick in and hum when you turn on the shower?

If so i reckon it could be the shaft just a bit stiff from not been used in the length of time. This can be checked easily enough by removing one of the end plates (disconnecting water feeds and removing first ofcourse first) and physical turning the shaft a few turns, it should require effort to make it rotate. A few turns should free it up.

RonnieL

Thanks for the reply Davy.

No, there's not a sound out of it - dead as a dodo.

What are my chances of getting the one I have fixed? Is it worth it or is it likely to break again really soon? I'm not looking for guarantees - just trying to weigh up my options.

Davy

If its not making any noise it could be the capaticitor or the PCB. To get it fixed with only 6 months warranty, the most it should be would be around €200.

Technoi

These pumps are the greatest load of expletive. In my old house four of them were put in over a period of 7 years, yep 4 of them. Each plumber who came to reinstall said the previous was installed incorrectly, Anyway I've been told that Stuart Turners pumps are some of the best and also bits can be replaced on them rather then the whole unit so I would maybe contact them first. If all else fails the big diy shops in the North sell negative head pumps for 300 rather then the 600 down here,
Best of luck with it!

RonnieL

Technoi wrote: »

Each plumber who came to reinstall said the previous was installed incorrectly

Cheers Technoi. My plumber said the exact same thing - in fairness, our one does seem to be installed ar$eways. The toilets are hooked up to it, and the pump is (or was) really sensitive so as the cisterns fill, the pump would go on and off a load of times. That's clearly not good for a pump, and according to the plumber that is what shortened it's life.
So - I've decided to replace it with a cheaper version. The plumber said the stuart turner ones are really good, but I just can't afford that at the moment so maybe when this ones breaks I'll be able to upgrade. The joys.
Thanks guys.

Joey the lips

Hi Folks,

I am not an advocate but just supplying imformation.

Monsoon range of pumps is excellent. The agent for monsoon in ireland is modern plant. They have a call out service on pumps and usually only call out if its worth while.

They will not TOUCH a pump they did not supply which to me is a pump bought up north or on e bay, however the price difference is worth the risk

Lastly. These pumps RARERLY just break down. They are fixable and in my opinion worth fixing.

However if it were me i would start by checking the flow switch and then replacing the PCB as these are the most common faults and quite easy for a competitnet DIYER,

best of luck

RonnieL

Thanks Joey.

My plumber is already here with the new, cheaper, lower quality pump! Anyone wanna buy a second hand stuart turner pump?! Seriously though - is it worth keeping?

Joey the lips

RonnieL wrote: »

Thanks Joey.

My plumber is already here with the new, cheaper, lower quality pump! Anyone wanna buy a second hand stuart turner pump?! Seriously though - is it worth keeping?

Yes it is... Try repair it...its always worth keeping

sullzz

looks like im a bit late posting this as i see the op has a new pump fitted , but if the pump does not activate when the shower or tap is opened touch a strong magnet off the part circled in the picture below and 9 times out of 10 it will kick in , its just a little trick that i was thought , a lot of lads would tell people that there pump is knackerd and charge an arm and a leg for a new one pump.jpg

RonnieL

Cheers Sullz. The old one was removed by the time I read your post. I have it kept anyway, so maybe it'll get fixed at some point. The one he installed is the same brand but it's less powerful and it's not a negative head one, which doesn't seem to make much difference with the layout we have.

Joey the lips

sullzz wrote: »

looks like im a bit late posting this as i see the op has a new pump fitted , but if the pump does not activate when the shower or tap is opened touch a strong magnet off the part circled in the picture below and 9 times out of 10 it will kick in , its just a little trick that i was thought , a lot of lads would tell people that there pump is knackerd and charge an arm and a leg for a new one pump.jpg

Thats interesting. It looks like the part near the PCB. Can you take a closer picture. I will do that if it ever happens would just like to see where you are touching the magnet.

Thanks/

RonnieL

Joey the lips wrote: »

Thats interesting. It looks like the part near the PCB. Can you take a closer picture. I will do that if it ever happens would just like to see where you are touching the magnet.

Thanks/

Sullz edited the picture I had attached, and I've already put the old pump away so I can't take another better one. The magnet trick is covered in the manual though. See page 20 of http://www.stuart-turner.co.uk/media/4332-Installation-Monsoon-Universal-3.0-bar-Twin.pdf

Joey the lips

RonnieL wrote: »

Sullz edited the picture I had attached, and I've already put the old pump away so I can't take another better one. The magnet trick is covered in the manual though. See page 20 of http://www.stuart-turner.co.uk/media/4332-Installation-Monsoon-Universal-3.0-bar-Twin.pdf

Its actually on the flow switch. Yes this is cool.... On the cheaper pumps they use plastic flow switches so this does not work

but well done.

johnjoe 123

hi folks i posted last week in the electrical sect and got no replies. i have a twin impeller shower force 3.0 bar pump in my shed only about 6 months old its either a flow switch or pcb. . where would i get these parts??

Joey the lips

johnjoe 123 wrote: »

hi folks i posted last week in the electrical sect and got no replies. i have a twin impeller shower force 3.0 bar pump in my shed only about 6 months old its either a flow switch or pcb. . where would i get these parts??

If my memory serves me the agent for showerforce was MT AGENCIES in finglas.

If i am wrong I apologise.

johnjoe 123

cheers joey. i was on there website there they dont mention showerforce but i sent them a querey mail. hopfully they get back to me. the pumps like new so would be nice to put it going.

colingallagher

Hi Folks,

I know it's a bit late to be replying to this thread but have had the same problems for the last couple of years and as I am revisiting the same problem for a fourth time in as many years, wanted to share my experience.

Initially, I was afraid to get my hands dirty so called modern plant who billed me €200 to fix the pump. The technician wouldn't explain to me what he did, but I realised he changed the PCB later on. About a year later, the same problem happened and Modern Plant replaced the pump this time and wanted €600. I asked him to put the old pump back in and just replace the PCB. He duly obliged, and charged the standard €200 which fixed my problem.

This time, I decided to fix it myself having discovered that it's not always the entire PCB but rather just the fact that the electrical relay is sticking.

Isolate the pump electrical supply - usually a 3Amp fused switch close to the pump location.

Remove the top cover of the PCB housing (four screws on top part of the pump)

The relay is a black cube shaped component.

Simply tap (don't smash it) the top of the relay with the back of a screwdriver or a light tap of a hammer.

Turn the power to the pump back on.

If the repair has been successful, the pump should restart immediately. If you haven't hit the relay hard enough, you will hear a clicking sound (EM switch trying to activate). If this happens, go back and retry.

Hope this helps...

P.S. I am an electrical engineer, and it's fairly standard that relay switches stick. Howstuffworks has a good article on relay switches.