Triton electric shower

greenspurs

My electric shower is losing power and heat .
its 8 years old. Is it fecked ?

Dtp79

greenspurs wrote: »

My electric shower is losing power and heat .
its 8 years old. Is it fecked ?

hard water area?

greenspurs

yes... quite bad ...

Dtp79

greenspurs wrote: »

yes... quite bad ...

I'm surprised your shower lasted 8 years so. Change shower and install a water Softner is your best bet

greenspurs

££$$$ ......
any cheaper options ?

Dtp79

greenspurs wrote: »

££$$$ ......
any cheaper options ?

Maybe just change the element in the shower but that's just putting off the inevitable

Bruthal

greenspurs wrote: »

My electric shower is losing power and heat .
its 8 years old. Is it fecked ?

You have not given a clear description of exactly whats happening. Losing power and heat? In that description, what are you referring to as power?

Hard water causing limescale will show itself in the early stages with an electric shower being too hot, and eventually with it cycling between too hot, and then cold.

Is it suddenly going cooler/cold during use? Or has it in the last while just not heated fully or at all?

Bruthal

Dtp79 wrote: »

Maybe just change the element in the shower but that's just putting off the inevitable

Without even confirming an element is gone?

hufpc8w3adnk65

What model of triton shower is it?

If i rang a garage tommorow and said my car wont work is it goosed theyd laugh at me!

Dtp79

Bruthal wrote: »

Without even confirming an element is gone?

That's why I said " maybe "

greenspurs

Bruthal wrote: »

You have not given a clear description of exactly whats happening. Losing power and heat? In that description, what are you referring to as power?

Hard water causing limescale will show itself in the early stages with an electric shower being too hot, and eventually with it cycling between too hot, and then cold.

Is it suddenly going cooler/cold during use? Or has it in the last while just not heated fully or at all?

Its losing power as in.. water power/pressure. Water not shooting out as powerful as it was/should.
And you are right, It was alternating between hold and cold during a shower, but now it just isnt getting the water up to a hot temp.

greenspurs

MrMac84 wrote: »

What model of triton shower is it?

If i rang a garage tommorow and said my car wont work is it goosed theyd laugh at me!

Does it really matter what model? I was asking a general question about electric showers, i didnt think the exact model would be crucial to a remedy !!!
If you read the op youd see the shower is working ... just not properly...

but thanks for the childish attempt at wit.... No adult supervising you ?.....

Bruthal

greenspurs wrote: »

Its losing power as in.. water power/pressure. Water not shooting out as powerful as it was/should.
And you are right, It was alternating between hold and cold during a shower, but now it just isnt getting the water up to a hot temp.

Have you turned the temperature all the way to the colder end of the dial? That will increase flow and indicate if the flow rate is ok.

When a shower is not heating up enough, the user will tend to turn it toward the hotter end, which reduces flow. That is how a shower increases the temperature when the dial is turned up to a higher temp.

So the indications are that an element is not coming on. There are 2 sections to the element. One half may have failed, or connection gone bad, or failure of the overheat stat.

Limescale restricting the flow causes showers to be too hot.

One element half not coming on causes the shower to be too cold, and the user reduces flow due to turning the dial to the hotter position.

Extremely reduced flow due to scale in the heating tank can cause the pressure switch not to bring on the elements at all.

It is hard to say exactly whats wrong without knowing how the flow is when the temp is set to coolest on the temperature adjust dial, although very simple to find with a few tests at the shower for someone with any understanding of them.

greenspurs

Thanks for the help...
The element was replaced in the hot water tank in the last year,
but i guess you mean there are elements in the shower itself (im not in the know :P )
could i change them myself ? And how would i check them ?

Bruthal

greenspurs wrote: »

Thanks for the help...
The element was replaced in the hot water tank in the last year,
but i guess you mean there are elements in the shower itself (im not in the know :P )
could i change them myself ? And how would i check them ?

For an 8 year old shower, if elements are gone in its heating tank, id get a new shower. They may not be gone though. There are a few other things that can stop them working. But you would need someone reasonable familiar with the workings of an electric shower to find what is actually wrong. That can be ascertained in a couple of minutes by such a person.

The filter is another place worth looking, if it is clogged.

If it is a hard water area, it is likely this has caused problems for the shower which may now have other problems as well.

Bruthal

If I was a gambler and had to guess, id say bad limescale caused heat cycling, and the overheat stat, or an element has now failed. If it was a stat, that could be replaced, and the shower de-scaled. But thats not a simple task either.

hufpc8w3adnk65

greenspurs wrote: »

Does it really matter what model? I was asking a general question about electric showers, i didnt think the exact model would be crucial to a remedy !!!
If you read the op youd see the shower is working ... just not properly...

but thanks for the childish attempt at wit.... No adult supervising you ?.....

Actually the exact model of the shower is crucial too getting an acurate remedy!The model of the shower tells us alot about the shower!

That general question you asked could have been any number of things wrong with the shower by asking the model i could have narrowed the fault down and answred your question.

Bruthal

Would at least want to know if it was a pumped one anyway. I was assuming it was.

Joey the lips

Have you cleaned the internal filter. One of the primary reasons aside from the element of a shower loosing heat is the filter is blocked.

Bruthal

Joey the lips wrote: »

Have you cleaned the internal filter. One of the primary reasons aside from the element of a shower loosing heat is the filter is blocked.

I mentioned that one alright. Usually the reduced flow causes the shower to be too hot though, unless the flow is so badly reduced that the pressure switch is not bringing on the elements.

If the shower is fully cold, the main overheat stat has probably gone which could be due to other previous problems such as filter, or bad limescale. If its partly heating, then half the element is not coming on. Its hard to say without precise info about it, is it a t90 etc.

Stoner

It's no harm cleaning the filter anyway, the hard water in my area destroys electric showers, I have kept my current model going for longer by cleaning the filter every now and then, also I identified the water feed that goes directly in the shower, I bought a bottle of harpic limescale remover, one with the duck head, with the shower running on cold I blasted the limescale remover directly into the piping feeding the shower and only the shower, to do this i basically got my hands wet in the attic but i stuck the nozzle in the pipe and kept adding the remover until the water coming from the shower ran blue like the remover, then I shut the shower off and stopped adding fluid.

I left it over night and in the morning with the shower head screwed off (it was soaking in its own solution of lime scale remover in a basin) I ran the shower, the water that came out was grey, I let it run for a while and replaced the shower head, all was good no more fluctuating flow and heat rates. Every now and then I pop a calgon in the tank or squirt some limescale remover into the shower now and all has been good.

That worked for me, I tried other things like opening the shower and putting solutions into the filter etc but this way worked very well, others may disagree with the methods, but this is a potential DIY method that you can try at your own risk if you want, all I can say is it works for me. you wont have to involve yourself with electricity with it either (unless you open up the shower to clean the filter, then you will need to isolate and power off the shower at the consumer unit)

Stoner

Mod Note.

this thread was flagged, we need to be careful and make sure this is a suitable environment for people to ask a question in, that said I thought the points were valid.

Dtp79

greenspurs wrote: »

Does it really matter what model? I was asking a general question about electric showers, i didnt think the exact model would be crucial to a remedy !!!
If you read the op youd see the shower is working ... just not properly...

but thanks for the childish attempt at wit.... No adult supervising you ?.....

Why the smartness to someone trying to help you??
I assumed it was a t90 but mrmac84 was correct in asking you. It could have been a t80 which would have ruled out a pump issue. It could have been a pumped mixer shower which would rule out an element issue

hufpc8w3adnk65

Dtp79 wrote: »

Why the smartness to someone trying to help you??
I assumed it was a t90 but mrmac84 was correct in asking you. It could have been a t80 which would have ruled out a pump issue. It could have been a pumped mixer shower which would rule out an element issue

T80, T90, Shannon, T150Z, Aspirante, Fast Fit Etc Etc...Not like there's only one model shower.

Dtp79

Rose Narrow Pin wrote: »

T80, T90, Shannon, T150Z, Aspirante, Fast Fit Etc Etc...Not like there's only one model shower.

Exactly!!

Bruthal

Stoner wrote: »

It's no harm cleaning the filter anyway,

No its not at all, I was pointing out that with an electric shower, the symptom of a filter becoming clogged is not usually loss of heat, but hotter water.

hoppway

Hi. My Triton T90i electric shower won't heat up properly any more. Everything else, eg pressure, cold water, is fine. I've had a water softener for years, and this shower is only a couple of years old.
Thanks.

hufpc8w3adnk65

hoppway wrote: »

Hi. My Triton T90i electric shower won't heat up properly any more. Everything else, eg pressure, cold water, is fine. I've had a water softener for years, and this shower is only a couple of years old.
Thanks.

No heat at all is normally an element or stat...where in the country are you?

Bruthal

If the main thermal cut out fails, the t90 won't operate at all. If the secondary one fails, which is the one that you often hear clicking after the shower is switched off, only half the element stops heating. Half the element set not heating can seem like its not heating at all though.

hoppway

MrMac84 wrote: »

No heat at all is normally an element or stat...where in the country are you?

I'm in Roscrea, North Tipperary.

hoppway

Hi. I'm about to replace the T90xr with the T90z. I've turned off the cold water to the bathrooms, as I don't have individual isolating switches on all appliances. When I go open the inlet valve, there's still a lot of pressure inside. I presume there's only a small amount of water in there anyway? Thanks.

Dtp79

hoppway wrote: »

Hi. I'm about to replace the T90xr with the T90z. I've turned off the cold water to the bathrooms, as I don't have individual isolating switches on all appliances. When I go open the inlet valve, there's still a lot of pressure inside. I presume there's only a small amount of water in there anyway? Thanks.

STOP!!!!!
The supply for the shower will be fed directly from your attic tank. There should be a valve in the attic. Make sure your electrics are off at fuse board

hoppway

I can't see that valve. I presume turning off the mains and draining all taps will do the job?

Dtp79

hoppway wrote: »

I can't see that valve. I presume turning off the mains and draining all taps will do the job?

Yes when the large tank in the attic is empty you should be safe. Be prepared for airlocks when refilling though

Bruthal

Just drain using the cold tap on the bath, which might minimise air locks, rather than using the hot taps as well.

hoppway

Thanks. What do you do about airlocks?

hoppway

Won't turning off the isolating valve in the hot press be enough? Thanks.

hoppway

Thanks. What do you do about airlocks anyway?

Dtp79

hoppway wrote: »

Thanks. What do you do about airlocks anyway?

Have you got an airlock on the hot or cold?

hoppway

Hi again. I think I've found the valve, if it's a right-angle Comap in the attic. It's locked to the left, and I can't turn it right either. I presume gentle force won't do any harm?

gctest50

STOP !!! it might start leaking if you force it

Get a wine bottle cork, pull up your sleeve, block the hole in the tank (where the valve is connected ) from the inside

hufpc8w3adnk65

gctest50 wrote: »

STOP !!! it might start leaking if you force it

Get a wine bottle cork, pull up your sleeve, block the hole in the tank (where the valve is connected ) from the inside

Unless its a 3/4 pipe and the wine cork goes straight down the pipe

Dtp79

MrMac84 wrote: »

Unless its a 3/4 pipe and the wine cork goes straight down the pipe

And then there'll be more than airlocks to worry about!!

Bruthal

gctest50 wrote: »

STOP !!! it might start leaking if you force it

Sounds more like they are afraid to apply any pressure at all. Just turn the thing.

Get a wine bottle cork, pull up your sleeve, block the hole in the tank (where the valve is connected ) from the inside

Used to do that on the odd one that had no valve. Not with corks though.

Or if was a qualpex pipe, sometimes cut it with cutter, and immediately lift above tank top level, and fit valve.

Dtp79

There's a rubber plug that can be bought and it fits both 1/2 and 3/4 tank fittings. It's very handy

hoppway

Thanks.

hoppway

Yeah.

hoppway

Good to know, thanks.