Mira Elite QT Shower

Gator88

Hi.
It is my first post here so be gentle please.

I own a fair bit of rental property around Dublin. I have a good team of tradesmen around me that I have been using for years. I'm always looking at ways to improve the quality of my units without costing an arm and a leg. My plumber suggested replacing old and broken Triton T90 showers with the new Mira Elite QT. The claim of 75% quieter sounded great so from September to date we've been slowly changing the showers.

Long story short I now have 27 Mira Elite QT showers installed and I have had nothing but trouble with most of them. Each shower sounds different to the next. Some do sound quiet but some seem very noisy. Some of the motors seem to pulse & change water temperature slightly. Mira have taken two away and fitted new ones. We've even had leaking shower hoses. The Mira service guy doesn't seem to know much about them. He told me it would be sent back to the UK for testing. In fact the Mira office here in Ireland weren't easy to deal with either.

I've been a Triton man for years though sometimes I'd buy property with mira but I've never had this sort of trouble. Ive done a boards search but nothing is showing up.

Am I the unluckiest landlord in Ireland or has anyone else had problems with these showers

John T Carroll

Have a read through this...http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057552891&page=1#post98506259

Sleeper12

Mira seem to have rushed this shower without testing it long enough but I will say it has the makings of being a good shower once they iron out the kinks.
The plastic casing is either too flexible or not flexible enough. It looks fine on a perfectly flat wall but if the wall or tiles are even slightly out the cover wont fit properly. This is unsightly & embarrassing from an installers point of view to have to leave it like this. The hose needs to change. I've had a lot of clients asking me to put the old hose on instead.
On the inside a pulsating or noisy pump is the most common complaint we get.
I like the filter on the outside & the ones that I have been quiet have brought a smile to my face. When they work they work well.
It'll be interesting to see how the QT compares to the other quiet showers coming on the market that haven't rushed the testing period.

Gator88

Thanks for the replies and the link. It looks like the Mira Elite Qt should be recalled judging by all the problems. It's all well and good saying they will repair or replace the shower if it causes trouble but its not good enough to leave people days without a shower when the manufacturer knows its likely to fail. It's not good business. I will be writing Mira a stern letter.

Sleeper12

Ive just had yet another complaint about a Mira Elite QT that I fitted only 2 weeks ago. This one works fine for about 5 minutes & then without warning goes scalding, then freezing. Without looking at it I would guess that its the motor pulsing. Obviously if the motor slows down then the water flow slows down. This allows the water to get dangerously hot. At this stage the TCO kicks in kills power to the elements. Water goes cold & then it resets & the hot cold cycle starts again.

Gator88

I thought I'd update here. 2 More Mira Elite QT stopped working. Thats 4 dead ducks out of 27.

A month on and my letters to the shower doctors in Dublin and Mira UK have gone unanswered. It is very annoying to deal with the Shower Doctors by phone. They try to make me out to be the fool. They repeat every time that I'm the only one having problems and they have had no other complaints even though I've read plenty here on boards and my plumber is saying talking to other lads at the trade counters that there are plenty of problems popping up with this shower.

I've come to an agreement with my plumber. He is going to remove all the Mira Elite QT showers and replace them with something more reliable. I pride myself on having quality rental property. I get good money in rent and any repairs are seen to within 24 hours. When I buy a shower for a rental property I hope to get 10 years trouble free from it but I secretly expect 5 years. I feel ripped off buying these showers only to have them break after a few weeks.

I don't know what my plumber plans to do with these showers but if anyone sees almost new Mira Elite showers on DoneDeal or Adverts I suggest you steer clear.

paulgalway

Hi,

I have the older version, Mira Elite ST, which has become very noisy. Have descaled the filter and shower head, but no change.

Was thinking of the QT, but, thanks to your feedback, decided to hold off for a while.

Issue is that it is a tiled wall and need a new shower with a similar footprint.

Let me know which shower you go for.

Thanks.

Sleeper12

paulgalway wrote:

Let me know which shower you go for.

Triton t900pi

countryjimbo

Sleeper12 wrote: »

Triton t900pi

Hi Sleeper12,

6 months on, have you seen any improvement in the Mira Elite QT?
Would the Triton t900pi still be your recommended alternative?

Thanks,
Jim.

Sleeper12

countryjimbo wrote: »

Hi Sleeper12,

6 months on, have you seen any improvement in the Mira Elite QT?
Would the Triton t900pi still be your recommended alternative?

Thanks,
Jim.

We are still getting complaints about the Mira Elite QT but they have dropped from 25% to about 10%. I have taken some QTs out after only a few months & replaced them with the Triton T90SR.

If it were me I'd try fit a Triton T90SR. Its a genuinely silent shower. Little more than a hum from it. If the Triton T90sr wont fit (its landscaped rather than portrait shaped) your choice is Triton T900pi or Mira Elite QT. The T900PI is a better shower & should last longer than the Mira. The Mira Elite QT is quieter than the Triton T900PI.
YouTube Video below shower Triton T90SR & Mira Elite QT on the same wall in the same shower room. This will give you some idea of how quiet the T90SR really is.

countryjimbo

Thanks for all the information, appreciate it

Joshua J

Got a Mira Elite(1994-2000) that's starting to make a racket think the pumps on its last legs and being as old as it is probably no point in servicing will just replace. Was wondering will the Elite QT fit into the same space/fittings as the older Elite?. Would there be much involved in swapping them?. Tiled bathroom wall.

Sleeper12

This Mira Elite QT was installed only 3 months ago. Notice all the cracks in the casing in each photo. My advice is stay away from this shower.

In answer to your question, it's a direct replacement for your Mira Elite 2

Joshua J

Sleeper12 wrote: »

This Mira Elite QT was installed only 3 months ago. Notice all the cracks in the casing in each photo. My advice is stay away from this shower.

In answer to your question, it's a direct replacement for your Mira Elite 2

Well that's not good. Any recs for a shower that will fit in the recessed tile of the old elite (I think mine is the one before the elite 2). This one. Only asking because I was hoping to just put it in myself although if there's too much faffing involved I'll get a lad in.

Sleeper12

Joshua J wrote:

Well that's not good. Any recs for a shower that will fit in the recessed tile of the old elite (I think mine is the one before the elite 2).

Not even the Mira elite Qt will fit in if your shower is tilled around. The mira elite Qt or the triton t900pi are a large enough footprint to cover the hole in the tiles. Both have water and power inlet on the lower left hand side

Joshua J

Sleeper12 wrote: »

Not even the Mira elite Qt will fit in if your shower is tilled around. The mira elite Qt or the triton t900pi are a large enough footprint to cover the hole in the tiles. Both have water and power inlet on the lower left hand side

Yeah tiled around. After your pictures I think I'll go with the Triton hopefully get it cheaper on black Friday. Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

don3030

Hi there
this makes for interesting reading. Installed a Mira elite qt about 6 months ago. It was a little noisy but thought nothing of it. Recently it became louder like a high pitched noise and made for an uncomfortable shower. Yesterday when I switched it on no water came out. did all checks but nothing. The noise is a lot less when switched on but no water.
Any ideas from anyone would be much appreciated

Sleeper12

don3030 wrote:

Hi there this makes for interesting reading. Installed a Mira elite qt about 6 months ago. It was a little noisy but thought nothing of it. Recently it became louder like a high pitched noise and made for an uncomfortable shower. Yesterday when I switched it on no water came out. did all checks but nothing. The noise is a lot less when switched on but no water. Any ideas from anyone would be much appreciated

Ring the shower doctors. Ie
They will repair it free of charge under the warranty. I bet they tell you that it's very unusual that these showers give very little trouble.

Joshua J

Looking on Amazon is there much difference between the T900pi and the T80si(pumped). Amazon don't sell the 900 but I'm hoping to get a cheap pumped on Black Friday.

Sleeper12

Joshua J wrote:

Looking on Amazon is there much difference between the T900pi and the T80si(pumped). Amazon don't sell the 900 but I'm hoping to get a cheap pumped on Black Friday.

For some very strange reason the t900pi is called a triton t80si pumped in the UK so they are the same shower with different names

stephgle

Have been a Board User for years but only signed up today, as its time to contribute and payback for your years of help. In a nutshell, had a Mira Elite 2 for 14 years, great service and then heater packed in recently. Spent ages reviewing and weighing up between Mira ST and QT models and was going with your advice to stay away from the QT version. Couldn't find anyone stocking the ST so went ahead and took the risk. Who's sorry now. Installed less than 2 weeks and whilst in the middle of a shower the QT went up a pitch, the hot water immediately went cold and shortly afterwards stopping coming out at all. Turned off and checked filter, and that I still had a flow of water supplying it and all was fine. Straight onto supplier today and expecting to be told this is rare! Lessons learned.

Mutha

Fitted one start of September. Got a call last Thursday, it had stopped heating and sounded funny. Warranty called today and said the pump had jammed.

shakeymathuna

Sleeper12 wrote: »

For some very strange reason the t900pi is called a triton t80si pumped in the UK so they are the same shower with different names

My shower,a Mira Elite 2, packed in yesterday and, due to the bad reports re it"s replacement, I'm looking at replacing it with Triton T900PI. When you say that it has the same footprint as the mira does that mean that there is no problems replacing it as regards electricals and plumbing?

I was quoted 292 euro for the Triton by a Cork supplier today.The T80si is available on Amazon for 207 euro.How sure are you that the T80si is one and the same as the T900pi.

Apologies for the longwinded question and thanks for your help.

Sleeper12

shakeymathuna wrote:

I was quoted 292 euro for the Triton by a Cork supplier today.The T80si is available on Amazon for 207 euro.How sure are you that the T80si is one and the same as the T900pi.

I already answered this on another thread. I'm 100% sure that a triton t80si pumped is the same as a triton t900pi

shakeymathuna

Sleeper12 wrote: »

I already answered this on another thread. I'm 100% sure that a triton t80si pumped is the same as a triton t900pi

Sorry for that. I was working on the two threads at the same time and posted to the older one. Thanks for your help.

cyndale

Where could I go and look at the Triton T900PI here in Dublin, I have seen any yet?

Sleeper12

cyndale wrote: »

Where could I go and look at the Triton T900PI here in Dublin, I have seen any yet?

The Shower Center on the Malahide Road, Dublin 3. They open Saturday till around 1PM

cyndale

That's great, thanks! Will give them a ring to see if they have it in stock.:D

gillamandango

I have just bought an Elite QT to replace my old one, main reason being the same footprint. I haven't installed it yet but happy I came across this thread. I assume it is not worth the hassle installing it and taking the gamble?

Also am I correct in thinking this is not a pumped shower https://www.amazon.co.uk/Triton-Alicante-Electric-Shower-Replacement/dp/B004UKJMFA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480200069&sr=8-1&keywords=T80si
Could someone more knowledgeable than me point out where in the description that it is not pumped, or is it simply the fact that is does not mention pumped anywhere? If so, then I assume this is the one I need https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/tmn/Triton-Showers-T80Si-Pumped-Electric-Shower-TRIT80SI8P/B0018RT1T0/ref=pd_sim_sbs_201_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=E9SMCEAAJAA97BFXDWTY

Thanks and forgive my ignorance.

cyndale

The only I saw said pumped electric shower. Argos are advertising it as that.

http://www.argos.co.uk/product/4818645

Sleeper12

You are using the UK argos site. Pumped electric showers are almost unheard of in the UK so if it doesn't say pumped then it's most likely not pumped.
The triton t80si pumped in Amazon is very close to the same footprint as a mira elite.

You won't find a Pumped electric shower for under 200 euro so any very cheap ones will be mains fed & not pumped

shakeymathuna

Had a Triton 90SR pumped shower fitted at the weekend. So far it has been excellent. Very silent.

cyndale

shakeymathuna wrote: »

Had a Triton 90SR pumped shower fitted at the weekend. So far it has been excellent. Very silent.

Was your previous shower portrait or landscape? Ours is portrait, so I don't know what difficulties a fitter would have replacing a portrant shower with a landscape one!

Sleeper12

cyndale wrote:

Was your previous shower portrait or landscape? Ours is portrait, so I don't know what difficulties a fitter would have replacing a portrant shower with a landscape one!

Your shower should be fully tiled behind. If this is the case it's usually not a big deal to change from mira to triton. We find that we can swap 2 out 5 mira elite for triton t90sr. Concrete walls can be more difficult.

goodlad

Glad i found this thread! My old Mira Elite 2 shower died last week and ive been looking for a replacement. I was going for the Mira Elite QT but wont be doing that now.

If my reading of the thread is right im looking for a Triton T900pi or in the UK the same shower is called T80si pumped and this would be a direct swapout for the Mira elite 2 for plumbing and electrics.

My wall is tiled up to the shower and just a hole in the wall behind it. But the triton seems big enough to cover this up.

Sleeper12

goodlad wrote:

If my reading of the thread is right im looking for a Triton T900pi or in the UK the same shower is called T80si pumped and this would be a direct swapout for the Mira elite 2 for plumbing and electrics.

Yes. The only reason triton have this model is to make it easy to change from mira.
I have yet to find a t80si pumped cheaper in the UK than a t900pi over here, even with the sterling difference

Joshua J

So got my T80 si pumped installed last month and all was fine but just today the shower head keeps dripping. Reading up seems like might be the solenoid valve. Anything else I could rule out before buying the part?.

Sleeper12

Joshua J wrote:

So got my T80 si pumped installed last month and all was fine but just today the shower head keeps dripping. Reading up seems like might be the solenoid valve. Anything else I could rule out before buying the part?.

It is the solenoid. If it's the si pumped rather than the t900pi I'm guessing that you have no warranty. It could be a small bit of dirt stopping the solenoid from closing. Leave it for a few more showers and the dirt may wash away. Failing this you can remove the solenoid valve and rinse it under the tap.
Did you get a good deal on the triton t80i pumped? Where did you order it from?

Joshua J

Sleeper12 wrote: »

It is the solenoid. If it's the si pumped rather than the t900pi I'm guessing that you have no warranty. It could be a small bit of dirt stopping the solenoid from closing. Leave it for a few more showers and the dirt may wash away. Failing this you can remove the solenoid valve and rinse it under the tap.
Did you get a good deal on the triton t80i pumped? Where did you order it from?

Ordered off Amazon about €200. Yeah no warranty, knew the dangers took the risk. Local shower fella wanted near €400 for Elite QT installed, too much and the QT ain't great. I'll try what you say, is this the right part if that fails?.

Sleeper12

Joshua J wrote:

Ordered off Amazon about €200. Yeah no warranty, knew the dangers took the risk. Local shower fella wanted near €400 for Elite QT installed, too much and the QT ain't great. I'll try what you say, is

400 Euro. You need to move to Dublin.

Joshua J wrote:

if that fails?.

It's the right part. If you need parts for your shower in the future look for t900pi parts. Exact same shower.

Sleeper12

This thread has been running almost a year now (10 months). I know what my experience is of the Mira Elite QT. Not all our clients have complained about it. I'm wondering are there any positive stories about this shower? A lot of my clients are moving away from Mira based on this thread.. Is it a balanced thread? Is anyone out there happy with it? To be fair to Mira some positive stories would be nice???

LadyFighter

New member and my first post

We had a Mira Elite qt installed last May. We were never impressed with it. Sometimes it would make terrible noises. A week ago, the plastic at the back cracked and broke, leaving the shower hanging by the pipe going into the wall. I can't post photos but our shower looks worse than the photos in post 13. We contacted the chap who installed it but he was boarding a plane and wouldn't be in Dublin for the week. He texted me the number of Mira customer care, otherwise known as the shower doctors.

It seemed strange from the get go when we rang. They didn't want to come out to look but wanted photos emailed to them. We’ve been back and forward for 9 days now. The best they would offer was to provide the plastic bit for free and then charge us €90 callout fee to fit it. This didn't seem right to me as the shower has a 2 years’ parts and labour warranty but my husband just wanted it fixed by tonight as we have had no shower in the house for 9 days and guests visiting tonight.

The shower doctors were due to call to repair the faulty shower this morning. We got a call from Barry who installed the shower in May to make sure we were happy with Mira’s repair. He lost it when he heard that 1. we were without a shower for nine days and 2. that they tried to charge us. He contacted the shower doctors but got nowhere with them. He said the girl on the phone had a chip on her shoulder from the start. She refused to give him any contact name or number in Mira UK so he could report the problem. She hung up on him leaving him with no details at all.

When he rang us back he said he wasn't happy with Mira’s response to this and to cancel the shower doctors. He's coming himself this morning with a brand-new Mira free of charge!!!

Here's my opinion of the Mira Elite QT, it's rubbish and their aftersales isn't much better.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS SHOWER

monkeycork

Sleeper12 wrote: »

This Mira Elite QT was installed only 3 months ago. Notice all the cracks in the casing in each photo. My advice is stay away from this shower.

In answer to your question, it's a direct replacement for your Mira Elite 2

i looks like the screws have been over tightened. also the shower should not be sealed at the back where it meets the wall. this may cause the shower to overheat and therefore weaken the plastic. see the installation instructions

8. The shower must be fitted to a waterproof, flat and even wall surface. The 3 screws
(No. 8 x 1¼”) and wall plugs supplied are suitable for most solid wall installations. Alternative
fixing screws for panel structures are not supplied. Use all 3 fixing points to secure the
shower unit, be sure to use fixings appropriate for the chosen wall structure.
DO NOT fit the shower to the wall and tile up to the case or seal the gap between the
shower and the wall surface with sealant.

http://resources.kohler.com/plumbing/mira/pdf/1265606-w2-a-mira-elite-qt-installation-and-user-guide.pdf

Sleeper12

monkeycork wrote: »

i looks like the screws have been over tightened. also the shower should not be sealed at the back where it meets the wall. this may cause the shower to overheat and therefore weaken the plastic. see the installation instructions

8. The shower must be fitted to a waterproof, flat and even wall surface. The 3 screws
(No. 8 x 1¼”) and wall plugs supplied are suitable for most solid wall installations. Alternative
fixing screws for panel structures are not supplied. Use all 3 fixing points to secure the
shower unit, be sure to use fixings appropriate for the chosen wall structure.
DO NOT fit the shower to the wall and tile up to the case or seal the gap between the
shower and the wall surface with sealant.

http://resources.kohler.com/plumbing/mira/pdf/1265606-w2-a-mira-elite-qt-installation-and-user-guide.pdf

Whilst I agree with what the user manual says, in the real world it's not practical & the shower should show some flexibility to reflect this. This is the only brand that cracks & breaks!
Sometimes Tiles aren't flat on the wall, shower tiled around, huge holes behind the shower, in some cases nothing behind the shower to screw into. These instructions are great when refitting & tiling a bathroom And we follow them to a tee in this case. However when you are employed just to replace the broken shower all of these things are beyond your control. All you can do is the best with what you are facing. Good shower brands give you the flexibility to work around these problems rather than becoming the problem. I have offered to fly to the UK at my own expense to help Mira improve this shower but they aren't interested. The screws included aren't any use for a magnetic screwdriver so most people bin them & use their own screws. Again if Mira talked to the trade they would learn these things.

Anyone fitting one of these open the box. Take out the shower & remove it from the plastic. Now move your finger around the edge of the shower where the back casing meets the lid, particularly around the top. You'll now realize that the cover doesn't match the back casing. This is before you even put it on the wall. This lid will never sit right even on the flattest of walls let alone real bathroom walls.

As for the screws being too tight? we fit over 1000 per year. The breakdown is roughly 50 Aqualisa, 250/300 Mira, 700 Triton & maybe another 50 of other brands. The only showers ever to crack & break on us were Mira Elite 2, Mira Elite ST & now the Mira Elite QT. Even Supajet the most troublesome shower in Ireland & the UK has never cracked. We are not being heavy handed with Mira showers & going lighter with other showers. this doesn't make sense. Also the cracks are showing up not at the time of installation but 9 months later. At the moment it's up in the air as to weather Mira will cover these under their warranty or not. If it was just the odd guy over tightening the screws I'd expect Mira to cover it as there would be so few cases. The fact that they refuse to cover this under warranty suggests that there are 1000s of showers like these.

The YouTube video below was recorded for sound & not for picture quality. In my humble opinion it's vibrations from motors like this is causing the damage to the sub standard plastic used:mad:

wing52

Sounds like the bearings are shot!

Was that just out of the box?

Sleeper12

wing52 wrote:

Was that just out of the box?

Brand new out of the box. We've had dozens like this since the QT launched about 18 months ago. They are supposed to be tested in the factory.
We've told the shower doctors, the mira rep here in Dublin and mira UK. Mira UK never respond. The shower doctors say they've had no complaints, that I'm the only one. Mira rep hasn't responded to me in almost a year. This shower is the biggest lemon I've ever had and they just don't seem to care.
I emailed a complaint through one of my suppliers. A week ago my suppliers told me that mira said they are on it and will sort me out. A week later I still have had no contact from Mira.
20%/25% of the showers we install are mira and yet 90% of the complaints we get are for Mira showers. It just doesn't make sense to me. Mira consume too much of my life

steps_3314

We purchased one of those showers last December and it has never worked properly since. Now I put it down to the plumbing as the tank that feeds it is not very high above the shower unit and I thought the issue was headage. What happens is the shower comes on and after a minute or so the pump gets very loud, the water temp increase/decrease and eventually the water stops coming out. At that stage I usually put the head on the ground as I think that helps clear any air and it works away again before I re-insert the shower in the holder. I have to do this every single time so after 3 months Im fed up as this is not very enjoyable.

I was thinking of getting a new shower that is mains fed but after reading this I am now thinking that it may not 100% be the plumbing and the location of the tank and the shower itself may be the issue.

I was going to contact Mira Support in the UK as I am not based in Dublin but in the South.

Sleeper12

steps_3314 wrote:

I was thinking of getting a new shower that is mains fed but after reading this I am now thinking that it may not 100% be the plumbing and the location of the tank and the shower itself may be the issue.

All you need is 80mm from the bottom of the tank to the top of the shower. Once you have this the shower should work fine.
Did you not get the installer out to look at it?
A mains fed shower usually is a bad idea for most parts of Ireland depending on the pressure.
The issue you are having sounds like the shower is getting starved for water or it's another one of the many dodgy pumps
If you need to get it repaired under warranty you must contact the Dublin number.

steps_3314

Sleeper12 wrote: »

All you need is 80mm from the bottom of the tank to the top of the shower. Once you have this the shower should work fine.
Did you not get the installer out to look at it?
A mains fed shower usually is a bad idea for most parts of Ireland depending on the pressure.
The issue you are having sounds like the shower is getting starved for water or it's another one of the many dodgy pumps
If you need to get it repaired under warranty you must contact the Dublin number.

Looks like it's more than 80mm.i attached an image.the plumbing is awful but we are planning to tear all that out

Sleeper12

steps_3314 wrote:

Looks like it's more than 80mm.i attached an image.the plumbing is awful but we are planning to tear all that out

This one might not be miras fault. You lose head height for each elbow and the run of pipe. I don't think you are left with 80mm head height. But I'm just going on the photo without proper measurement

steps_3314

Sleeper12 wrote: »

This one might not be miras fault. You lose head height for each elbow and the run of pipe. I don't think you are left with 80mm head height. But I'm just going on the photo without proper measurement

So plan was to remove the tank and buy a mains fed shower.what would some of the issues with these be