HELP! Mains pump will not turn off shower

See_Beee

Hi all, looking for advice from a plumber please!

For context, we are in a new build house with an air to water pump system.

I am attempting to change the shower mixer bar to a new one but I cannot seem to turn off the water flow to the shower. I have turned off the water mains and the water in the taps have stopped but it will not stop in the shower. Turning off the pump decreased the water pressure from the shower but did not stop it completely.

Can anyone help point out what I am missing here?

Thanks in advance!

the_amazing_raisin

DISCLAIMER: I am not a plumber, I've done some DIY plumbing

Is your shower pump built into the shower or is it a separate pump unit in the hot press?

I've a separate pump unit sitting in the hot press. It's got 4 pipes going into it, 2 cold (1 input, 1 output) and 2 hot (again 1 input, 1 output)

At the very least the inputs should have valves on them to facilitate changing the pump. They're usually the type with a straight handle sticking out

To work on the shower, you'll need to shut down power to the pump (sounds like you did that) and close both input valves. The handles of the valves should be perpendicular to the pipe

If there are output valves you can close them too

After that, turn on the shower and set it to cold. The water might flow for a minute and then slow to a dribble

If your shower head is on a hose, take it off the hook and put it in the shower tray to help it drain

Once the water stops flowing, turn the shower to hot to drain that pipe as well

Assuming the water stops flowing, or slows to a dribble then you should be okay to work on the shower

Once you have finished, turn the shower on (without the pump) and slowly open the cold valve. This will allow water back into the system

It might be a good idea to do this before attaching the shower head as it will allow any dirt or debris that got into the pipes to flow out

Once the water is flowing, turn off the shower and leave it for a while to check for leaks

Assuming there are no leaks, repeat the exercise with the hot valve

If there's anything else running off that pump then you'll probably want to run some water through them to get rid of any air locks

Once you're happy with everything, turn the pump back on. It'll probably run for a second as it builds up pressure. Again, check for leaks repeatedly over the next while, since the pipe joints will now be under pressure

cnocbui

Is there a water tank in the attic, perhaps above a press?

See_Beee

Nope, we do not have a water tank with the air to water system!

Hobby farmer

Your hot water tank probably has a shut off valve somewhere on it.

See_Beee

Nope, it's electric so I had switched it off alright but with no joy. There are no other valves other than the mains.

Sleeper12

No shower should be connected to the mains water supply in Ireland. The hot valve is usually in the hot press. The cold valve should be in the hot press also, in a new build but slim possibility it's in the attic.

The valves you need in the hot press are usually around chest high. Anything low down is likely to be for heating system

See_Beee

The units we had built into the utility room were covering the other valves, we removed the back panel and there they were! Thank you all for your help!

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121915635#Comment_121915635

Yep, that'll do it, glad to hear you got sorted 👍🏻

You might want to consider making some cut outs in the back panel to allow quick access to the valves. Or just leave the bank panel off or loosely attached

If there's ever a major leak you'll want to shut off the water quickly