Electric Shower going hot and cold !

DGJsaver

Hi All

Just some quick advice….

If you have an electric shower , should it be affected (ie go cold or hot) when taps in the kitchen are turned on ? ours does and we think it`s a bit odd as it isn’t being run via the cold and hot taps ?

Cheers

Dan

Robbo77

Electric showers heat the water themselves. One pipe supply from the cold main. Running taps, flushing the loo etc will have no effect on your shower operation. If your electric shower is running hot/cold, i'm afraid your shower thermostat is on the blink.

DGJsaver

Robbo77 wrote: »

Electric showers heat the water themselves. One pipe supply from the cold main. Running taps, flushing the loo etc will have no effect on your shower operation. If your electric shower is running hot/cold, i'm afraid your shower thermostat is on the blink.

Cheers robbo , any ideas why it only seems to happen when a cold or hot tap is turned on ?

latecomer

The hot top should come from your tank and hence have no effect on your electric shower. Running the cold tap in the kitchen (connected to the mains) could cause the pressure to the shower to drop, possibly causing the issues but if you haven't noticed any recent drop in pressure at the taps then its more likely to be the shower itself.

DGJsaver

latecomer wrote: »

The hot top should come from your tank and hence have no effect on your electric shower. Running the cold tap in the kitchen (connected to the mains) could cause the pressure to the shower to drop, possibly causing the issues but if you haven't noticed any recent drop in pressure at the taps then its more likely to be the shower itself.

Hiya

We dont have a tank , we have a combi boiler (a rather old and uneconimical one i might add)

jockster211

Hiya

Its worth checking the shower head, inlet filter & hose are clean. What make of shower is it

Sometimes backpressure can cause a fault of the shower heating then going cold. Just unscrew the head making sure you don't lose the sealing washer, then using an old toothbrush for example, give the head a good clean. Make sure water is freely passing through the head, then put it back on. Some showers have an internal filter, so if you're competent its worth checking this too.

If the temperature still fluctuates it could possibly be the thermal switch. Again if you are competent these are relatively easy to change.


Jockster

bigdic

In some houses using a cold tap will affect the pressure of the water reaching the electric shower, this means that there is less water for the shower to heat so it has to cut the heating element or you'd get some seriously hot water over your naked frame. Simple as that!

DGJsaver

bigdic wrote: »

In some houses using a cold tap will affect the pressure of the water reaching the electric shower, this means that there is less water for the shower to heat so it has to cut the heating element or you'd get some seriously hot water over your naked frame. Simple as that!

Thats the bigger problem though , boiling water ! for example , if my OH is in the shower and i turn on the cold tap to brush my teeth she has to step away from the shower until i turn the cold tap off :eek:

latecomer

Has it always been like this or is it a recent thing?

DGJsaver

latecomer wrote: »

Has it always been like this or is it a recent thing?

Hiya

Its always had a electric shower since we moved in , but only last few weeks has this been happening ?!

Robbo77

Does the water pressure reduce from the shower when you run a tap?. It may be a mains pressure issue. Electric showers, like combi boilers, have flow restrictors fitted. Example, a 14kw shower cant keep up with hot water demand if the flow is above 12 litres (ish) a minute. As water flow reduces, temperature rises. May also be an idea to check and clean the filter/restrictor in the shower inlet.