How to control temp on mixer shower?

tankboy

Hi,

Just moved into a new flat and the shower has me confused!

There is a combi boiler for the hot water and central heating. Shower appears to be a mixer unit with a single control for water flow. I can't see for the life of me how to adjust the temperature. There are no electrical switches round about the shower. Tried leaving it on for 10 minutes last night but no warmth on either pipe coming into the mixer unit.

[http://]img10.imageshack.us/img10/8136/img0137pfa.jpg

Please copy and paste link into address bar removing the square brackets [] from the start of the link.

From the picture does anyone recognise the unit and/or have any clues how to adjust the temperature?

Thanks.

totalsolutions

The link is down?

Is the domestic hot water tap suppling hot water, Is the boiler on and running?

Shower controllers have a hot/cold control tap.

brig001

I have seen something similar in a hotel. I think the first half a turn (or something) turns the water on and the rest of the turns adjust the temperature. I can't remember if it went hot to cold as you turned it on more, or the other way round.

tankboy

I thought that may be the case so tried turning 1.5 turns in but no change in temp. The pressure however went much higher than you would normally have in a shower!

Hot water tap on bath and kitchen sink work ok, boiler fires up within couple of seconds of tap going on. When the shower is on the boiler does not fire up.

One_Day_Rodney

This may help.............









Looks like a very basic thermostatic mixing tap.

The flow temperature depends on the temperature of the hot water, the temperature of the mains cold water and the flow rate (how far you twist the tap).
There is usually a adjustment screw which limits the maximum temperature of the water or the maximum mix ratio of hot water.
The adjustment could be underneath the cap at the end of the tap or alternatively under that black plastic cover on the top of the tap.
You will also probably find that because you are running it from a combi boiler the shower flow will need to be turned down in the winter to maintain the same temperature.


If the boiler is not firing up, check that the hot water feed to the shower tap is not isolated/turned off.

tankboy

Thanks One_Day_Rodney.

You say 'temprature of water in tank' - do you mean in the combi boiler tank? As there is no seperate hot water tank.

I presume a major issue is that the boiler is not firing up when the shower is turned on. Maybe the shower is not drawing enough hot to demand the boiler to switch on?!

One_Day_Rodney

Hi tankboy

Sorry, I missed the combi fact in your first post .

I have re-edited my reply above to suit.

Canucklehead

brig001 wrote: »

I have seen something similar in a hotel. I think the first half a turn (or something) turns the water on and the rest of the turns adjust the temperature. I can't remember if it went hot to cold as you turned it on more, or the other way round.

Hi

Hot through cold. When you turn the handle anticlockwise the water coming out is cold, as you turn it on further it will introduce hot until it is full hot.
If this doesn't happen the thermostat is stuck and it will need stripping down , cleaning and reassembling.
It also crossed my mind that it might be lever operated and the lever is sheared off.


GSR

tankboy

Turned out that the thermostat was stuck - a few taps on the bodywith a hammer has freed it for now

Thanks.