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Haven't Been Able To Use My Own Shower In Six Months
kah22
Posts: 1,889 Forumite
This is a problem which has me completely confused.
I live alone. A year or so back I had two working showers in my home. One upstairs, one downstairs. Over a period of time the upstairs shower stopped working, at one moment it was producing almost boiling water and then cold water. I thought nothing about it as it was an old shower and I thought it had reached its sell by date. I started to use the one downstairs.
About six months back it also give up the ghost and stopped working. It was a good shower installed in a disabled facility (it was Mum's who has since died) had been there for about seven years. Again I thought bad luck decided to replace the two showers and to my horror neither of them worked. Called out the service engineer from the shower company he examined them and could see no problem. He had put a new one up to test it and took the other one away with him. That didn't work either. Both showers only put out cold water.
Next I called my water board in, NI Water, they were pretty quick on the ball; carried out several pressure and flow tests both outside my property's boundry and also at the stopcock at my back door. Anytime it was tested it read well above the legal required level. And I live at the top of a hill!
In the downstairs shower if I run it, (and while I haven't meassured it there does seem to be a decent jet of water coming out of it), and then turn on a top on the nearby sink the shower almost stops. Flush the loo and again the flow descreases dramatically.
My local assembly man, local couoncillor, and NI Water had an onsite meeting yesterday went through all the same procedures and NI Water basically said 'not our problem, sorry, we're only responsible up to your boundry,' even though there has been an ongoing decrease in the water flow within my home.
It now looks as though I'm going to have to call a plumber back again and heaven only knows what he is going to suggest. Before I do call him in is there anyone out there who can make a few suggestions as to what might be the problem and suggest a few fixes that I might try myself.
As always many thanks for any advice
Kevin.
ps my brother lives almost next door and that's where I shower.
I live alone. A year or so back I had two working showers in my home. One upstairs, one downstairs. Over a period of time the upstairs shower stopped working, at one moment it was producing almost boiling water and then cold water. I thought nothing about it as it was an old shower and I thought it had reached its sell by date. I started to use the one downstairs.
About six months back it also give up the ghost and stopped working. It was a good shower installed in a disabled facility (it was Mum's who has since died) had been there for about seven years. Again I thought bad luck decided to replace the two showers and to my horror neither of them worked. Called out the service engineer from the shower company he examined them and could see no problem. He had put a new one up to test it and took the other one away with him. That didn't work either. Both showers only put out cold water.
Next I called my water board in, NI Water, they were pretty quick on the ball; carried out several pressure and flow tests both outside my property's boundry and also at the stopcock at my back door. Anytime it was tested it read well above the legal required level. And I live at the top of a hill!
In the downstairs shower if I run it, (and while I haven't meassured it there does seem to be a decent jet of water coming out of it), and then turn on a top on the nearby sink the shower almost stops. Flush the loo and again the flow descreases dramatically.
My local assembly man, local couoncillor, and NI Water had an onsite meeting yesterday went through all the same procedures and NI Water basically said 'not our problem, sorry, we're only responsible up to your boundry,' even though there has been an ongoing decrease in the water flow within my home.
It now looks as though I'm going to have to call a plumber back again and heaven only knows what he is going to suggest. Before I do call him in is there anyone out there who can make a few suggestions as to what might be the problem and suggest a few fixes that I might try myself.
As always many thanks for any advice
Kevin.
ps my brother lives almost next door and that's where I shower.
0
Comments
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Do what you should have done, get the plumber back who installed the two showers that don't work and get them to address the problem.
Don't start trying to fix the problem yourself.0 -
This is a problem which has me completely confused.
I live alone. A year or so back I had two working showers in my home. One upstairs, one downstairs. Over a period of time the upstairs shower stopped working, at one moment it was producing almost boiling water and then cold water. I thought nothing about it as it was an old shower and I thought it had reached its sell by date. I started to use the one downstairs.
About six months back it also give up the ghost and stopped working. It was a good shower installed in a disabled facility (it was Mum's who has since died) had been there for about seven years. Again I thought bad luck decided to replace the two showers and to my horror neither of them worked. Called out the service engineer from the shower company he examined them and could see no problem. He had put a new one up to test it and took the other one away with him. That didn't work either. Both showers only put out cold water.
Next I called my water board in, NI Water, they were pretty quick on the ball; carried out several pressure and flow tests both outside my property's boundry and also at the stopcock at my back door. Anytime it was tested it read well above the legal required level. And I live at the top of a hill!
In the downstairs shower if I run it, (and while I haven't meassured it there does seem to be a decent jet of water coming out of it), and then turn on a top on the nearby sink the shower almost stops. Flush the loo and again the flow descreases dramatically.
My local assembly man, local couoncillor, and NI Water had an onsite meeting yesterday went through all the same procedures and NI Water basically said 'not our problem, sorry, we're only responsible up to your boundry,' even though there has been an ongoing decrease in the water flow within my home.
It now looks as though I'm going to have to call a plumber back again and heaven only knows what he is going to suggest. Before I do call him in is there anyone out there who can make a few suggestions as to what might be the problem and suggest a few fixes that I might try myself.
As always many thanks for any advice
Kevin.
ps my brother lives almost next door and that's where I shower.
Ok, they have done both pressure and flow tests?, that's important.
That really does put the water board out of the equation
What you need is the same test after your stop !!!!.
This will show that you either have low flow into the home or not.
I semi stuck SC is very common, I favour that as the issue.
If however all is free flowing, it's an issue with the individual showers
And the red bit, if that is happening you have low water pressure regardless.
If any of that helps then:TI like the thanks button, but ,please, an I agree button.
Will the grammar and spelling police respect I do make grammatical errors, and have carp spelling, no need to remind me.;)
Always expect the unexpected:eek:and then you won't be dissapointed0 -
I've had the plumber back on at least two occasions, and I've had a spark into test the system and they both agree everything is as it should be.Do what you should have done, get the plumber back who installed the two showers that don't work and get them to address the problem.
Don't start trying to fix the problem yourself.
Why could I run two showers a year a go, one shower six months ago and no showers now, that's one of the questions bugging me0 -
cyclonebri1 wrote: »Ok, they have done both pressure and flow tests?, that's important.
That really does put the water board out of the equation
If only cold water is coming through it's nothing to do with the water board.
They don't supply hot water only cold. If hot water is coming from taps and the central heating is working its down to the home owner.0 -
DoctorFoster wrote: »If only cold water is coming through it's nothing to do with the water board.
They don't supply hot water only cold. If hot water is coming from taps and the central heating is working its down to the home owner.
Sorry you are wrong, central heating does not rely on mains pressure so isn't an indicator
But your post is unclear, I said the issue was nothing to do with the WB?? puzzled?I like the thanks button, but ,please, an I agree button.
Will the grammar and spelling police respect I do make grammatical errors, and have carp spelling, no need to remind me.;)
Always expect the unexpected:eek:and then you won't be dissapointed0 -
Apologies for comming back so soon but I've just filled a ten litre buck of water from the shower with the shower head removed. It took 1 minuit 46 seconds to hit the 10 litre mark.
What's that like0 -
I've had the plumber back on at least two occasions, and I've had a spark into test the system and they both agree everything is as it should be.
Why could I run two showers a year a go, one shower six months ago and no showers now, that's one of the questions bugging me
It doesn't really matter what the problem is to be honest, you paid for two working showers to be installed and you have none. I don't see how the plumber can say that everything is as it should be when you clearly don't have two working showers.
Get them back in to complete the job
I assume that the showers are electric but you may want to clarify0 -
It doesn't really matter what the problem is to be honest, you paid for two working showers to be installed and you have none. I don't see how the plumber can say that everything is as it should be when you clearly don't have two working showers.
Get them back in to complete the job
I assume that the showers are electric but you may want to clarify
I don't think he did say that, but he did try a replacement shower with the same result, a reasonable diagnosis for low water pressure?
I will try my own right now
edited to add;
62 secs to fill a 10 litre container via the 50mtr garden hose
I'm guessing had I tried that at the kitchen sink my water flow would have been twice that of yours.
But, you need someone that can tell you the accepted flow rate, or even the expected flow rate within the property, I don't know the standard figsI like the thanks button, but ,please, an I agree button.
Will the grammar and spelling police respect I do make grammatical errors, and have carp spelling, no need to remind me.;)
Always expect the unexpected:eek:and then you won't be dissapointed0 -
That's correct. Two 'MX Duo QI (9.5kW) shower units
Well the manufacturer states
To make sure of activating the heating elements, the shower must be connected to a mains water supply with a minimum running pressure of 100kPa (15 lb/sq in) - (1 Bar) at a minimum flow rate of 8 litres per minute. The maximum static pressure must be no greater than 1000kPa (150 lb/sq in) - (10 Bar). (Minimum running pressure must be obtained at 9 litres/minute for 9.5kW and 11 litres/
minute for the 10.5kW).
So by the sound of things your flow rate is well under what it needs to be, the numbers you stated earlier give me 6.84 l per minute, something the plumber should have checked beforehand, not after for obvious reasons.0
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