Electric Shower Unit is having fits!!!

sundin13

Hi - our electric shower unit has started making weird swooshing noises - usually when you turn it off but sometimes completely at random. Also, sometimes it seems to be fighting with itself - so that the hose connecting the unit to the head starts banging against the wall for a few seconds.

If I turn it off from the pullcord it seems to be fine. Can anyone suggest what could be happening, and how fixable it might be.

Sorry if my description sounds more like a poltergeist than a DIY issue!!

S13

HugoSP

Air or partial blockage in your water supply.

Do any of your other CW taps suffer this problem?

Is your shower connected to the rising main, not the CW tank?

Do you have other issues with the supply?

Assuming it is simply an instentaneous water heater, not a pumped unit, the only working items in there are a water heater and a servo valve.

The water heater would produce temperature variations if it went intermittant. The servo valve could I suppose produce the symptoms you describe.

sundin13

Hi, and thanks for responding - I haven't noticed it happening with any other taps - but come to think of it - the boiler itself has been making some funky noises too - clicking round the timer (Worcester boiler) and going on and off.

The shower is connected to the rising main I believe - we've got a combi boiler so no water tank that I know of.


If it is a supply blockage, is there anything I can do?

S13

Inactive

Sounds like a faulty shower unit to me.

Canucklehead

Hi

If you have a Triton shower give them a call as they are very helpful.
As to the boiler; the clicking will be the timer (unless it's digital) as it's basically a clock.If you could give some detail about the going on/off we might be able to pin that down as well.

I am also instructed to say 'Go Leafs go' (for some reason )

Corgi Guy.

sundin13

Hi Corgi Guy - (and Canucklehead!...Go Leafs Go indeed!)

Re: the boiler going on and off....I suppose its similar to the shower. It's out in the utility room at the back and I can hear it firing and clicking away for no reason. The heating isn't on or anything (although I have heard the radiators making noises as if they are on too, a few times now)

Sometimes the hot water just isn't happening either. I can run the tap for as long as I want but no hot will ever show up. Then five minutes later it will be fine. At first, there were times when it would be running hot, then all of a sudden it would go cold and that was that (bit of a pain when filling a bath for the kids!).

HTH

S13

Canucklehead

Hi

I don't think the two problems are connected but you could try turning the boiler off when you use the shower just to eliminate the idea.
The boiler will run occasionally to exercise the pump to prevent sticking .
The main problem would be the diverter /diaphragm although it sounds a bit like this thread ..http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=546135


Have you noticed that over the last few months that the hot water takes a bit longer to come through until now it stops completely?
Any other odd noise ? How is the water pressure?

Corgi Guy.

sundin13

Hi, thanks for your ideas....

No - there hasn't been any change to the time it takes for h/w to come through, and I think the pressure is fine. I guess its time to get the boiler engineer out!

As for the shower, I stayed in it after turning it off this evening, to see what happened. Basically, it makes the swooshing noise - spits some water out - and then the overheat light goes on and it cuts out. All very strange.

S13

Canucklehead

Hi

I would get the boiler looked at before it gets too cold (for UK anyway)
You didn't say what make of shower you have. Element can sounds like the problem, scaling up This is useful for spares
http://www.showerdoc.co.uk/

HTH.

Corgi Guy.

jimbo_the_jetset

Shower Doc are great for advice on problems too. Helped me out when I described the symptoms

sundin13

Oh dear.....I left it too long and the shower has now gone kaput. DH turned it on last night - it blew the fuse, and filled the bathroom with a lovely burning smell.

I'm imagining it's irreparable - so can you tell me where the most money saving place to buy a new shower is - and do I need a plumber or an electrician to replace the unit?

Thanks

S13