Out-of-warranty faulty shower pump - repair or replace?

src93

Hi all,

My shower pump has become faulty (extremely low pressure + flow switch stuck in on position) and its warranty has expired. The manufacturer is advising me to replace it but I'd like to be sure it's beyond repair before shelling out for a new one. Are there any common problems I can try to identify myself? Failing that, is it worth paying for a plumber to look at it or do shower pump issues tend to be highly technical / model-specific?

Belenus

My gut instinct is that replacing it will be better than repairing it as the cost of a repair, which may not last, may not make long term economic sense. But that depends on the answers to the following.

What make and model is it?

How old is it?

How much will a replacement cost?

Can you do the replacement work yourself or will you need to pay someone to do that?

savalittle.

i had this before on a pump and it was the capacitor, less than £20 later and all fixed (i did it myself) just googled the problems and read what to try.

src93

Belenus said:

My gut instinct is that replacing it will be better than repairing it as the cost of a repair, which may not last, may not make long term economic sense. But that depends on the answers to the following.

What make and model is it?

How old is it?

How much will a replacement cost?

Can you do the replacement work yourself or will you need to pay someone to do that?

Thanks. It's a Stuart Turner Showermate Eco (discontinued), 4 years old. The cost of the replacement is variable as I can choose anymodel to replace it as long as it fits. I can do the replacement work myself if it's just a matter of hooking up a new unit to the existing connections but that's quite difficult to gauge based on online product information.

Bendy_House

If you aren't practically-minded yourself, then I doubt you'll find anyone else capable or willing to take on a repair. Certainly beyond the remit of your average 'plumber', unless they also happen to be technically handy.

If you can dismantle the flow switch, then good chance it can be cleaned up and/or fixed. If it's a separate part, then very possibly you can either replace it or fit an external one.

As for the pump itself, that'll come down to what is wrong with it! 'Could be a capacitor as mentioned before, so a relatively easy fix as long as you know what you are doing, or it could be things like seized bearings or partially-burned coils, both of which would render it kaput.

So, either DIY it, or ask a friend who's 'techie' and willing to have a look.

nofoollikeold

1. I'm pretty sure Stuart Turner don't do spares for the Showermate range, other than new hoses at fancy prices.  
2. I would be very surprised if any new shower pump fitted without some plumbing work.  
3. My recommendation would be to replace with a Stuart Turner, but one of the more expensive Monsoon range.  You can get spares for these, albeit at prices I consider very expensive.  The one I have is still running after 37 years!