Non-boaty.....why no hot water in home shower?

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NealB

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Last summer, we had new bathrooms fitted...and very nice they are, too.

A water pump was fitted in the hot water feed, just after the immersion heater.

This afternoon, I thought, just for a change, that I'd have my post-run shower in the guest bathroom (which gets ony occasional use).

Problem......no hot water!

There's hot water to the bath and to the sink in that same bathroom, and to everywhere else in the house.

Any thoughts on what the problem might be, please?

I've no idea when it went wrong...it certainly worked last time I used it, but that was some months ago now.

I will call the people who fitted it tomorrow, but it would be useful to have at least some ideas as to what might have happened.

Thanks.
 
NealB said:
Last summer, we had new bathrooms fitted...and very nice they are, too.

A water pump was fitted in the hot water feed, just after the immersion heater.

This afternoon, I thought, just for a change, that I'd have my post-run shower in the guest bathroom (which gets ony occasional use).

Problem......no hot water!

There's hot water to the bath and to the sink in that same bathroom, and to everywhere else in the house.

Any thoughts on what the problem might be, please?

I've no idea when it went wrong...it certainly worked last time I used it, but that was some months ago now.

I will call the people who fitted it tomorrow, but it would be useful to have at least some ideas as to what might have happened.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

shower mixer thermo valve stuck ???.
its not a good idea to have long standing sections of hot water in pipes. legionnaire`s likes that
 
Does the pump start.
Have you got cold water.

If the pump does not start you don't have a drop in pressure so the valve in the mixer must be stuck. The pump monitors the pressure in the system and if it drops ie. a tap opening it starts to try and build the pressure up again, which it cannot because the tap is open.

Lump hammer :eek:

You may find that you can take it all apart. The Mira one I had could be dismantled.
 
Last edited:
sailorman said:
shower mixer thermo valve stuck ???.
its not a good idea to have long standing sections of hot water in pipes. legionnaire`s likes that
Click to expand...

Thanks...a stuck valve is a definite possibility, I guess. Took the handles off this afternoon to have a slight prod around....but wasn't sure what I was doing.

How do you avoid having hot water standing in pipes? Would always switching to cold before shutting off, be enough?
 
exfinnsailor said:
Does the pump start.
Have you got cold water.

If the pump does not start you don't have a drop in pressure so the valve in the mixer must be stuck. The pump monitors the pressure in the system and if it drops ie. a tap opening it starts to try and build the pressure up again, which it cannot because the tap is open.

Lump hammer :eek:

You may find that you can take it all apart. The Mira one I had could be dismantled.
Click to expand...

Many thanks to you, too!

Answers:

- no the pump doesn't start

- yes, there is cold water

Right...I'm off to find my lump hammer. I'll report back!
 
Right.......

Took shiny bits off the mixer valve.

Turned on taps. No pump, no hot water, just bloody cold, cold water.

Commenced tentative bashing with lump hammer.

I was getting seriously cold by now, so upped the bashing very slightly.

Cracked several of our very expensive new tiles, and got water all the flloor, which has now started showing through the dining room ceilng (underneath guest bathroom).

So decided to give it a really good, healthy, whack.....hammer slipped from my grip and smashed the expensive new shower tray.

Hmmm...now what?
 
I did remove shiny bits...and tried waggling the control back and forth....no effect.

Tried a few very tentative whacks with the rubbered end of a medium sized adjustable spanner....no effect.

Tried same again, with hot tap at sink open. Pump kicks in, and very slightly tepid water emerges from shower..

Left shower running for 20 minutes or so, with occasional tentative whacks. No change.

So....some slight progress.

I'll get dried off now, and continue (carefully) tomorrow.

Huge thanks to all, again.
 
Do you have separate pumps for each shower? If so identify the one which supplies the defective shower. Then:

1. Reset the pump - ie turn off the electrics, wait 20 secs then turn back on

2. Unclip shower head and place as low down as possible

3. turn shower taps on

4. alternate between cold and warm on temp setting.

5. If no hot after 30 secs try something else!
 
NealB said:
Right.......

Took shiny bits off the mixer valve.

Turned on taps. No pump, no hot water, just bloody cold, cold water.

Commenced tentative bashing with lump hammer.

I was getting seriously cold by now, so upped the bashing very slightly.

Cracked several of our very expensive new tiles, and got water all the flloor, which has now started showing through the dining room ceilng (underneath guest bathroom).

So decided to give it a really good, healthy, whack.....hammer slipped from my grip and smashed the expensive new shower tray.

Hmmm...now what?
Click to expand...

Thankyou Neal, going through a difficult time right now... swmbo recovering from neuro surgery, just the belly laugh i needed. :)

Keep up the good work!
 
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Have you got inline taps in the hot water line (you should have)? A bit like seacocks. Perhaps these are giving problem and a quick turn of these may help.

My shower instructions say to turn the shower thermostat occasionally from fully hot to fully cold several times to free off any deposits.
 
Nearly impossible to diagnose without being there. We could ask you questions all night about the system, but without being there to see it and try it in the flesh we are going nowhere. It'll be one of those "Oh, you didn't tell us that!" situations.

I suggest getting the plumber man back in.
 
I'm just waiting for you to tell us that it's actually an electric shower, and all you needed to do was pull the string to turn it on....:eek:
 
You don't say what type of pump it is. Ours is a Salamander that has a habit of occasionally switching itself from negative head setting (green light) to positive head (amber light). With the latter, turning on the shower does not give enough initial flow to start the pump. Switching it back to negative cures the problem.
 
PeteE said:
Do you have separate pumps for each shower? If so identify the one which supplies the defective shower. Then:

1. Reset the pump - ie turn off the electrics, wait 20 secs then turn back on

2. Unclip shower head and place as low down as possible

3. turn shower taps on

4. alternate between cold and warm on temp setting.

5. If no hot after 30 secs try something else!
Click to expand...

Just one pump for all hot water outlets.

Can't unclip the shower head...it's one of those fixed ones (a monsoon shower, I think the propoganda called it).

I will try resetting the pump.
 
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