Help with the shower
Author
Discussion

TheCaseAce

Original Poster:

700 posts

240 months

Wednesday 10th December 2008
quotequote all
No, not help IN the shower - unless you're female and incredibly hot - Help WITH the shower.

So it used to be blastingly hot water, which you had to turn down from maximum for fear of scalding yourself clean. Lovely. Just how I like it.

Recently, it's become skin temperature - which, when it's falling on your cold skin at 7am, feels bloody awful. Puts me in a right bad mood.

I have a combi boiler which comes on when the shower comes on. Water from all taps is hot.
There's a weird switch in the kitchen with a little light next to it, which seems to be something to do with the shower, because switching that from on to off means I get a freezing shower - that's on.
Do the PH massive have any ideas, before I call a plumber to suck his teeth and tell me my condensing foondangler needs descaling, at a cost of £2000?

Ta.

FlossyThePig

4,143 posts

272 months

Wednesday 10th December 2008
quotequote all
Two thoughts:
  1. Does the shower have a thermastatic mixer (one control for flow and onother for temperature)?
  2. I think the switch is for a pump, maybe not pumping as hard as it used to.

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

284 months

Wednesday 10th December 2008
quotequote all
Your condensing foondangler needs descaling...

HTH...

micky g

1,576 posts

264 months

Wednesday 10th December 2008
quotequote all
If you have a valve shower, (not electric), it is almost certainly a fault with the shower or the hot water supply. If it is a thermostatic shower it is possibly a fault with the thermostat.

It will not be a pump as you can't use a pump with a combi boiler, your hot water system is already pressurised. Haven't a clue what the switch in the kitchen is for.

Sounds like you need a plumber. HTH smile

TheCaseAce

Original Poster:

700 posts

240 months

Wednesday 10th December 2008
quotequote all
FlossyThePig said:
Two thoughts:
  1. Does the shower have a thermastatic mixer (one control for flow and onother for temperature)?
  2. I think the switch is for a pump, maybe not pumping as hard as it used to.
Yes, it has this:



Sorry for making you rotate your head - couldn't be arsed to rotate the pic!

If the switch was a pump, would it not affect the flow rate? If the switch is off, the flow rate is the same - it's just cold. Makes me think its some kind of secondary heater? Or... er.. ???

jonnye

40 posts

224 months

Wednesday 10th December 2008
quotequote all
That an Amber bathrooms shower valve probably needs removing and cleaning internally

dave_s13

14,028 posts

298 months

Wednesday 10th December 2008
quotequote all
Or tw@t it with a rubber mallet.

don't actually do that

Edited by dave_s13 on Wednesday 10th December 20:45

fflyingdog

621 posts

268 months

Wednesday 10th December 2008
quotequote all
Have you tried turning the temp control valve to full hot and then back to cold a few times ,sometimes the valve gets hung up on scale etc ,(works on mine a treat) My mrs currently very unhappy as our boiler has taken a pooh and i am away working in nice sunny Lagos till friday so cant do sod all to help........still at least my hotel has nice showers biggrin

Edited by fflyingdog on Wednesday 10th December 21:05

TheCaseAce

Original Poster:

700 posts

240 months

Wednesday 10th December 2008
quotequote all
Hmmm... those are very good ideas!

(apart from the mallet, I might give that one a miss!)

Thanks.

360 detailing

1,036 posts

229 months

Wednesday 10th December 2008
quotequote all
When you operate the switch does it turn the mains boiler power off?

A Lot of companies when they take out old systems and put in combi boilers just use the same switch that was in before for the main isolator switch, saves them running a new one but also means people know where it is as it hasn't moved...........Maybe even has the old text "water heater" on it?


micky g

1,576 posts

264 months

Wednesday 10th December 2008
quotequote all
360 detailing said:
When you operate the switch does it turn the mains boiler power off?

A Lot of companies when they take out old systems and put in combi boilers just use the same switch that was in before for the main isolator switch, saves them running a new one but also means people know where it is as it hasn't moved...........Maybe even has the old text "water heater" on it?
Sounds right.

think the problems a scaled up valve / thermostat.