FAQ about Shower Repair
A Power Shower or Electric Shower?Which Shower is more Economical?
It depends, but usually an electric shower would be more economical because although they use more electricity when switched on, it only costs you for the time you’re in the shower. Whereas with a power shower, the water has to be heated from another source (eg) immersion or gas boiler. You may have to switch on your immersion for 1hr to heat the water regardless of how long you want a shower for. Allot of households do not have a timer on their immersion which means they forget to turn off switch which can cost a huge amount.
Shower Dublin: Electric Shower and Power Shower? What is the difference?
An electric shower heats the water instantly at the press of a button. Electric showers have a built in heater element which heats the water. Power showers provide excellent water pressure but do not heat the water for you. The water is heated from another source eg. immersion or gas boiler.
Electric Shower Installation? What's Involved?
To install an electric shower, mixer shower and most types of shower, a heavy duty cable needs to be installed from your fuse board (typically located in the hallway) to the shower. A safety fuse is fitted to the fuse board specifically for the shower. In most cases the cable would not be seen as the majority of it is going into the attic space. A pull cord switch is also installed in the bathroom. The shower then needs to be plumbed; this is done by fitting a pipe from the water tank in the attic directly to the shower. To do this the tank needs to be drained completely so that a new pipe can be installed with a valve/stopcock. The tank is then filled up again and the new shower has its own water supply
Power Shower Installation? What's Involved?
To install a power shower, a hot and cold pipe need to be fitted to the shower. The cold pipe is taken from the water tank in the attic directly to the shower and the hot water pipe is taken from the hot water cylinder directly to the shower. This means no other appliances in the household should affect the water supply/temperature of the shower. To supply electricity to the shower a cable (3 core 1.5) can be branched off an existing socket to the shower with usually a 5amp switched spur fitted along the way.
Shower Noise. What is Causing it?
Usually Shower Noise comes from the pump. It could be one of two things: there is a part in the pump called brushes and these can wear down over time (especially having long showers) The good news is these can be replaced at a low cost. If the brushes are not worn down the bearings in the pump may be worn which would mean replacing the whole pump. Shower Noise can be resolved by either replacing the brushes or at last resort replacing the shower pump.
When I Press the Button on my Shower, Nothing Happens?
It could be one of three things. Check the fuse on the fuse board (usually located in the hallway) to see if the shower fuse has not tripped. If the trip switch is fine then check the pull cord switch, this may have burnt out. An electrician or shower engineer would usually have to check this. The last thing it could be is that the brushes have worn down in the pump preventing the shower from coming on.
There is no Hot Water Coming from my Shower?
If the water flow is pumping out as normal with no hot water the element in your shower needs to be replaced.
There is only Luke Warm water coming from my Shower?
The heater element in your shower has two parts in it. One part of the element has gone in your shower which is why you are only getting luke warm water. Unfortunately the whole element has to be replaced as it is all one unit.
My Shower goes Hot and Cold Sporadically?
This could be a number of things. The most common is very simple; the shower head could be blocked with lime scale. I find the best way of clearing lime scale from the shower head is to turn on the shower to fully cold setting and while the water is spraying from the head use a nail brush to scrub the small holes on the shower head. This should let the water come out of the head without any blockages preventing hot and cold temperatures. If the shower head is clear there is a filter in the shower that may be blocked. This filter is there to catch any dirt coming from the water tank in the attic before it gets into the shower unit parts. To clean filter the water and electricity to the shower needs to be turned off then the cover of the shower can be taking off. The filter is usually located close to the inlet water pipe on the left hand side. You should be able to unscrew the filter anti clockwise to remove it so that it can be cleaned in the sink. You then screw back in filter and put on the shower unit`s cover. Turn on water and electricity and test shower. The last reason it could be is that the thermostat is faulty in the shower and would need to be replaced. I find most people would automatically think that the thermostat has gone when the shower goes hot and cold but in reality it’s not that common.
Will there be any Damage to tiles in the Bathroom when Installing or Replacing a Shower?
When installing a new shower a small hole about 2 inches square would need to be made in tiles for the pipes and cable entry. This hole will not be seen as the shower unit covers the hole when installed. There is also no fear of any water leak getting to the hole as the shower would be sealed to the wall. Some customers worry about tiles when replacing an old shower with a new shower but for (eg) Triton and Mira are the most popular shower brands in Ireland and they have kept the same shape of their shower units over the past 15+ years therefore no tiles needing to be replaced.
