# Shower Won't Run Hot!!



## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Its DIY today for me..... 

OK, shower in my ensuite is playing up. No matter how much I turn the dial (its just a simple shower) I can't get any warm or hot water out of it.... just cold....

Its not the heating system (per se) as in the same room, I can run hot water in the basin. My radiators are fine too, its just the damn shower......

Anything I can look at on my own, or is this gonna need a tradesman as well?


----------



## NickP (May 6, 2002)

Is it an electric shower?


----------



## coupe-sport (May 7, 2002)

is it an electric one ?? - ie pumped or just relying on gravity for the hot side... ?


----------



## m4ttc (May 6, 2002)

What's yer water pressure like?


----------



## Lisa. (May 7, 2002)

Yeah Is it electric or a power shower?

If its electric it will only have cold water running to it Â if its a power shower and runs of your combination boiler it will have two pipes running to it.

It sounds as though its an electric shower, so nothing to do with your boiler, especially as your taps are running hot ok.

Turn the water and Â electric off and go and buy a new one, install it and have a shower. ;D

OR it may simply need the filters/valves cleaning/replacing, remove the hose at the unit and there should be a mesh filter over which gets furred up like a kettle.
If there is a danger of you getting burnt by not enough cold water getting through ( is it running hotter than usual as first?) then it will cut off the hot supply.

Try that first, if it doesn't work revert to plan A.

PS
Don't forget to turn off the water supply and check the pressure is running at 1.5 bars.


----------



## paulb (May 6, 2002)

Sell your house...


----------



## Lisa. (May 7, 2002)

or have a bath


----------



## nutts (May 8, 2002)

or share a shower with a neighbour :


----------



## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

> Yeah Is it electric or a power shower?
> 
> If its electric it will only have cold water running to it Â if its a power shower and runs of your combination boiler it will have two pipes running to it.
> 
> ...


Are you a part time plumber? How do you know so much?


----------



## Dotti (Mar 9, 2003)

If an electric power shower, check your fuse! Usually found up in the loft.


----------



## Lisa. (May 7, 2002)

> Are you a part time plumber? How do you know so much?


I seem to remember you asking whether I was a part time doctor on your famous "A" thread.

No vlastan, I'm just a dabbler


----------



## coupe-sport (May 7, 2002)

> If an electric power shower, check your fuse! Usually found up in the loft


Consumer unit - usually located in the hall or somewhere accessible - it'll be off a separate spur as its high current (or should be if its been done properly)


----------



## Lisa. (May 7, 2002)

It'll be a 30W.
( now would be a good time to label those fuses)


----------



## paulb (May 6, 2002)

> It'll be a 30W.
> ( now would be a good time to label those fuses)


Not a 30A? When did they recategorise fuses?


----------



## Lisa. (May 7, 2002)

> Not a 30A? When did they recategorise fuses?


Oh yeah, I was having a blonde moment 
30A then( smart arse)


----------



## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

afaik its just a standard shower. Just a dial for hot/cold, so not "power" or "electric". I'm guessing its gravity-fed from the storage tank in the loft.......


----------



## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

Is it an Aquadart?


----------



## KevinST (May 6, 2002)

You may find the valve for the hot inlet has sealed closed.
On the mixer dial, where you set the temp, if you set it to the hotest does the water preasure fall (indicating that the cold inlet has been shut off slightly so that it doesn't cool down the hot too much).


----------



## Lisa. (May 7, 2002)

> afaik its just a standard shower. Just a dial for hot/cold, so not "power" or "electric". I'm guessing its gravity-fed from the storage tank in the loft.......


In that case, take Vauxhall Mans advise and move house, knock Â£50 off for the faulty back door and move "up north" away from them window lickers that wave at passing aeroplanes, who can't aim coins at hoppers, who use air horns in appropriately and get excited by tube trains. Â


----------



## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

dunnoo but do you reckon I could get to this valve to service it?


----------



## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

this regually happened to my mains fead gravity shower , only cold water coming out, so i used to take the shower head and let it hang down so it was at its lowest point in the cubical and turn the dial to just hot within minutes hot water came through.
apparently it was todo with the way the cold water caused a back preasure in the system due to it being gravity fed.
Best soliution though is to simply fit a dual hot/cold pump in the system


----------



## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

> No vlastan, I'm just a dabbler


Reminds me of "I'm not a gynaecologist, but I'll have a good look" 

But please can we not turn this DIY topic into sex


----------



## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

Dabbler means what? First time I hear this word!!

OK then lets talk about sex then!


----------



## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

Like Tim has ever seen the inside of a shower  ;D

Use the kitchen sink as usual.  ;D


----------



## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

Now i come to think of it, do they even have hot water in Wales??  ;D


----------



## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

Paul is right...they don't have hot water there they use the piss from the sheep instead! ;D


----------



## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

> Paul is right...they don't have hot water there they use the piss from the sheep instead! Â ;D


V:

Have to commend you. Thats possibly the funniest thing i've seen you post, i very nearly pissed myself laughing. Credit where credit is due ;D


----------



## IanWest (May 7, 2002)

> V:
> 
> Have to commend you. Thats possibly the funniest thing i've seen you post, i very nearly pissed myself laughing. Credit where credit is due ;D


Surely by the law of averages, after so many thousands of posts of crap, he had to write something vaguely amusing eventually ;D 
Although V don't get carried away and post more inane crap.


----------



## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

> V:
> 
> Have to commend you. Thats possibly the funniest thing i've seen you post, i very nearly pissed myself laughing. Credit where credit is due ;D


  :-*


----------



## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Right...

checked out Jonah's suggestion - let the showerhead dangle into the tray and tried again. Hey presto, warm water.....

But when I hooked it back up again, it was cold again.....

*sigh*

So its not the valve, its not the hot water itself, so i guess it might be the pressure... but what can I do about it, apart from go get a golden shower from a sheep?


----------



## head_ed (Dec 10, 2002)

> Right...
> 
> checked out Jonah's suggestion - let the showerhead dangle into the tray and tried again. Hey presto, warm water.....
> 
> ...


When you work out how to fix it, pop round and sort ours out will you we're having the same problem!

Tim, are you sure all it's not all the sheep piss that's just corroded your pipes!?  ;D


----------



## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

But you guys have got at least 4 showers..... so just use a different one


----------



## head_ed (Dec 10, 2002)

> But you guys have got at least 4 showers..... so just use a different one


 : True but that would be far too easy!


----------



## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

My shower has the same problem too. Sometimes I open it and only cold water comes out. So I have to close it and reopen again once or twice and it works again.

Tim, I think you need a new shower mate!


----------



## PaulS (Jun 15, 2002)

> Not a 30A? When did they recategorise fuses?


Yeah, but is that American Amps, or English Welsh Amps?



> checked out Jonah's suggestion - let the showerhead dangle into the tray and tried again. Hey presto, warm water.....


Sounds like your suffering from too much overhead underhang Â :


----------



## garyc (May 7, 2002)

Can someone sort out my drains once Tim's all scrubbed up? They seem to be full of shit.  ;D


----------



## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

Fit a pump in the system, very easy as ur pipes are there already, just find a place to connect it ,works on a preasure switch built in so when u turn the shower on the pump kicks in, has tobe lower than the hotwater tank so airing cuboard is best place, cost is about Â£150 and well worth it and easy to fit.


----------



## David_A (May 7, 2002)

You could put a pump which is optimal - cue tank emptying in 1/5th of the shower time you used to get!

However, it used work yes? So something has changed.

Perhaps an airlock let it dangle in the shower and run for a while it may clear it self - if it is running slowly take the shower head off and try sucking - no really it may work. Try these on full hot setting, but be careful.

If its just a tap in the wall - its also possible that it is full of limescale and needs a new valve or the seals/valve has gone in the tap. Post a pic of the tap please. if its a turn the outside of the tap for the water pressure and temp adjuster inset in the middle then you can get spares for them, again show us a pic and we can advise. The pump would not cure these problems.

or try having cold showers.

or buy a van and don't wash.

Dave


----------



## M44RT L (May 6, 2002)

There is a pull switch not unlike the bathroom light switch. It leads to a junction box usually sited on the ceiling and feature a red 'on' light.

Try pulling the cord until the red light is on then turn on the shower. Hey Presto!! : :-X :-/ ;D


----------



## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

> There is a pull switch not unlike the bathroom light switch. It leads to a junction box usually sited on the ceiling and feature a red 'on' light.
> 
> Try pulling the cord until the red light is on then turn on the shower. Hey Presto!! Â : Â :-X Â :-/ Â ;D


Itsa a mains water gravity fead shower not electric :


----------



## chip (Dec 24, 2002)

If you plan to buy a pump, I highly recommend the Showermate 1.8 bar from www.stuartturner.co.uk.

I bought it based on recommendation from my plumber. Very powerful and fairly quiet too. Think I paid about Â£200. I wanted to spend less (buy from B&Q), but my plumber recommend this brand as I wasn't planning to move for the medium term. If you are planning to move in the near future, then a cheaper Â£100 one will suffice.


----------

