ChatterBank13 mins ago
Faulty mixer shower
3 Answers
Hi everyone, this is kind of long-winded so thanks for reading and hope someone can help. I'm not sure which bits are relevant so I added it all in!
I live in a first floor flat with a cold water tank and immersion heater in the airing cupboard. A pump has been fitted to serve both hot and cold in the bathroom and hot water only in the kitchen.
Two things have gone wrong that may or may not be related.
A few weeks ago the kitchen tap started dripping. Gradually the pressure weakened, then it stopped working entirely on the hot side. The same day, the shower in the bathroom stopped working on the hot side and dirt started coming out the hot in the bathroom tap . Our neighbour knows a bit about plumbing, had a look and said the faulty kitchen tap had airlocked the system. We replaced the tap and everything seemed to work again, apart from some residual dirt in the bathroom hot tap.
Next morning, went to have a shower and found no hot water there again. Everywhere else fine. Called a proper plumber out who took the shower apart. Its a gravity mixer shower but obviously the pump inthe bathroom feeds it. There is also a mystery button in the wall that seems to need pressing sometimes to turn the pump on, but other times the shower works without it. Anyway, when he took it apart the valve on the hot side was broken and he said that was what was stopping the hot water. He took it out, put the shower back together again and it all seemed to work.
Guess what - went to have a shower this morning and no hot water!
So what the heck do I need to do to have a hot shower? Do I really need to buy a new mixer unit? (ouch - �150 min) What is the mystery button on the wall that seems to do something to the pump? Are the broken tap and broken shower related or am I really THAT unlucky?
Thanks ever so much for reading and thanks even more if you can help me!
I live in a first floor flat with a cold water tank and immersion heater in the airing cupboard. A pump has been fitted to serve both hot and cold in the bathroom and hot water only in the kitchen.
Two things have gone wrong that may or may not be related.
A few weeks ago the kitchen tap started dripping. Gradually the pressure weakened, then it stopped working entirely on the hot side. The same day, the shower in the bathroom stopped working on the hot side and dirt started coming out the hot in the bathroom tap . Our neighbour knows a bit about plumbing, had a look and said the faulty kitchen tap had airlocked the system. We replaced the tap and everything seemed to work again, apart from some residual dirt in the bathroom hot tap.
Next morning, went to have a shower and found no hot water there again. Everywhere else fine. Called a proper plumber out who took the shower apart. Its a gravity mixer shower but obviously the pump inthe bathroom feeds it. There is also a mystery button in the wall that seems to need pressing sometimes to turn the pump on, but other times the shower works without it. Anyway, when he took it apart the valve on the hot side was broken and he said that was what was stopping the hot water. He took it out, put the shower back together again and it all seemed to work.
Guess what - went to have a shower this morning and no hot water!
So what the heck do I need to do to have a hot shower? Do I really need to buy a new mixer unit? (ouch - �150 min) What is the mystery button on the wall that seems to do something to the pump? Are the broken tap and broken shower related or am I really THAT unlucky?
Thanks ever so much for reading and thanks even more if you can help me!
Answers
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