Electric Shower Stopped Working. Has power but no water

Discussion in 'Plumbers' Talk' started by jetspray, Jan 27, 2014.

  1. nigel willson

    nigel willson Screwfix Select

    poor connection at probably the pullcord switch,when you try to pull load which is heavy the poor connection, is burning away!!!!
     
  2. Ok, that indicator light on the pull-cord switch should not, I believe, be on all the time - it should only come on when that pull-cord is turned on. That's what it's there for - to show that the main isolating switch is 'on'. What's the point of it being on all the time?!

    That suggests it's been wired back-to-front - ie the mains power from the CU is going to the 'load' side which is where the shower should be connected, and vice-versa.

    So, that needs sorting.

    Which is good news, 'cos at least three of us are now suspecting that switch to be a dodgy bar steward. If it has either loose/dirty terminals, or if the inside contacts of the switch (which you can't see) is partially burnt out, then that would explain what you are experiencing.

    If your water pressure is fine, then - to be blunt - that switch is by far the most likely culprit.

    Explanation - Nig's post #21

    Test worth trying - Mr Ha's post #20
     
  3. fire

    fire Well-Known Member

    Ooo i seen that before.

    Cables that tend to run into the isolation pull cord switch get corroded or worst yet overheat and melt into the back of the switch.. You may well find the pull cord switch contacts inside are barely making connection and not capable of delivering the current needed to operate the shower.
    The light in your shower is not actually a light bulb, it is a neon which does not actually need both terminals of the neon to be physically connected to a power source.

    See many showers pull more than 45Amp constantly and there are a few versions of isolated pull cord switches, 45Amp, 50Amp and 65Amp.
    The 65Amp is hard to get a hold off but no matter because it is the 45Amp that is most commonly fitted to bathrooms as standard. It is the cheapest of them all so it is what many installers choose to use.

    So my guess, its the isolation switch or some connection issue to power your shower. Note that 10mm2 or 16mm2 cable is a pig to work with so it is not uncommon to find these cables badly installed in tight hard to reach and work with areas like a small back box fastened to a ceiling.

    Anyway, a boring story for you... We used to stick a neon ontop of the CB antennas years ago so that every time we transmitted shouting "19 a roger" the neon would light up. so as you can see they don't actually use power or need an electrical circuit to light up.
     
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2016
  4. I'm pretty sure the reason Joe's neon is lit is because the switch has been wired t'wrong way around - 'load' and 'supply' have been switched.

    Not a serious problem at all - it'll still work. But it means the neon will always be lit which kinda defeats its point.

    I agree with your assessment of the likely cause of his prob.
     
  5. Joe Wilding

    Joe Wilding New Member

    To Fire, Devil's advocate, Handy Andy, and Nigel Wilson. I can't thank you guys enough for all the help you've given me, and your responses were made so quickly. Never used a forum before (other than reading others), so was thinking it would be weeks or months before someone got back to me, if at all. I'm really grateful.

    Well, it's not quite all sorted yet, but I'm confident it will be. So, firstly the pull cord test of monitoring the shower unit whilst repeatedly pulling the cord, did indeed show a glimpse of power to the unit (orange indicator). You all narrowed it down to the pull cord, and so I thought I'd take another proper look (rather than just checking things were tight. Oh, and I did wire it round the wrong way meaning that the light was on all the time. Which of course defeats the point of the indicator light. So one of the wires had indeed melted into the back of the switch, which I'm assuming created a poor connection and so on. I have now bought a new switch and will re-wire very soon. If this doesn't work then I'll hang myself, but I'm confident it will.

    Sorry it's taken me ages to get back to you with this update. Been really busy with work and other things I haven't had time. Thanks again all of you.

    Joe
     
  6. The really good news is - you won't have to hang yourself :)
     
    Joe Wilding likes this.
  7. Graham Mann

    Graham Mann New Member

    Really interested in this thread as I have a Mira Jump which has suddenly stopped working with no warning at all, power switch red light comes on when cord is pulled but when I press the shower start button, nothing happens, no noise, nothing but the red light on the power switch does goes out when I press the shower start button.
    I would appreciate any ideas please chaps.
     
  8. Assuming you've read this thread, you'll see that the most likely culprit is a poor leccy connector.

    This will almost certainly be in the main power switch itself as it's that red neon wot goes out (at least that's what I understand from your post).

    Turn off the power at your main CU and undo that switch. Look for signs of burnt/overheated wire ends as they enter the switch. If the wires look ok, then check all the wire screw terminals for tightness.

    If that is ok too, then most likely the switch is burnt inside where you can't see it.

    (If you feel confident doing this, you can turn the CU power back on, switch the shower power switch on too, and get someone to press the 'on' button on the shower whilst you listen to the switch - see if you can hear any 'sizzling/crackling' from inside. Obviously if there are signs of burnt wires on the outside of the switch, then you already know what the issue is...)
     
  9. Graham Mann

    Graham Mann New Member

    Appreciated DA I'll have a look tomorrow, I note earlier references to Crabtree power switches, what's so good about them
     
  10. Crabtree are just one of many decent makes. If a sparky on here recommends them, that's good enough :)

    They probably either rate them for quality or/and access/ease of connection.
     
  11. Andy Lea

    Andy Lea New Member

    Hi Joe, I managed to solve my problem too, i.e. pull-cord switch gone US. Thank you for posting and those that advised you - I was about to buy a new shower(!) so you and those that made the correct diagnosis saved me circa £100 and a load of hassle
     
  12. nigel willson

    nigel willson Screwfix Select

    point of order! we no longer rely on the neon light , we have to rely on the mechanical indicator as neons can fail.
     
  13. Padupa

    Padupa New Member

    Hi guys, this thread sounds like what is happening with my shower which has just stopped working. You said about the light on the switch indicating that it has been wired incorrectly. do you have instructions for correct wiring of the switch so I don't end up replacing the wiring as it was before?
     
  14. Please start a new thread, Pad, and explain exactly what the symptoms are.

    Plus make and model etc etc etc etc. Does make us ask for info, man, 'cos that chust gets us angry. Grrrrrrrrrr...
     
  15. Padupa

    Padupa New Member

    hey I'm really sorry about that I'm new to this as a new home owner for the first time. the shower started working again. not sure what happened there. I'll make sure I provide full information for any future enquiries. thank you for letting me know!
     
  16. Welcome :)

    Fingers crossed... (But once such issues start, they rarely fully stop... :()
     
  17. Padupa

    Padupa New Member

    I still think the wiring is suspect as the light on the pull cord switch is constantly on but we'll see what happens!
     
  18. I not talking to you. I'm not I'm not.

    Until you start a new thread... :)
     
  19. Padupa

    Padupa New Member

    I love you too DA
     
    Deleted member 33931 likes this.

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