Electric shower not getting hot

[ianjw]

We had a Mira Sport 8.5kw shower which has been fine since we moved in 5 months ago. Last week it just stopped getting hot, warmed up ever so slightly but barely tepid.

Assumed it had been in since the house was built 13 years ago & it was just it's time to die, so got a new Triton (8.5kw again) and swapped it this morning.

Got the new one in, switched it on and the new one does exactly the same thing! Powers up but doesn't get hot, barely warm.

Any ideas? I'm stumped!

 

[Dan Robinson]

cold weather+8.5kw electric shower=cold showers.

 

[ianjw]

Cold weather + 8.5kw shower = cooler shower, not cold.

It's been colder than this before and shower still got warm enough to be usable. This just went from fine one day on about 1/2 to 2/3rds power to cold the next. Had a similar shower in the last house for 10 years and never this bad. Pretty sure this isn't just down to cold water.

 

[simond]

I agree, the colder water wont make that much difference.

If Dan stops to work out the temp rise eg to 35-40c, a slightly lower incoming temp wont make the shower cold.

More likely, it is a fluke faulty unit OR an arcing phase connection somewhere between the consumer unit and the shower.

Since you have seen the cable at the shower - and a 40a arc makes a lot of damage, I'd look at the consumer unit and the isolation switch.

The obvious route is to measure the i/c voltage at the shower terminals, but this is not as easy as it sounds. The water has to be on and the heating elements powered to make the reading meaningful and this is extremely dangerous, all the elements are in place for your last ever shock.

 

[ianjw]

No obvious damage around the c/u or the switch. Just changed the switch as it was looking a bit tired and grubby anyway, but no change.

Probably at the limit of my talents now, may be time to call someone in

 

[seco services]

you got a min of 1 bar to the shower would be my first check.
Then the tco.
Then the elements.

Has the shower a low pressure neon ?

What model triton ?