Power shower (or not)

This is testing my (limited) knowledge so I thought I'd ask the collective experience / expertise of the forum. I stress that I am awaiting qualified individuals to visit and investigate but I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Approximately 10 years ago we had the ensuite revamped, including a power shower, with a 3 bar pump fitted in the airing cupboard. The pump was wired into a fused spur within the airing cupboard.

The shower controls are straightforward, a k**b either side of the bar, drench head or handheld head to the left, temperature to the right, when you turn the left k**b the pump is activated by demand and away you go. About seven years ago the pump was replaced with a Salamander 3 bar pump and no issues until last week when the pump stopped working.

A replacement Salamander pump was purchased from Screwfix and the original installer visited after work on Friday to change the pump.The new pump had a standard 3 pin plug (with 3 amp fuse fitted) so once the pipes were connected the installer plugged the pump into a standard mains socket in the airing cupboard (normally used to power the TV booster / distribution module) and the pump wouldn't work. The installer checked that there as power to the socket, no apparent issues so wnt away and was to return on the Saturday morning to investigate further.

We plugged the pump into a socket in the adjacent bedroom via an extension lead and it worked (don't know why I tried this, it seemed a good idea at the time). A quick call to the installer, who was on his way to the pub, and we agreed that he would wire the pump into the fused spur. We couldn't be there but our son would be in, so happy days.

We returned from a weekend away last night, the pump had been hard wired into the fued spur so I went for a much anticipated shower and the pump wouldn't activate. We tried the reset (power off, wait for 30 seconds, power back on) but the pump didn't activate.

So, the pump appears to work when plugged into a mains socket outside of the airing cupboard but doesn't work when plugged into the socket within the airing cupboard or when connected into the fused spur. There is power to both the socket and fused spur. The fuse within the plug that the pump was supplied with is 3 amp so the demands of the pump don't appear to be great.

Electrician and plumber both returning this week...

Sill question but is the water turned on.?

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Originally Posted by lewie

Sill question but is the water turned on.?

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Yep, lots of water. The shower worked fine when the pump was plugged into a socket outside of the airing cupboard (a conventional double socket in the bedroom, with a 4 gang surge protected extension). it doesn't work when either wired into the fused spur or plugged into the socket in the airing cupboard...

We had a reasonably new Salamander pack up - they are not the best of pumps TBH.

Unless you spend some proper money and get brass internals, the guts of cheaper pumps are now plastic and have a limited life span.

Both the above comments are probably correct but in this case it appears the pump is working, just not when it’s plugged where the OP wants it to be.

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Originally Posted by Saint-Just

Both the above comments are probably correct but in this case it appears the pump is working, just not when it’s plugged where the OP wants it to be.

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This says maybe there is an issue on that leg of the ring - it’s the only logical explanation
Have you retried it where you had it working

I asked about water as I thought it may not operate without a flow
Are you sure you’ve not damaged it running it without water supply?

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Originally Posted by lewie

This says maybe there is an issue on that leg of the ring - it’s the only logical explanation
Have you retried it where you had it working

I asked about water as I thought it may not operate without a flow
Are you sure you’ve not damaged it running it without water supply?

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My understanding was that the pump has remained in its fixed location in the airing cupboard with water connected, and the power has been brought to it via extension lead?


Is the socket in the airing cupboard on a different circuit / MCB to the socket in the bedroom?

Presumably something else works okay when plugged in in the airing cupboard

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Originally Posted by xxnick1975

Presumably something else works okay when plugged in in the airing cupboard

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Originally Posted by chrisdobson45

The installer checked that there as power to the socket, no apparent issues so went away and was to return on the Saturday morning to investigate further.

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And

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Originally Posted by hogthrob

My understanding was that the pump has remained in its fixed location in the airing cupboard with water connected, and the power has been brought to it via extension lead?

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Indeed

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Originally Posted by chrisdobson45

We plugged the pump into a socket in the adjacent bedroom via an extension lead and it worked (don't know why I tried this, it seemed a good idea at the time).

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I’ve no idea about the question but just want to see if I’ll be struck by a lightning bolt from the finger of God if I type “knob”.

Plumber. Aqualisa. Done.

Then it must be the electric in the airing cupboard
Does the old pump work via the extension- maybe it wasn’t the pump that was broken
Was the fused spur installed with the revamp? Could it possibly be on another circuit like an old redundant hot water cylinder supply?

Plug a table light in the airing cupboard socket , see if it works.

"The installer checked that there as power to the socket"

Has it been checked that the neutral side is connected properly allowing the electricity to "flow"

- - - Updated - - -

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Originally Posted by Bonzodog

Plug a table light in the airing cupboard socket , see if it works.

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Yep, that's the thing to do. And if it doesn't it means neutral not wired correctly

My electrician was able to drop by between jobs after lunch. He found an earth fault at the back of the fused spur which rendered the spur and adjacent powerpoint unusable. Thw wiring was apparently a mess and the powerpoint was missing it's back box. I recall the powerpoint being futted about 15 years ago when we had a new TV aerial and the booster was fitted.

All safe and fixed now...

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Originally Posted by chrisdobson45

My electrician was able to drop by between jobs after lunch. He found an earth fault at the back of the fused spur which rendered the spur and adjacent powerpoint unusable. Thw wiring was apparently a mess and the powerpoint was missing it's back box. I recall the powerpoint being futted about 15 years ago when we had a new TV aerial and the booster was fitted.

All safe and fixed now...

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Glad it’s all sorted and safe - professional tradesmen?
I’m guessing he never checked his work - was the original pump working?

Have you got 240 at the spur? and or socket in the airing cupboard?

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Originally Posted by MCFastybloke

Have you got 240 at the spur? and or socket in the airing cupboard?

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Pretty sure it's fixed.

One good condition used 3 bar pump coming to eBay soon (seriously - possible your old pump wasn't the problem in the first place)

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Originally Posted by draftsmann

I’ve no idea about the question but just want to see if I’ll be struck by a lightning bolt from the finger of God if I type “knob”.

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[emoji23]


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Originally Posted by mk1974

[emoji23]


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Not heard from him since.....

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Originally Posted by xxnick1975

Not heard from him since.....

Sent from my M2101K6G using Tapatalk

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I’m still here! Had to sell my soul to the devil, mind… 😀