Pumped Electric Shower Problem

kdouglas

Just moved into our new (new to us, its about 20 years old) house and have been having a problem with the shower.

It's a Mira pumped shower (i.e. just pumps the water, doesnt heat it), so you need to have the heating/immersion on to get hot water in the shower.

There is no problem with hot water in the taps, and any time we've used the shower there is hot water coming from the tap no problem.

Sometimes, the shower works just fine, not a problem.

Other times, you turn it on and it is not pumping any hot water, infact it pumps nothing but a dribble when set to hot. It will always pump cold water just fine.

If you leave the shower pumping and set to hot, it will start to pump hot water after a minute, but I know this isn't good for the pump and would rather fix the problem than risk the motor giving up.

Has anyone come across this kind of problem before or have any suggestions on how to fix it?

Thanks

Joey the lips

It sounds like the shower is not tapped into the tank correctly. I imagine the shower only works when your heating is on and not if the tank is cold.

Is this a possability. If so you will need to follow the flow and see how far up the expansion pipe it was connected. Chances are beyond the hot tee if I am making sense.

kdouglas

Thanks for the reply, I haven't checked if the shower works when the heating is off, as it's mostly on these days when I'm home, but I would imagine you are correct that it will not.

The shower is piped directly into the top of the immersion tank.

Coming out of the top of the immersion, there is a 3/4" pipe, which I assume feeds the taps. There is also a 1/2" pipe which comes out of the immersion, up into the attic, across the attic floor and back down inside the bathroom wall to the shower. The immersion is in the upstairs hot press, mounted at floor level, so it sits lower than the shower?

Joey the lips

kdouglas wrote: »

Thanks for the reply, I haven't checked if the shower works when the heating is off, as it's mostly on these days when I'm home, but I would imagine you are correct that it will not.

The shower is piped directly into the top of the immersion tank.

Coming out of the top of the immersion, there is a 3/4" pipe, which I assume feeds the taps. There is also a 1/2" pipe which comes out of the immersion, up into the attic, across the attic floor and back down inside the bathroom wall to the shower. The immersion is in the upstairs hot press, mounted at floor level, so it sits lower than the shower?

When you follow the 3/4" pipe out of the top of the immersion it T's off. Is the shower tapped in above this T and if so approx how many inches.

Try what i said as well

kdouglas

Yea, it T's off, with one going up to the attic (and back down into the bathroom as far as I know) and the other going straight down (to the kitchen I assume)

The 1/2" that feeds the showers is about level with the T, maybe one inch lower at most?

Joey the lips

kdouglas wrote: »

Yea, it T's off, with one going up to the attic (and back down into the bathroom as far as I know) and the other going straight down (to the kitchen I assume)

The 1/2" that feeds the showers is about level with the T, maybe one inch lower at most?

Then its plumbed ok by the looks of it. ie the connection is below the T ruleing out water starvation.

kdouglas

Yup, could it just be the pump starting to wear out?