Triton T90si goes hot, then cold, and gives a burning smell ? (pics inside)

Johnick

This all started at the start of May. My shower used to go from being hot for 2 minutes, then going cold for 1 minute, then back to hot again. During this time, I could get a smell of burning plastic/sulpher from inside the unit, though only when any of the 3 heat settings were used, the cold settings works perfectly.

Now its starts luke warm (though its more cold then hot) and stays that way for 2 or 3 minutes before it goes hot again, but when it does go hot Im lucky to get 30 seconds out of it. The smell is now almost gone and I rarely notice it, but I can still smell it sometimes.


I took the face plate off, here are some pics







Notice the burned plastic on the connector for the "ON" button, and on the neutral in the last pic, there's also some sort of dust that collected at the bottom of the unit in the first pic.

Ive read another thread were people had similar symptoms, I would appreciate any help. I was an electrician for 4 years but failed my exams in my final block in 2002, although I obviously know enough when it comes to most domestic electrical work so if a component needs to be replaced rather then the entire unit and its an easy fix, I might give it a shot.

Thanks in advance.

techie

Something similar used to happen with my shower unit.

Check the water inlet pipe, there should be a filter there , that in my case was blocked thus causing it to overheat etc.

J0hnick

techie wrote: »

Check the water inlet pipe, there should be a filter there , that in my case was blocked thus causing it to overheat etc.

I checked that a while ago during the big freeze in winter after I got an air lock, it was fine then so I doubt that's it. Was your shower a Triton ?, I ask because the other thread mentioned the the brushes in the motor could be f***ed.

meercat

it looks like a loose connection burnt out the push together leads.best get a sparks to check

AckwelFoley

Wheres this filter? Is it the round pce beside the copper bend?

Ah found it.. it is that ..
manual here

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/DataSheets/Triton/T90Si.pdf

toe_knee

I had the exact same problem with the Triton without the burning smell. I changed the shower head and hose and it worked fine for about a year till the hot then cold thing started happening again. Changed it again and away she went.
Anyone know how to service these things?

NickTellis

Sounds silly but take off the shower head and immerse it in vinegar for a few hours, give it a good rinse and it'll be as good as new. We had the exact same problem as you so we called Maynooth Shower Maintenance and this is what they advised. Works a treat and worth trying before calling in the plumber.

steamengine

Agree with the above posts, seems to be a flow problem. The shower heads are prone to lime scaling which restricts the flow. The filter could also need cleaning. There is a key supplied to unscrew the shower head, the component parts can be soaked in a lime scale remover solution, or use vinegar as suggested.

Then run the shower on the cold settings at full flow ie (flow adjustment knob fully counter clockwise and heat setting to cold). If the flow is adequate, switch to the high temperature setting and slowly turn the flow knob clockwise until shower temperature is reached. The lower thermal trip (blue wires as shown) may also be faulty and require replacement.

The reason why the shower cycles between hot and cold is that restricted flow through the boiler/pot results in the water overheating and the thermal trip cuts off the power, temporarily.

All signs of burning should be made good by either part replacement or competent repair.

Mark#1

Hmm . . . OP's problem started in May? My T90si started having the same probs in March . . . A friend in Rochfordbridge had to replace her T90si back in March because of the same problems too . . .

Call me a wacko, but could the freezing weather early in the year have had anything to do with this?

The filter in mine is gunked up - gonna clean it or replace it, and clean or replace the sprayhead. Hopefully that'll do it.

Thanks steamengine and all posters.


Mark

steamengine

Mark#1 wrote: »

Hmm . . . OP's problem started in May? My T90si started having the same probs in March . . . A friend in Rochfordbridge had to replace her T90si back in March because of the same problems too . . .

Call me a wacko, but could the freezing weather early in the year have had anything to do with this?

The filter in mine is gunked up - gonna clean it or replace it, and clean or replace the sprayhead. Hopefully that'll do it.

Thanks steamengine and all posters.


Mark

The filter looks gungy ok so clean that first and give it a whirl. Whilst running the shower just look at all the tiny spray holes and check if some or blocked. Follow the cleaning instructions above if needs be.

The top knob on the unit selects either 1,2 or 3 heating elements for use.
The lower dial knob graded cold 1 through to hot 10, is actually a flow control valve which regulates the flow of water through the boiler/pot and thus further controls the temperature. The greater the flow the cooler the water and the less the flow the higher the temperature. Good luck

Mark#1

I'm spotless!!!! First shower since May!

Cleaned the filter & the spray head as advised, and all's well, except the sprayhead is leaking now - half the water coming through is spilling out through the gaps where the actual head joins the body, rather than the newly cleaned spray holes. We'll probly just get a new one today - cheap enough.

Thanks all.


Mark

steamengine

Mark#1 wrote: »

I'm spotless!!!! First shower since May!

Cleaned the filter & the spray head as advised, and all's well, except the sprayhead is leaking now - half the water coming through is spilling out through the gaps where the actual head joins the body, rather than the newly cleaned spray holes. We'll probly just get a new one today - cheap enough.

Thanks all.


Mark

Glad to hear you're back in biz. Mine leaks a bit like that too after replacing, but seals itself after a short while with the said same limescale deposits.

Johnick

Tried a few of the fixs above, managed to have a proper shower this mornin but just as I was about to turn it off, water went cold and burning smell came back.

Really hope I don't have to shell out for a new one

meercat

johnick
did you repair the burnt out connector block.
needs to be done

J0hnick

meercat wrote: »

johnick
did you repair the burnt out connector block.
needs to be done

Actually no, would cutting off the burnt cable, stripping it back and replacing the custom connector with a standard set of connectors/joiners work ?.

meercat

That would be spot on. Remember to isolate power supply before you start.

J0hnick

meercat wrote: »

That would be spot on. Remember to isolate power supply before you start.

Done that last night, snipped off the half burned snap in connector and stripped back the half burned wires so they were clean again, then screwed on a standard connector and tapped it up well with insulation tape.

Worked last night for about 5 minutes after testing, and worked this morning long enough to have a shower. But alas, just as I was about to turn it off it made the funny noise, water went cold and got the burning sulfur smell again

Any other ideas lads ?

ryange

Looks like the thermal snap switch connected to the burnt wires you found is whats damaged and it is cutting off power to the heater element intermittently. This part can be purchased but I think for Triton you have to buy the plastic part is it attached to also but should not be too dear.

Johnick

ryange wrote: »

Looks like the thermal snap switch connected to the burnt wires you found is whats damaged and it is cutting off power to the heater element intermittently. This part can be purchased but I think for Triton you have to buy the plastic part is it attached to also but should not be too dear.

I rang my old boss from when I was an apprentice electrician and he reckons the microswitch is burnt out, supposed to be more hassle then its worth to fix, said I was better off replacing the whole unit. Timing couldn't be worse as I have to buy a new lawnmower to

ryange

I stll think it probably is the thermal snap switch. Csot about €35 from any of the plumbing wholesalers. If you are electrically trained you should be able to put a DVM across the snap switch and when shower is running and gets cold you should see the switch going from Zero ohms to open cct.