Low water pressure in electric shower

[kellysara]

My electric shower has stopped working due to low pressure. It has worked fine up until now. The water coming out of the taps is fine. What might be causing the problem?

[Jenny Tools]

How old is the shower ? could possibly limescale build up inside the unit.

[kellysara]

In reply to Jenny Tools, no the shower is not that old. There is no limescale inside the actual shower unit although I guess there could be in the pipes? How can you tell??

[Soulstar]

As a maintenance man for a property company, my Brother has spent most of the last 6 weeks replacing electric showers. Apparently it's the same every spring / summer. the water goes down and the pump "seizes". he says he always tries banging the casing in case it frees the pump - if it doesn't he has to put in a new shower, as it's banjaxed.

[poadster]

Check with the council for watermains problems before doing anything rash. A burst pipe miles away could have an effect on your pressure.

[Kingy]

I have a similar problem, but as I live in Scotland I am fairly sure that it's not a limescale problem. My problem is only infrequent and i haven't got to the bottom of the problem yet. Why does the water in these electric showers stop?

[rinkytink]

kellysara and kingy - do either of you live in a flat ?
I do and I'm always getting poblems with low water pressure from the shower in the mornings. This is because everyone else in the block is also using their shower at that time and this has an impact.

[rinkytink]

Forgot to mention....many showers also will cut out if the water gets too hot. Our shower is fine in the winter but in the summer it will reset itself when on the highest setting because the water gets too hot. I think that this is because the water is warmer (due to the temperature outside) when it enters the shower system.

[trendypaul]

There could be limescale build up within the body of the shower itself (which would explain there being no problem with your taps). An electric shower takes cold water direct from the mains and heats it up within the unit, so if you have temporary hard water you will get scaling (if your kettle scales up you have this sort of water). "banging" the shower will not really help. If the problem is constant you will probably need a new shower, however it may be worth fitting some sort of softener or ioniser direct before the shower (ask a plumber). If the problem is sporadic it could be to do with the thermostatic valve shutting the shower off to prevent you from being scalded.