How to fix unregulated water temp in en suite shower?

[JackieVivas]

Hello all,

This is my first post here and would be greatfull for any advice on the issue I am having currently.

I have an en suite with mixer shower - concealed. This is in an attic conversion so at the top of the house, boiler is combi and directly below the shower on the floor below. Unfortunatly make and modle of said mixer are not stamped on the unit but I have some photos attached.

The rest of the ensuit was not finished till recently so the shower was not used for maybe 2 years after installation. Now the shower has been put into use, we are finding that the water is either red hot, or freezing cold, despite the position of the handle.

I consulted the Shower Doctor who advised what type of thermostatic cartridge I had and I replaced it, but this did not fix the issue. Shower Doctor also advised to check the non return valves also, which I did but found no debris / blockages, though I dont know what they should look like or how they should operate. These were like round white plastic things which are spring loaded.

The en suite sink, 1.5mts away, has a mixer tap which works perfectly so pressure issues I think would not apply. Pressure of water coming out the shower head is good, both when hot and cold. There is a point when turning the temperature handle where you can almost see the water low change as it goes from hot to cold supply also.

As I understand it the shower is only made of 3 components, the thermostatic cartridge, the 2 off non return valves, so if all are replaced, and the issue persists, then I am a bit stuck.

Hope someone has experience or advice.

Cheers

Jackie

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Hot and cold the correct way round ?

 

[JackieVivas]

Hot and cold the correct way round ?

hard to tell as the wall is all tiled now..... Would that cause this issue?

 

[Chuck]

Would that cause this issue?

Yep, it's certainly one possibility.

You might be able to figure out whether the 'polarity' of the supplies is correct by isolating the cold and seeing how the flow rate with only the hot supply active depends on thermostat position and then doing the same test for the cold supplied and the hot isolated.

For some showers, there are two types of thermostatic cartridge available, one for 'standard' and the other for 'swapped' feeds. The Shower Doctor folks should be able to advise whether this applies to your model.

Check your consumer rights. If the shower has never worked correctly and you have not been able to test it for until now, the original installer is probably still liable to fix the problem. (Breach of implied contract term; reasonably expect level of skill and workmanship.) The delay, as long as its less than about 7 years should be irrelevant because the original installer should have tested the installation to verify correct operation,

 

[JackieVivas]

Yep, it's certainly one possibility.

You might be able to figure out whether the 'polarity' of the supplies is correct by isolating the cold and seeing how the flow rate with only the hot supply active depends on thermostat position and then doing the same test for the cold supplied and the hot isolated.

For some showers, there are two types of thermostatic cartridge available, one for 'standard' and the other for 'swapped' feeds. The Shower Doctor folks should be able to advise whether this applies to your model.

Check your consumer rights. If the shower has never worked correctly and you have not been able to test it for until now, the original installer is probably still liable to fix the problem. (Breach of implied contract term; reasonably expect level of skill and workmanship.) The delay, as long as its less than about 7 years should be irrelevant because the original installer should have tested the installation to verify correct operation,

Thanks for that, I'll do the tests and see what it revels. I might be able to swap the supply pipes over before they the bathroom as the run up the riser. Cheers will update soon.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Thanks for that, I'll do the tests and see what it revels. I might be able to swap the supply pipes over before they the bathroom as the run up the riser. Cheers will update soon.

But that will switch the rest eg toilet and basin

 

[JackieVivas]

But that will switch the rest eg toilet and basin

I think I can access them after they T off..... so would only be the pipes going to the shower which are switched. Have no access this weekend so will look on monday