Triton T80 Easi-Fit Shower Cutting out with sink tap on ;-(

[LewisM]

Triton probably said 40A MCB with 30mA earth leakage protection

 

[advicewelcom]

40mA???? You sure about that?

https://www.tritonshowers.co.uk/media/custom/upload/File-1366041415.pdf Page 5 indicates circuit protection should be 45A on a 10.5kw shower.

 

[brianmoooore]

Should really be 45A. Even when the 230 volt - 240 volt recalculation to about 9.6kW is done, the current still marginally exceeds 40A, although no one is going to run a shower anywhere near long enough to trip a 40A.

 

[advicewelcom]

Triton probably said 40A MCB with 30mA earth leakage protection

Posted it above. Current fuse thingy-ma-jig says - "32amp MTN 110 6000 Hager fuse" - that OK for a 10.5kw shower?

 

[advicewelcom]

Is your bathroom upstairs or downstairs?

Upstairs.

 

[brianmoooore]

Posted it above. Current fuse thingy-ma-jig says - "32amp MTN 110 6000 Hager fuse" - that OK for a 10.5kw shower?

That sounds like a 32A Hager MCB which is most definitely not suitable for a 10.5kW shower, even if it really is 9.6W. It may not trip during the length of any normal shower session, but will routinely overheat, and suffer internal damage.
It's not even suitable for the existing 8.5kW shower.

 

[advicewelcom]

You need to invest in a cheap 4 bar pressure gauge, and a few fittings to enable you to connect it to the shower supply pipe, and see how much the pressure drops at the shower when a tap is switched on.
If it's only the bathroom basin tap causing the problem, a cheap and simple solution would be to lock the bathroom door when using the shower.

I actually managed to fit the new 10.5kw shower, not too hard as a like for like replacement. More of a plumbing issue as tried to use the same olive with the water supply and it leaked everywhere. New 15mm nut and olive later and it was water tight.

I did check the water supply before fitting to the shower - it was mains pressure and came gushing out so I assume it made the min 1.5 bar Triton requirement for this shower.

But even with new 10.5kw shower fitted, the same issue happened with the bathroom tap. When the bathroom tap is fully on, the electric shower goes cold with no "low pressure" light coming on. Tried going downstairs and leaving the kitchen tap fully on and that didn't effect the upstairs shower. So I assume the shower cold is probably T-ed of the sink tap and it effects the shower more (just miffed why the low pressure warning light isn't coming on the shower when it cuts out).

 

[brianmoooore]

The water coming from the shower should momentarily go hotter before cutting out, and I would certainly expect the low pressure light to come on.
In most houses, the kitchen sink tap is much closer to the incoming main than the bathroom, so perhaps the kitchen tap already has a partly shut off valve connected before it. Does the bathroom basin tap have an isolator valve, as it should have? If so, try turning this partly off, to restrict the basin flow a bit.
Are you using the shower head supplied with the shower? Electric showers use a far more restrictive head, in terms of flow, compared to that used with 'proper' showers, to create sufficient back pressure in the shower to operate the flow switch.

 

[advicewelcom]

That sounds like a 32A Hager MCB which is most definitely not suitable for a 10.5kW shower, even if it really is 9.6W. It may not trip during the length of any normal shower session, but will routinely overheat, and suffer internal damage.
It's not even suitable for the existing 8.5kW shower.

Oh ok - do I need a Hager 145 45A fuse thingy then? Maybe like this, but its looks a bit odd shapped?

Else this one is 50A and assume it will do the job?

Not sure if changing the cartridge is reasonable things for non elecy to do (I don't want to die). Seems reasonably straightforward? Anything to be careful off? - aka the main tail ends from the supply will always be live?

 

[advicewelcom]

The water coming from the shower should momentarily go hotter before cutting out, and I would certainly expect the low pressure light to come on.
In most houses, the kitchen sink tap is much closer to the incoming main than the bathroom, so perhaps the kitchen tap already has a partly shut off valve connected before it. Does the bathroom basin tap have an isolator valve, as it should have? If so, try turning this partly off, to restrict the basin flow a bit.
Are you using the shower head supplied with the shower? Electric showers use a far more restrictive head, in terms of flow, compared to that used with 'proper' showers, to create sufficient back pressure in the shower to operate the flow switch.

Ah OK. Will try the shower head and isolator valve adjustment.

 

[LastManOnline]

Upstairs.

Then you have convenient access to your attic and the obvious and desirable option is a pumped shower. You get better and trouble free flow. Need never again worry about a toilet been flushed or a tap been turned on. And you are unaffected by mains pressure variations. A pumped shower is the ideal way to go

 

[Zerax]

I did check the water supply before fitting to the shower - it was mains pressure and came gushing out so I assume it made the min 1.5 bar Triton requirement for this shower.

Do not confuse 'pressure' with 'flow'... you may have seen high flow, but low pressure. You really need to measure the pressure with a gauge.

 

[advicewelcom]

The water coming from the shower should momentarily go hotter before cutting out, and I would certainly expect the low pressure light to come on.
In most houses, the kitchen sink tap is much closer to the incoming main than the bathroom, so perhaps the kitchen tap already has a partly shut off valve connected before it. Does the bathroom basin tap have an isolator valve, as it should have? If so, try turning this partly off, to restrict the basin flow a bit.
Are you using the shower head supplied with the shower? Electric showers use a far more restrictive head, in terms of flow, compared to that used with 'proper' showers, to create sufficient back pressure in the shower to operate the flow switch.

Adjusted the Isolator value on the cold into the Bathroom sink and it did the job. Turned it just enough so even max output on the tap did not cause the shower to go cold. Thanks for that. ;-)

Surprised the Triton shower low pressure light did not come on if there was an issue with the water inlet into the shower unit.

 

[telectrix]

Then you have convenient access to your attic and the obvious and desirable option is a pumped shower. You get better and trouble free flow. Need never again worry about a toilet been flushed or a tap been turned on. And you are unaffected by mains pressure variations. A pumped shower is the ideal way to go

then advise here. have a pumped shower off C/H. hot is pumped, cold not. when shower tap is on cool, it's freezig. soon as turn tap to activate pump, it's scalding. no regulation.

 

[Zerax]

A mate of mine had is loft converted.. which meant getting rid of the cold water storage tanks (CWS) in the loft and installing a mains fed hot water storage tank. Then they built a massive new housing development across the road...

Now he has pressure issues (but pressure is above the legal minimum)... that would be solved by re-installing the CWS tank into his daughters bedroom !