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Original poster

Shower pressure issue

16 replies

fingersandthumbs · 07/01/2017 16:24

plumbers, builders and those who are DIY savvy, can you help with this problem?

Mixer shower fed from combi boiler, works ok for a few minutes and then water pressure drops, both hot and cold, and water stops. Water, hot and cold, in rest of house works fine, including the bathroom. It's just the shower, loses pressure to not even a dribble.

If you leave it a good few hours water pressure lasts for a couple of minutes. If you try again a few minutes after it has gone off shower just dribbles before no water.

It's not the shower itself, replaced for new today, and the new one has exactly the same problem.

Any ideas?

OP posts:
Testificateman · 07/01/2017 16:42

Is it a power shower? A lot of showers only work properly with a tank fed system.
If you have a combi boiler, you'd be better off with an electric shower.

Original poster
fingersandthumbs · 07/01/2017 16:54

Nope, not a power shower. It's worked fine for 18 years being fed from a combi boiler.

OP posts:
Original poster
fingersandthumbs · 07/01/2017 16:55

In fact the new mixer shower is recommended for combi boilers so don't think that's the issue here

OP posts:
Testificateman · 07/01/2017 16:59

Got me a bit stumped here. How old is your boiler?

Catam · 07/01/2017 17:00

When we got a new shower put in the head of it was bigger than the last one & pressure was reduced and that was resolved by just buying a smaller head.

If nothing else has changed I can't suggest anything other than call out, our closed gas system needed bled then restarted at one time & that fixed it when we had no hot water at all.

Hope you get it sorted, we had a week at Halloween with no hot water or heating at all & it was horrible.

Catam · 07/01/2017 17:02

Oh when they were working on water system in our area pressure fluctuated a lot but you usually get a note through the door if works are on in your area.

Original poster
fingersandthumbs · 07/01/2017 17:33

Don't think it's a mains pressure issue as its only the shower that is being affected. Boiler is old but serviced regularly and no problems with it as far as I know. We're lucky in that we still have water, hot and cold, elsewhere in the house, it's just the shower that's playing up.

If there was a pump on the water supply to the shower that is not working properly could this give the issues we are having? I'm not aware that there is a pump but as water elsewhere isn't affected it's the only thing I can think of? Where would a pump be put, in the loft?

OP posts:
Cherrymix · 07/01/2017 17:38

Does it have a thermostatic valve? This happened to us when our cold water feed to the shower got blocked. Hot water was getting through but was so hot that the safety cut off on the thermostatic valve was triggered and the shower cut out.

Catam · 07/01/2017 17:42

Our pump is in the boiler itself and yes can cause pressure drop if not working properly.

In a closed system bleeding the radiators can help overall I believe (as this is how guys fixed ours before) so if your radiators haven't been bled in a while that's a possibility. I can bleed them myself but boiler then needed restarted so less hassle to just get boiler guy in to do it all.

Catam · 07/01/2017 17:46

Good point cherry there is a little cut off button that popped up on our boiler when it wasn't working - found right on top of boiler on left hand side. Again though if it's popping up its because of something that generally needs fixed so back to getting someone out.

Our LL is responsible for having a yearly check so if yours hasn't been checked maybe time to invest (if it's your own) or call LL as I think it a legal annual requirement.

Original poster
fingersandthumbs · 07/01/2017 17:52

Boiler is regularly serviced. I wonder if Cherrymix has the answer. Yes, it's a thermostatic shower so perhaps it's a cold water feed issue. Going to go and try that and report back.

OP posts:
TondelayaDellaVentamiglia · 07/01/2017 17:56

it's not a twist in the pipe? Our bath taps are shower/bath ones, and are roundly pathetic as the water pressure is dreadful , but add in a turn in the shower pipe and barely any water comes out.

you have to dangle the shower head and let it unravel itself...somehow the internal pipe seems to twist more than the metallic outer bit.

Original poster
fingersandthumbs · 07/01/2017 18:03

Ok, fault isentified, sort of. The cold water feed is not getting to the shower so th must be a blockage somewhere. Pipe is not frozen, not cold enough here for that, so now my question is how do I identify where the blockage is? The pipes go up from the shower, into the ceiling into the loft under the insulation and then back down into our "futility" room.

Big thanks for everyone's suggestions so far

OP posts:
Testificateman · 07/01/2017 20:04

Do you have any flexible hoses on your pipe work to your shower? Over time, as they are rubber with wire mesh over the top, they will rot on the inside. If you do, be very careful as they might bust easily.

Original poster
fingersandthumbs · 07/01/2017 20:19

Nope nothing flexible on way to the shower, all proper metal pipes from what I can see.

Any ideas as to how to identify where the blockage might be?

OP posts:
Testificateman · 07/01/2017 20:29

Try switching off your water, disconnect the pipes from your shower, and get someone to turn the water back on then off again. See if you have a lot of pressure coming through your pipes.
Hard to advise on something like this without seeing it.

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