Is my shower broken or am I just incompetent?

[Heybertay]

I moved into my new house. The cupboard has a switch that says shower and then on the stairwell there is another switch that lights up when you turn it on. Not sure if it's related!
It's a rainfall shower over the bath. The heating is not a combi, it's the other type where water and heating is separate.

I turned it on earlier and nothing happened. Then after giving up I went down stairs and after quite a long while I heard the water come out of the rainfall shower section all of a sudden. I turned it off thinking it was now working but now no water is coming out again.

Does anyone know what the problem could be before I have to pay a call out fee to a plumber?

If I need a new shower and refit how much on average would this be in the south east?

How long was the long while? Our rainfall shower definitely has to think for a few seconds before water comes out

Could you hear a pump whirring? It might run entirely separately of the boiler if electric.

Sounds like the switch is the pump. Would need to be on for the shower to work

@Mummy08m It was ages after!

I have put the switch on and it won't work with the switch in or without.

@LIZS yes I think it is separate

@Lovemydaxie The switch is back in and it won't work now !

Can you move the temperature dial? Ours needs a certain pressure from each of cold and hot to start.

Yes I can move that. It has a button on that but.

Bit

How strange just turned the tap and the water is coming out again.

I'm experimenting and I think it may be to do with this

It sounds to me like a problem with the pump. The pump is powered by electricity so needs to be plugged in and switched on to drive the proper level of water pressure in the shower.

Without the pump you might get a small trickle of water from the shower or no water at all. Turning on an unrelated tap might be enough for a small amount of pressure in the shower.

You would need to firstly make sure the pump is switched on. And if this doesn't work call a plumber. Shower pumps can be fixed but they do fail and need to be replaced.

Thanks @Focalpoint It seems to work perfectly fine now. However for some reason the switch that is outside the bathroom door no longer lights up red now. I have no idea why or even if it is related to the shower!

It's possible that one switch is for an extractor fan. You may not be able to see the fan but if you have one, there will be a grille in the ceiling or high on the wall. If you have a working fan you will be able to hear it, but they do fail occasionally so the light comes on but nothing happens.

I have a vague recollection that fans can be linked to the light switch so that when the overhead light is on, the fan comes on automatically and runs for a set time. This only happens if the main fan switch is on (which is what the red light will be telling you, if it is indeed the fan switch). As I say, this is just a vague recollection, so happy to be corrected by someone who knows better.

See if u can find the shower instructions (or search online). Ours sometimes wont work if the pressure has gone down and then we have to reset the system. (Turning off the mains and turning power one way or another, cant remember what we do but every make will be different I guess.)