#1: How to Fix a Power Shower
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- Опубликовано: 19 сен 2024
- Warning: don't try to repair your shower unless you feel confident to do so. The Aqualisa Powerstream has a transformer mounted away from the shower that reduces mains voltage down to 12 volts to drive the pump motor. On no account try to repair other types of shower, as they may have mains voltage present within the shower's enclosure.
The first video of a new series on how to fix stuff and how to make your life easier! I know it's not steampunk, but hopefully these will be of some interest. I'll make them between continuing with my steampunk endeavours.
Please let me know what you think.
And yes please more videos! Love all your stuff mostly just because you are a great presenter!
Thank you kindly!
Well done. Glad you fixed it before summer.
Thank you - It's all about my teenagers, I don't mind not having a working shower...
Use to fix these 20 years ago, always the reed flow switches.
Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I had noticed some of the wires going to a mysterious thing on the outlet. Thankfully it hasn't yet given up - a possible source of the next failure!
Would love to take a peak at those old magazines.
I'll get one out of the loft and include it in a future video. Apologies for the delay in replying - I've just discovered RUclips don't alert you to new comments after a few days!
Ohhhh John where do we start...... This may turn into a hydraulic drama. Good effort on the pump and I doo understand you refurbishing despite its battle scars. The cartridge on those is rather over the top as most system use the Wax capsule which is significantly cheaper. Switches, here is a little tip which has served me well when fighting the marine environment up a 78 foot mast on "Francis Drake". for voltages below 55v SELV use Vaseline, cover it well, A it stops corrosion, B it keeps you hand baby soft. It is what the GPO used in the underground cable joints, I have baby soft hands !. Pumps, now I have been where you are, the top floor of Banjo towers has a water tank head of 24 inches so no much, being a frugal chap I refused to invest in a ridiculously under engineered piece of ...... so did things my way.
Knowing the reliability of bilge pumps I installed a Jabsco positive displacement pump to do the business. This was a diaphragm on a rocking beam driven by a Lucus windscreen wiper motor 12 v. Worked like a dream. a Few years later it was upgrade to a Jabsco three diagram pump, 72 psi at 8 ltrs per min.. I had by that time installed solar and there were heat exchangers and the sort of World changing stuff our mad minds create. The system worked a treat and with the higher pressure I could use a HP shower head and got consumption down to 4 to 5 ltrs per min but still have jet wash. So what to take from this. Don't limit you search for to domestic, look at Marine as the kit is tested and also second hand on ebay and water pressure through a fine jet (shower head used in Australia) gives you the impression of a power shower without gallons of water. Son 's !!!!!!
OK helm over we are off on a tangent, Well done on turning the gate valve back a quarter turn, ( for the newbie ) that little move saves the packing and thermal seizing. So me thinks your house is 1930's, it originally had a Rayburn or Baxi so I suspect you still have some older infrastructure in place. The C/W header tank leads me to believe you also still have your hot-water cylinder ?. So my guess is you either have an conventional boiler or a gas fire with Baxi and an immersion. Anyway if you have a cylinder may I suggest you look at a solar thermal panel for your roof. it would go straight onto the cylinder and it is something you could plumb yourself after getting someone to mount the panel. I use a small 12v circulating pump from a Toyota (£22 new Aliexpress) and a differential controller (£16 Bangood) and a ZTX psu (from computer) any 3 Amp 12v will do. works a treat. No extra heating for at least four months and only a top up with emersion in cooler months.
Right well thats shorter than expected. I will have to read your email again as I forgot the World changing Idea you postulated which prompted me to recall some magnificence however that file is 404 at this time. Best to Ziggy
I do like a hydraulic drama!
This one (still) doesn't have a wax capsule - why re-design it, when it fails after a few years?! I'll order a pot of Vaseline. I'm amazed the GPO use/used Vaseline. I'm pleased to hear you have soft hands as a result!
The next time it needs repairing I'll look for a Jabsco positive displacement pump. Sounds like a very good idea.
My house was built in 1933 - well done. When I re-plumbed it 30 years ago, I removed all of the old steel pipe and the back boiler. I have regularly considered a condensing boiler and thermal panels, but having had my family car SORNED in the front garden since the Mayor of London expanded his M25 ULEZ - entirely based on lies, (don't get me started, but let me know if you'd like to hear me get started), none of these options are financially viable.
Hello John,
Sorry you have been sorned.... If you get a car like a Jag or Escort form the late 80's you don't need an mot and road tax is free plus they can't touch you for the ULEZ despite driving a car with high emissions. I know it is mad. Also my insurance went down the bigger the engine and I could get a rebate for expenses. So I drove a 4 Ltr V8 Lexus but I didn't feel it was good form to claim the rebate worth about Tax £1200 a year. I have down sized now to 3 Ltr, ( its 19 years old I am not rich just frugal luxury ) Banjo and his posse live in the back. I have you know I have had to down size to a single malt Whisky from a double malt ! .
Solar, It can be a big investment but I never bye new just make do and mend as taught by Mum. I just got a few more solar thermal panels but only as I noticed them on ebay I will get them up next year. Mine use glass vacuum tubs and are very efficient. I need more tanks as I make too much hot water in the summer. Simple box with and aluminium back panel 10 mm copper pipe wired to the ally paint matt black and cover with perspex. A 1 m area potentially 1000W. (Theretical 100%).
Assuming 50 % efficiency then over four hours of sun equals 2 kw hrs. More than enough to get your tank hot. Your emersion is 2.8kW and does it in 30 -45 mins. So even a simple collector contributes a lot. If you have garage then have a play, give it to your Son for his to earn environmental Scout badge.. Gas boiler ? not sure where the country is going with this but me thinks yours is non condensing so all I can say is reduce the need to add cold water, turn the temp down at source so the boiler will run more efficiently. If your heating is not on then just use the immersion as the thermosyphon heat exchange between the boiler and cylinder becomes inefficient with a lower delta T (difference. Sorry too much time in power stations)
The biggest hurdle is the hot water tank which most houses have had removed so you are ahead there. Lots of info (and crap) on YT so put that down as potential YT video project ha ha.
Did you check out Collectornet link.. I think you going through the mags like he does would be very popular with your crew. If you need some I have two boxes of 1960 Diy Barry Buttle style.
Salvage, take a trip to a non ferrous metal salvage yard, they will have sorted copper and brass fitting stair-rods fenders etc sheet brass etc. I have come away with nearly new MIra mixers and loads of brass fittings and new copper pipe that the gas board weigh in on fridays for slummy. I don't know what I need them for but I have them. Ziggy ear scratch
@@steamhead
@@Woffy.I'm just so mad that the Mayor of London lied profusely to get his M25 ULEZ expansion introduced. 1,600,000 Outer London families either have to pay £12.50 a day in order to drive their legal family car, or have to buy a replacement. I'm just hoping he gets voted out come May. I SORNed our car, in the hope we can use it again. His ULEZ expansion is so unpopular that all the other Mayoural candidates have vowed to scrap it.
Another teacher at my wife's school kindly lent us an old Nissan Micra that complies with the regulations, so she can afford to keep teaching in the next borough.
Being environmentally aware, I considered buying an EV ten years ago when we bought our EcoDiesel. Research showed an EV would cost far more to run than an ICE car, and politicians of both parties had spent 20 years telling us diesel was better for the environment. The rich can afford EVs, not the rest of us!
I've also researched heatpumps etc, but the outlay far outweighs any savings I could make. Again, the wealthy can afford them. In addition, the climate in the UK means that throughout the winter months, a heatpump would revert to heating the house using its electric heaters, and where is the UK going to find all this electricity?!
Thanks for the tip - I'll have a look for some non-ferrous salvage companies.
Sorry john just a bit behind before I forget look at this ruclips.net/video/6JeV53LZ8ag/видео.html Wow that is a mad way to solve a problem.. Right back to you. EV only helps the environment if you are clocking 40k miles a year and the car is charged with electricity for Solar Hydro or magic moonbeams. ULEZ I can't understand how that got through, it is in principle something to move towards but the way it has been done is franckly draconian and harmful. My old Lexus 3l Is very eco as ovr the 19 year you would have bined 3 to 4 EV's. My sister (green warrior) complained about me running a Lexus 4ltr , I explained it was LPG and the emission were low but she still thought her diesel Golf was better.... oh that work well.
Solar, I understand and I too recent spending such a large amounts of money so built my own gear. Heat pumps again grants available to fill the pockets of sales persons and naff installers Over the years I have collected condensers, heat exchanger valves compressors etc and a little knowledge but need to hone my brazing skills then will build my own .. The idea is to use the solar to dump heat into 1000 ltr tanks and the heat pump can use that energy to dump in the house. I have a 3 meter long box on a flat roof with 220 dog-food tins painted black forming five rows. Air is moved across with a HP server BLDC cooling fan that is variable speed. The whole box covered with acrylic. This circulates air through the Basement. There is a box of cat litter / silica gel to take humidity out but is is not a good performer.
I'm confused why there is a motor involved. Is the plumbing in your home not pressurized?
It's a gravity fed system with a hot water storage cylinder - the water pressure round here is really low. The pump then boosts up the hot and cold supplies to a nice pressure!
If you want people who are having the same issue to find this video, may I suggest you add the brand and product name to the video title?
Is that mains voltage on that connector block?
How is it not a death trap?
Is the coil gadget using the Bernoulli effect?
This type of power shower, with a built in pump, have a transformer that takes 240 volts down to 12 volts, so it's not a death trap!
I think the coil is just a coiled bi-metallic strip, that has enough force to regulate the flow of hot water.
Wll done !
Thanks Marwan. It's taken a lot of TLC over the years, but the shower is still working after 23 years. Another pile of plastic avoiding landfill!
Electric showers are all fairly crappy from my experience.. they're so cheap you just end up replacing them. I would love stuff to last
I can't believe they now cost so much! Talk about built in obsolescence. It's basically a windscreen wiper motor attached to a pump! These products need lots of TLC to keep them going.
Is there a specific model number for the micro switches you replaced yours with? I need to do mine.
I'm very sorry, but RS Components won't let me list my previous orders anymore to search through (they've been bought out and service quality has dramatically fallen). I had a look online, and this one looks familar. Perhaps measure the originals and check to see if it's the same size. 320-512
@@steamhead Thank you very much! The leaking cartridge drips and channels water down onto the micro switch and eventually destroys it.
I keep having to replace the whole plastic switch mechanism which, like all the other parts has more than doubled in price, for no apparent reason, other than profiteering and it being a part of their business model (known design flaws that could easily be rectified but choose not to because it's a money maker) .
It hadn't occurred to me until I stumbled on your video, that the micro switches are just standard ones which aren't worth more than a few quid.
@@dcuk5 years ago when mine went wrong for the first time, I was horrified to discover all the built in design flaws - and they're still selling the same model - talk about profiteering!
I seem to remember the original microswitches weren't even the waterproof type... good luck with your repair.
I'm surprised they sold you the parts. Thought they surely would have just made you go buy a new one.
I too was surprised they are still manufacturing identical parts after 23 years. I suppose £130.00 for a new thermostat cartridge allows them to keep their shareholders happy...
Your attic was much like mine in NH until we moved and the bulk of it went into a skip. Problem solved. Belly rub for the Zig.
I understand your pain, I keep out of the loft now because there are 48 stairs to get to it. problem moved to the basement, .
Ear tickles from Banjo
Attics are exciting places! Sadly we have a low roof, which sort of limits how much stuff I can store. The other strip light didn't work whilst videoing, so I couldn't show the old typewriter or huge induction coil. So many memories...
@@Woffy.You are so lucky to have a basement. Having dug the 2.4 metre deep workshop foundations, I know it would be possible to dig out the middle bit to create a basement! Not enough hours in the day - and possibly causing the house to collapse... Ziggy has had her ears tickled, please tickle Buddy and Sugar's ears.
INDUCTION COIL what what what.... MMMMM we like see. Have you been playing Tesla coils.
@@steamhead
John, I am so fortunate living in this old house but It comes in part from the dice falling my way from a good job, sound judgment of my family and subsequent inheritance. The basement is a great space for my workshop and lad's room and a Plant-room for the heat recovery Pump and stuff but I have yet to braze all the pipes together.
The Butlers pantry is still as it was in 1940 when the house was sold, including bomb shelter. I hope to open that up for visitors from the Oxton society.
Digging out a basement well I would pass that to your Son it is cheaper than gym membership. I am fortunate that I have a good crew to help but London is not an easy place to expand. I lived in Watford at one time, that house was smaller than yours and was sold recently for £360K. Wirral A 6 bed Vicky for £300K ?.
Tickles for john. @@steamhead