Ughhh..Whats Going On With My Shower? O.O?

[eek]

In my old apartment, i replaced the standard plastic cheap shower head with a slightly better shower head which distributes the water more evenly. In the time i was there, the shower began having issues with the heater part. It started off that it would only click on when i raised the shower head higher than the fitting for it, eventually having to raise it higher and higher until it no longer engaged. Happened over a matter of days. Called out a plumber who sorted it, only for it to happen again. The shower was replaced, but a little down the line, it happened with the new shower! I put it down to the apartment having water pressure issues.

Anyway, when i left the apartment, i replaced the original shower head, and im now in my bfs apartment. Anyway, hes been in this apartment for years with no issue with the shower. Until i moved in!! His shower head was the same cheap generic shower head that literally trickled water, so replaced it with mine. As worked so much better, and the original being in such bad nick, was chucked.

Anyway, now only just over a month down the line, the shower heater is playing up in the same way!! Is this shower head possibly doing something negative to the shower system?? Im really clueless about how this works. If i remove the shower head, makes not difference to the shower now, still need to raise it up to get the heater to engage.

Just wish to know what is possibly happening, so if it is something im doing, i can amend that, and not have to keep going through it and calling out plumbers. (Oh and i had this shower head in a previous apartment with no problems, its just been this last apartment and my bfs now. Its nothing pricey or special, just that i like how it distributes water more than the cheap generic ones).

PLEASE HELP!!

[eek]

Oh..and seems to be nothing wrong with the pressure. Comes out same even if running cold. Just that the heater does not engage.

[flying]

Hi Eek

A lot of new shower heads have a water saver washer in them

It is a sort of restrictive device to save water.

I know you say it has good pressure but the restriction will stop the heater from kicking in because many

instant style heaters need X amount of flow otherwise they will shut off. Basically to save themselves from meltdown

If your house is older the pipes will have mineral deposits in them. They are tiny (look like small bits of salt) but enough to clog some of

the small holes in the water saver washer making matters worse.

The washer is usually located at the inlet end. Find it & remove it.

hopefully that was your problem

Good Luck

Here is a pic...some call them flow restrictors or aerators

Edited April 12, 2012 by flying

[eek]

Flying...... thank you! Done what you have said but still having an issue.

I have removed the two rubber washers, but wasnt engaging still, so played with the shower head water adjuster. Its engaging now, HOWEVER, it is only engaging when i have the shower head adjusted to release a trickle of water rather than a proper blast (which it had before). The poor trickling is what the old shower head used to have before i replaced with this one. This one was working a dream until recently. Any thoughts why it suddenly gave up on me? Any other tips? Very glad at least to see it working again, just wish it would work at a better blast rather than trickling. Maybe i should buy a different shower head?

Thanks so much again!

[flying]

That is surprising eek & sounds backwards to my experiences with

instant/flow thru type water heaters.

You said rubber washers? But you should not remove the rubber regulars washers as they are there to stop water from

leaking out the threaded sections of the fittings.

The restrictors are the blue things in the pics above

The black washers are not. I should not have used the word "washer"

as that means to most folks the black rubber things you removed

Sorry about that ! But most call them restrictor washers

What your looking for is removable & has little holes in it.

Could be white or blue & will be at one of the ends...

Meaning the end of hoses or handle

White one would look like this

I am pretty positive this is your problem

They do not fall right out so you might need to pry it with something small

screwdriver/tweezer etc.

Good Luck

PS: found an article that shows folks prying them out

You can look at the pics near the bottom of article.....

Yours might be buried like this shower handle was

http://www.showersto...r-pressure.html

Edited April 12, 2012 by flying

[bankruatsteve]

try playing with the flow controls on the shower unit and/or where the water line is connected to source.