Electric Shower Not Working? Safe Checks Before You Call
By Emergency Plumb,
An electric shower heats cold mains water inside the unit, so when it stops working the fault can be on the water side, the electrical side, or both. Some checks are safe to do yourself; anything inside the casing is not.
Safety first: Never take the cover off an electric shower or touch it with wet hands while it is powered. If you smell burning, see scorch marks or the switch trips again as soon as you reset it, switch it off at the consumer unit and leave it off.
No water at all
- Check the pull-cord or wall switch is on and its light is lit.
- Look at the consumer unit for a tripped switch. Reset it once; if it trips again, stop.
- Make sure the stopcock and any isolating valve on the supply to the shower are fully open. These sometimes get closed during other work and forgotten.
- If other cold taps in the house have no water, the problem is the mains supply, not the shower. See no water.
Water but no heat
The heating element or a safety cut-out inside the unit has stopped working. Some units have a reset button that should only be pressed by someone competent to open the shower. This is electrical work, so it needs an electrician or the shower’s manufacturer.
A trickle, or temperature that swings
This is usually on the water side and often something you can sort yourself. Descale the shower head and hose first. If flow is still weak, the inlet filter on the unit may be blocked with scale or debris. Low mains pressure in the whole house also affects electric showers; our guide to low pressure in the shower explains what to look for.
Leaking from the unit
Water dripping from under the casing can mean a split internal pipe, a failed pressure relief device or a loose inlet. Turn the shower off at the switch and the water off at the isolating valve, and do not use it until it has been checked.
What we do, and what we do not
We fix the plumbing side: blocked heads and hoses, inlet filters, isolating valves, leaking supply pipes and low pressure, and we fit replacement showers where the existing supply is suitable. We do not open or repair the electrical parts of a shower; if the fault is there, we tell you so. Call 07861 933265; plumbing work is £110 for the first hour and £45 per half hour after, plus parts, with no call-out fee. See also bathroom repairs and fault finding and shower installation.
Questions people ask
Why does my electric shower run but stay cold?
If water flows but never warms, the heating side has stopped working. That can be a tripped safety cut-out inside the unit or a failed element, and both are inside the casing, which only someone qualified to work on it should open. Check the pull-cord switch and the consumer unit first.
Why has my electric shower gone to a trickle?
A scaled-up shower head is the most common cause, especially in hard water areas like London. Unscrew the head, soak it in descaler and rub the nozzles clear. If flow is still poor, the filter where the supply enters the unit may be blocked.
My electric shower is getting hotter and hotter. Is that dangerous?
Stop using it. Rising temperature usually means the water flow has dropped, so the same heat is going into less water. Clean the head, check the stopcock is fully open, and if it continues have it checked before using it again.
Should I repair or replace an old electric shower?
If the unit is more than ten or so years old and needs an internal part, replacing it often makes more sense. A like-for-like replacement can usually reuse the existing supply and cable if they are sized correctly, which an electrician will confirm.