Possible Shower Pump problem?

[george10]

I have a Jetforce 55 (MK6) shower pump in my airing cupboard sited next to the hot water cylinder.

The main bathroom (adjacent) has a bath and shower, both of which utilise this pump (i.e. if I'm running a bath or have the shower on you can hear the pump running).

Our en-suite (further distance away) has a shower and a basin, again both which utilise the pump.

All had been fine for months until a day or so ago when the en-suite shower was in use and suddenly the water stopped (the pump had stopped too). Then when turning on the basin tap you could hear the pump start and stop intermittently.

Now it has got to the stage where in the ensuite neither the shower nor the basin will start the pump. You just get a minor trickle of water out of the basin tap and virtually nothing out of the shower.

I wondered if it was a problem with the pump. But......in the main bathroom both the bath and the shower are working fine. The pump kicks into action and you get a suitable flow of water.

In trying to research possible problems there was mention of blockages in pipes. The thing is (in the en-suite) both the basin tap and shower have stopped working at the same time so it seems unlikely to be the actual shower or tap that's the problem. Also it would seem the issue is affecting both hot and cold water (you can turn the mixer tap either way with no real difference) and it seems very unlikely that two separate pipes would suddenly block up at the same time.

So I'm very confused. Everything is behind tiling in the ensuite so not really accessible.
There's also not many signs of isolating valves anywhere near the pump.

Any pointers from anyone? I suspect I'm going to have to get a plumber in but I'm really not sure where exactly they could look. I also wouldn't want them to simply replace the pump if the issue is elsewhere.

 

[dilalio]

Use the main bathroom to get the pump running and leave outlet running, then go into ensuite and open basin taps; see if water flows with pumped pressure, then do same in there with shower (with shower head removed).

Could be air and the pressure from the running pump may well clear it and/or any debris.

If ensuite then works as it should, go back into main bathroom and close outlets so that pump pressure is then focused on ensuite.

Then turn it all off. Wait 10mins and try opening ensuite outlets again to see if the issue is resolved.

If not, there may be NRV(s) in the supplies to the ensuite that are defective... need to trace as much of the run as you can get to.

Let us know.

 

[george10]

Use the main bathroom to get the pump running and leave outlet running, then go into ensuite and open basin taps; see if water flows with pumped pressure, then do same in there with shower (with shower head removed).

Could be air and the pressure from the running pump may well clear it and/or any debris.

If ensuite then works as it should, go back into main bathroom and close outlets so that pump pressure is then focused on ensuite.

Then turn it all off. Wait 10mins and try opening ensuite outlets again to see if the issue is resolved.

If not, there may be NRV(s) in the supplies to the ensuite that are defective... need to trace as much of the run as you can get to.

Let us know.

Thanks for the reply. I had already tried that (admittedly not with showerhead removed).

With the pump running I did get a slightly higher flow into the en-suite but nowhere near what it would normally be (although didn't
know whether this was because most of the pumped water was going to the main bathroom).

I see what you're saying about (possible) NRV but as mentioned above it would seem very strange because hot and cold would
be on different pipes and the likelihood of two things blocking (or going defective) at the exact same time would be quite
a coincidence.

Wondered if anything was blocked in the header thank but again surely that have effected the main bathroom as well.

 

[dilalio]

It must be something in the feeds for the ensuite. Check filters/strainers in basin taps and shower head. If main bathroom activates pump but then this cannot be diverted to ensuite it’s an issue with those feeds for it to be affecting both the basin and shower in there. Remove shower head and maybe hose too and see what you get.