Shower light on when shower not on?

[Rampage]

Hi, I've noticed my shower power light is on when the shower isn't in use, it's no-where near as bright, quite dim but flickering. After this shower has been used it doesn't happen. I have a couple of ideas, but would appreciate thoughts.

Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

Possibly a small induced voltage in the cable....or capacitors in the PCB holding a charge after power shutdown?

 

[Richard Burns]

It is quite possible that you have water leaking inside the shower and providing enough of a path across the switch contacts to allow the light to illuminate slightly. Well worth isolating the shower and removing the front cover to see if it is wet inside. (and if so finding the source of the leak and fixing it)

 

[GMES]

Tel sorry fella but i've had to delete that reply because while I know it was said in jest it is in the open forum and it was asked by a Trainee( don't know if you noticed that ) But I know you will understand why It had to go.

 

[telectrix]

Tel sorry fella but i've had to delete that reply because while I know it was said in jest it is in the open forum and it was asked by a Trainee( don't know if you noticed that ) But I know you will understand why It had to go.

no problem, mate. ( i'll get you later. :20: ).

 

[malcolmsanford]

supply and load reversed on switch

 

[GMES]

no problem, mate. ( i'll get you later. :20: ).

I would expect nothing less :tounge_smile:

 

[Rampage]

supply and load reversed on switch

It's the light inside the shower, it's only just started doing it.

 

[Rampage]

Possibly a small induced voltage in the cable....or capacitors in the PCB holding a charge after power shutdown?

I don't think it's either as I've only noticed it before I use the shower, after use it doesn't do it.

 

[Rampage]

It is quite possible that you have water leaking inside the shower and providing enough of a path across the switch contacts to allow the light to illuminate slightly. Well worth isolating the shower and removing the front cover to see if it is wet inside. (and if so finding the source of the leak and fixing it)

Thats what I was assuming, seeing as it is like it before the shower is used but after use it had presumably made enough heat to evaporate the water.

 

[Rampage]

Just looked at it, there is condensation on one of the micro-switches that switches between the different elements.
An IR test of that micro-switch was 3 Mohm, the other three micro-switches were all 13+Mohm.

I'll leave it until tonight and check the resistance again.
Not sure why the condensation has suddenly started happening though, there's no other water inside, no water marks or anything near the switch. It's fairly near the heating cylinder though.

 

[telectrix]

Maybe condensation causing it. Once the heater has been on the heat from it might dry the condensation out.

 

[ruston]

Is the cold supply pipe copper and entry still open?

 

[Rampage]

Yeah, after leaving it all day the micro-switch had increased to 5.5 Mohm.

The supply pipe is copper. What do you you mean about the entry still being open?

 

[ruston]

It may be possible that the cold supply pipe is condensing either inside or outside the shower. In the case of the outside it may run in from an unsealed pipe entry , or just condensing internally because of temperature differential on the cold pipe.

 

[Rampage]

I see, the pipe enters within the shower, there is only around an inch of pipe from where it comes out of the wall to where the plastic shower connector fits over it.
I did check this for condensation and there was nothing, although the shower hadn't been used since the previous night.

 

[ruston]

Ok, it was worth a try lol.

 

[Richard Burns]

As a test try running the shower without the cover on, obviously make sure the shower head is pointed away from the shower and you and do not try and mix water and electricity (hang on that is what the shower does!).
If there is a leak then the water should spray out at that point when running.
Getting 3-5 Mohms on an IR test means that there would be a 76 microamp current flowing, I doubt this could power anything on an electric shower.
Generally switching the different elements is done with high power switches as microswitches could not manage the current.
So is this an electric shower or a thermostatic shower?

Check where the cables from the power light run to and see if there is anything wet, or damaged either at the power light or at the origin of the cables to the light.
The shower being on provides a very low current path for fault current and this may dry the area through current flow heating.
Electric showers are generally very simple things so a fault should be easy to spot, thermostatic showers are an entirely different beast and many electronic things can go wrong.

 

[R G]

Switch contacts have welded together most likely ..