One of the most common reasons for a Aqualisa Quartz shower unit to suddenly stop working is an air lock in the system. If you’ve experienced a power cut or have had to drain your hot/cold water tanks recently then an air lock is likely to be the cause.
This issue is particularly common on older rural properties that have a gravity fed water/heating system (usually characterised by a cold water tank in the loft and a hot water cylinder in an airing cupboard).
The main symptom of an air lock is that when you turn the shower on no water comes out of the shower head. After trying a few times (turning the shower on and off )you may find that all of a sudden no lights appear on the control dial altogether. Also you might hear a loud whining/rushing sound from the shower. Water may come out of the shower head in splurts if at all.
How to Fix An Air Lock In Your Electric Shower System
The good news is an air lock is relatively straightforward to fix. It should only take you a few minutes and won’t need any tools or plumbing skills.
The control unit may have to be reset if none of the lights are on and no water is coming from the shower head. To do this locate the control unit and switch the power off for 30 seconds. Then turn it on again. The control unit is usually in the loft or the airing cupboard close by.
Here’s a picture of the pump/control unit which in our case is located in the airing cupboard near the bathroom.
Remove the shower head from the hose and let the hose dangle to the floor. This will reduce the pressure required to get water back through the system to the absolute minimum.
Next simply turn the dial to the coldest setting then turn the shower on. Let it run for a few seconds and hopefully you’ll get some spluttering of water out of the hose. If not, turn the shower off, wait a few seconds and try again.
When you turn the shower on and assuming some water is coming out, try leaving it on for a few seconds longer each time before switching it off. You should notice the spluttering decrease and more water come out of the hose each time.
Once water is running constantly from the hose slowly turn the temperature up a little at a time. Hopefully now there will be enough pressure in the pipes to ‘pull’ the hot water through the system.
If the above doesn’t work simply try turning the dial to the hottest setting instead and work backwards to the cooler temperatures.
You might need to repeat the process a few times before the shower returns back to a normal.
If the above doesn’t work another thing you can try is the following:
- Isolate (turn off the power to) the control/processor box
- Turn off the cold water supply entering the processor unit
- Unscrew the cold inlet to the processor box – inside there is a small gauze/filter. Remove it and clear any debris in it
- Reattach the cold supply then the power to the unit
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shower wouldnt turn on – got onto aqualisa website and did online chat – was told shower out of warranty and they could repair for £500+ or replace with new shower for £800 plus vat
googled problem, found this site and followed instructions and yes it was air lock and shower now working
top bloke for putting this on, many thanks saved us hundreds……….
andy,
no problem…glad it helped you out!
How do you turn the power off?
Michelle Gouldie,
You need to find the control box pictures above then kill the power to it. If it’s like mine the control box will be plugged into a nearby electric socket and you can simply flick the switch to off. Failing that hit the power on your main fusebox.
Worked as described (took about 3 tries)
Many thanks, saved me serious money
Xxx
Hi James
Thanks for the help you provide. I have a Aqualisa Quartz Shower that now spurts small jets of super hot water and then cuts out. sounds like it could be an airlock as you suggest.
I took a look in the airing cupboard and the loft but could not find any control unit.
Any other thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Ian,
Keep searching. The control unit must be tucked away somewhere…
Hi, just reading this and hoping you can help me too. My Aqualisa 9.5 is intermittently working – when you switch it on the blue light flashes on and you can hear it trying to start. You can repeat this several times and sometimes it kicks in and other times you need to leave it for a day. I haven’t been able to get it started now for two days…..any ideas???? Thanks
Genius – just found this and sorted in 10 mins. You’re a star, Cheers!
This has just saved my bacon!!
Shower stopped working, only 3 years old.
Was about to ring a plumber but your instructions sorted for me!
Big thank you!
Simon,
Glad to have helped out!
tried it all and water runs for 30 seconds on cold and slows down to nothing with pump making crazy noises.
Ralph,
Sounds odd. Any hot water coming through? Did you try starting off with the temperature turned either all the way to cold/hot to start with then gradually turning the temperature the other way while the water is still running? Sounds like you’ve got a particularly nasty air lock.
What a life saver, was about to give up and ring to get someone out to fix then found your post. Worked first time.
Though I don’t seem to have an obvious on off switch on my system, so just switched the mains supply off and did the same job!
Amazing thank you 🙂
Kathryn,
Glad to have helped…it’s always nice to avoid a plumbers bill!
Hi James, this is exactly what’s happening to mine – sorry for daft question but what do you mean by the shower control unit? Do you mean the shower pull cord or the shower fuse (in our garage). Keen to try this fix to hopefully save having to replace shower.
Heather,
The ‘control unit’ is the pump and unit that controls the flower rate etc. It’s a black box with several pipes coming out of it…it will be usually in the loft or in a nearby airing cupboard. IN fact i’ll add a picture to the post above…
Ours is doing the same, I found your post and Hubby is in the loft at the moment trying to find where to switch the unit off. He can’t find it!?! Any help would be appreciated 😬 I’m sure it’s an airlock and really hoping we can save some ££
Any way to cut the power to the unit will work. If you can’t find a switch nearby kill the Main trip switch in the house for 30 seconds or so!
I have a similar issue with an Aqualisa Quartz 9.5. It’s about 3 years old and never had issue with it. However I recently for some unknown reason turned the mains switch off on the landing and now it won’t work. When I press the on button the light comes on for a split second and sometimes the odd drop of water comes out of the head. Surely the electronics aren’t that sensitive for an issue to occur following simply turning the power off? Tried turning off for 30 secs as mentioned but no luck. Any other suggestions?
Thanks
Andy
Andy,
Sorry to hear that – sounds like it is an electrical fault of some kind in the control/pump unit. Sounds like a job for the plumber i’m afraid.
Literally saved me £500+ I was quoted! Coming off a night shift and needing a shower, I was up in the loft at 12am but it worked!
Chris, Glad to have helped!
Scrap my last comment, we turned it off from the mains and this has done the trick!!!!! Thanks so much x
James, Thank you for the advise, which is very clearly put over.
I could not find a separate switch to the control unit, and thought I would try without the power off.
I followed the remainder of the instructions , and it worked.
Otherwise I would have had to switch off the power at the fuse box
Thanks Again
Hi James,
Same problem, forgot to turn dial to cold but after a few attempts the shower unit kicked into live, yes there was quite a bit of trapped air.
Many thanks for your posting.
Kind regards
Clint
Respect! I have to admit I was totally sceptical about this fix but it worked first time.
I didn’t fancy a trip across the loft space so I simply turned off at mains instead.
Shower is 8 years old and never had a single problem before Electricity supply contractor changed something in the meter cupboard last week, which meant electric off for about 10 mins. I didn’t link this to the shower going off until I read this.
Many thanks!
Thanks very much for this piece of advice. Our Aqualisa Rise shower has worked perfectly for 5 years until today, when it wouldn’t run any more. I followed the steps that you outlined and it’s back to normal again.
Once again, t(ants.
I’m an idiot around the home. Truly an idiot. I wired in a new light fitting once and it was stuck switched on for 9 years.
But, I followed the instructions in this thread and my shower now works.
Chuffed to bits. Thank you.
Thank you thank you thank you, saved me from a plumber
Hello, where is the power button on the control unit please? Do I need to unscrew the lid to the box?
Laura – the unit doesn’t have a power switch on it. However it should be wired to a nearby switch. Failing that flick off the power to the whole house in the fuse box.
Hi James, followed your instructions and it worked a treat thanks so much for sharing this.
Aqualisa shower – +7 years old. Constant drip from the head. Fills a bucket every 10 to 12 hours. The shower is otherwise working well. Any idea what the issue might be
P McKeown,
It sounds like the seals have gone in your shower. You’ll likely need to replace either the main gasket, an o ring or possibly the cartridge in the mixer unit.
Wow, perfect, this worked for me thanks and took all of about 5 minutes to do – couldn’t be easier ! In my case the shower had been working fine since it was new just over 10 years ago, but suddenly seemed to lose all power – water was getting through to the shower head but only came out in little more than a trickle despite that you could hear the pump working. Don’t know how an air lock could have formed but seems fine now.
This is a top tip and will remember if this happens again. Thanks again !
Excellent advice, worked first time for me. If you have a shower that’s not used much (e.g. en-suite in a guest bedroom), worth running the shower say once a fortnight to avoid a recurrence of the problem.
Many thanks!
Hi there. My shower had this exact problem and the fix you mentioned worked perfectly first time, many thanks.
HOWEVER I am finsing that I am having to do this fix almost every other day. Would you know what I have to do to remedy this for good? A new part, adjust some settings perhaps?
Thanks in adavnce.
Nigel Jones,
Hmmmm that seems odd. Maybe there is air getting into your system somewhere that is causing the air lock to keep reforming. Have you had any work done to your plumbing/heating system recently?
Thanks for the excellent advice. Shower working and my wife thinks I’m a god.
Glad to have helped you maintain the myth a little longer 🙂
I can’t locate my power unit so do I simply turn off the mains power for 30 seconds or do I have to do anything else to sort this ? Thank you x
Paul – If you can’t locate your control unit then I would suggest turning the power off at the mains/fusebox as you suggest for 30 seconds or so. Good luck!
Just followed the instructions & all good again, thanks so much
Glad to help!
Thankyou not had a shower for two days and can’t afford to replace worked straight away. 😃
This worked for me too.
Much appreciated.
Hi JK, I’ve tried tried removing air locks but water flow seems to be perfect and switched the main supply on and off but still the pump doesn’t run. It does sound as if it goes through it’s seqence but no motor running. Blue lights do come on though.
John,
Sounds like the issue might be woth the pump if it is not running. I’d give aqualisa a call
Dear Sir, you are an absolute gem! Ive just fixed a shower for an elderly couple that were too afraid of the expence of a plumber and have been washing each other . Very generous of you to take the time to tell us all how to fix it. Thankyou – Carlton – Kent UK
My pleasure!
Thank you soooo much, asked my son how to fix it and was prepared to get a bit wet in the process ( following his instruction !) you’re straight forward explanation worked after about five minute,I have a smile on my face and will be passing this on to him!!
Thank you again
Hey James,
Many thanks for that post! My shower stopped working and it was because of the airlock problem as you described so clearly! I was depressed on the thought of spending a lot of money to get it fixed but your post really helped fixed the issue!
Many thanks!!
If I may be cheeky here. Do you have any thoughts on how to fix a leaking aqualisa quartz showerhead? I removed the showerhead and let the water run from hot to cold and vice versa for a few minutes.. Contacting Aqualisa , they recommending a very expensive upgrade or repair option…
Btilliant. Thank you it worked first time.
We’d had a power cut previously. Wouldn’t turn on, no blue lights at control, looked dead.
I would like to add my thanks: not an airlock issue in my case, but “turning it off and back on” at the power source did the trick.
Many thanks
So pleased to have found your advice.
Have Aqualisa Rise (6 years old) which for no apparent reason just slowed to trickle.
My anxiety made worse by seeing that the pump/processor is no longer being manufactured.
By following your clear instructions and repeating them 6/8 times the really stubborn air lock was released. All now working as it should.
Thank you so much!! This saved me a few hundred pounds and the hassle. My shower was not even turning on – no blue light no water. It seemed like it was completely dead. Didn’t want to go in the loft so I turned the main supply off and on again, skeptical that it won’t work but it did!!
Hi James
I am so grateful for your instructions on how to get our shower working.
I dread to think how many people have called Aqalisa or a plumber and paid out hundreds.
Many thanks again.
Mike Morgan (Oxford)
Thanks for the tip worked brilliantly!
OK. Here’s another fix.
Pump motor brushes. These wear out over time. Replacement is cheap and easy. Ours were worn down so much so that the pumps flow got gradually worse and then eventually stopped. Depending on your actual model there are a few types but all cost around £10.
Just remember to turn off the power/unplug from mains and to use a vacuum to clear away all the old dust.
Thank you so much – took about 20 mins to sort so my advice is be patient and keep trying! Really kind of you to share this advice.
Hubby tried the above but pump is refusing to work. Pump makes a few weird noises and then stops. Any help appreciated
Hi , this fixes our problem but we continually have to do your fix every 2nd or 3rd day . Do you have any thoughts on what may be causing this please ? Our shower is an Aqualisa Quartz A1 shower
Great advice. Worked a treat. Thanks very much”
Dear James, I followed your advice, it works! Thanks a million. Please spend the tenner wisely 😉
David – Glad this worked for you and many thanks for the donation. A new football for the 5yr old it is then…you’ll have made his day!
Fantastic advice. I would like to add a little comment for others which may face similar problem. The control unit for our shower is in the loft space above bathroom. When the temp outside gets really hot (say over 20c) the unit appears to over heat and kills the shower. Leaving overnight to cool and following steps JK suggests has always fixed it. Thank you.
p.s. I also phoned Aqualisa who quoted £800 for a replacement shower (ours is out of warranty) but they only now do ones which are controlled by bluetooth on your phone!! 🙁
Brilliant tip, thank you, saved a call out. Out of work at the mo’ but wanted to buy you a beer/coffee at least…
Thank you..!
Glad the fix worked!
Great advise. Just bought house with Aqualisa showers. Shower had an airlock due to long non-use & some electrical work in the meantime. Followed advise & airlock sorted. Can’t get hot water through it though. Any thoughts?
I really do not have words to thank you. You have saved me the worry and the money. Stay blessed
Hey James,
Thankyou. Tried your suggestion. Twice in fact once in 2018 and this weekend. This time took longer to clear air lock. After two hours stopped turned off the control unit and left the shower head off overnight. Later on I turned all the taps on bled the radiators and found an air lock in the downstairs cloakroom. Cleared the lock turned all taps off and turned off the boiler. Left it overnight. Turned the controller back on and hey presto lights, camera, action all good!!!!
Have a drink on us.
Cheers******
Maria, Barrie and Pepper(dog)
Hi James,
I have an Aqualisa Quartz Electric 10.5KHZ shower, now about five years old. It has worked perfectly all that time. This morning I touched the start button, it lit briefly, sputtered and went out. This happened several times. I searched the web and found your FIX. Took head off hose so it could dangle down, Turned off at mains and isolator, tried but was absolutely dead. Left to look up prices of new unit- £400+
Tried again ten minutes later, light went on and sputtered again, I tried five or six times more and Whoosh, water gushed out, unit was fully alive and with head reattached I could have my shower.
YOU ARE A STAR JAMES.
Glad to hear you got your shower working again!