Access to shower tap? Burstner Ixeo 680g

[maz]

The micro switch on our van’s shower tap has stopped working and we therefore need to take it apart. However, there is no obvious way of accessing the back of the tap. There is a small hatch at low level in the garage but this does not give access to the shower tap. Have a nasty feeling we might have to remove the full-height panel at the back of the shower cubicle. There are fixings down each side of this panel which are presumably there for a reason. They have 2-part screw covers and we have managed to winkle out the centre part on 2 of the fixings, but the others are pushed in too far to be able to remove them without damage. We would have to gouge them out and then source replacements - or just stick a blob of silicone sealant in instead.

Anyway, before embarking on such an undertaking we wondered if anyone had removed such a panel themselves. Or if there is some other means of accessing the shower tap that we are unaware of. Any help/info gratefully received.

 

[wasp]

It looks like you going to have to take the panel off, are you sure it’s a micro switch doesn’t If feed from the onboard water pump, just a thought

 

[maz]

It looks like you going to have to take the panel off, are you sure it’s a micro switch doesn’t If feed from the onboard water pump, just a thought

Yes, it’s definitely a micro switch. This van has a submersible pump.

 

[jockaneezer]

If there's a red/blue insert in the middle of the mixer tap, pry that out with the point of a Stanley knife and remove the screw underneath it, the top of the tap should come off and might give you access to the micro switch. It's a while since I had mine apart, but I'm sure I did it along those lines.

 

[maz]

If there's a red/blue insert in the middle of the mixer tap, pry that out with the point of a Stanley knife and remove the screw underneath it, the top of the tap should come off and might give you access to the micro switch. It's a while since I had mine apart, but I'm sure I did it along those lines.

Oooooh thank you, that sounds much easier than removing the panel. Will look into this tomorrow.

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[Kingham]

Mine’s a different tap, but just to give you an idea of what to expect, these are a couple of pics I took last time I stripped mine. Once I removed the red/blue cap that @jockaneezer mentioned, mine needed an Allen key to release the grub screw.

 

[maz]

Thank you for that. Will post back as to how we get on dismantling ours.

 

[Stealaway]

My Burstner t660 was behind the shower wall. I needed to remove shower screen and wall screws. It's also stuck with double sided tape you'll need to prise off. Not impossible just a faff. Good luck

 

[maz]

My Burstner t660 was behind the shower wall. I needed to remove shower screen and wall screws. It's also stuck with double sided tape you'll need to prise off. Not impossible just a faff. Good luck

Ah, thank you. Sounds as if our Bürstner will likely be the same faff then. That’s a pain.

 

[Stealaway]

I'm sure they are better designed than Hymer. It's seems you have to break a mirror on some to get the bathroom sink tap. Burstner was pretty easy.

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[maz]

I'm sure they are better designed than Hymer. It's seems you have to break a mirror on some to get the bathroom sink tap. Burstner was pretty easy.

Good grief!

 

[maz]

In case anyone’s wondering whether we’re still wrecking the shower cubicle trying to get at the tap, we’ve decided we will also fit a latching waterproof over-ride switch in an easy-to-get-at location. This will avoid having to remove the panel for any future micro switch malfunction. So we’re waiting for that to arrive before we dismantle the cubicle. Will report back as to how we get on ........ eventually.

 

[Stealaway]

It was the shower mixer that failed on ours. I leaked water all the way to the front of the van. Took some deciding that was the tap as it couldn't be seen behind the wall. Might be worth replacing the whole mixer once you have it exposed. How old is the van?

 

[maz]

It was the shower mixer that failed on ours. I leaked water all the way to the front of the van. Took some deciding that was the tap as it couldn't be seen behind the wall. Might be worth replacing the whole mixer once you have it exposed. How old is the van?

We haven’t had any water leaking - it’s just that the micro switch fails to start the water pump. Van is 3 years old.

 

[Mikey RV]

Keep us posted on the mod please.

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[Stealaway]

Ours was 5 years old when it failed. Just a thought.

 

[maz]

Ours was 5 years old when it failed. Just a thought.

And a good one. I will pass it on to Mr Maz.

 

[maz]

Keep us posted on the mod please.

Will do. There will be a break in proceedings as we’re off to Newbury Show in between. Can still use the shower by cranking open the washbasin tap to run the water pump.

 

[tonyidle]

Yes, it’s definitely a micro switch. This van has a submersible pump.

Submersible pumps are used on pressure systems too - Hymer do it. They're much more reliable, cheaper, and have a much higher flow rate than the diaphragm pumps.

 

[maz]

Submersible pumps are used on pressure systems too - Hymer do it. They're much more reliable, cheaper, and have a much higher flow rate than the diaphragm pumps.

I didn’t know that. I can see that submersible pumps would be cheaper, but I didn’t think they were more reliable or had a higher flow rate. My previous van (Hobby 750) had a Shurflo diaphragm pump and the water pressure in that was better than in this van.

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[tonyidle]

I didn’t know that. I can see that submersible pumps would be cheaper, but I didn’t think they were more reliable or had a higher flow rate. My previous van (Hobby 750) had a Shurflo diaphragm pump and the water pressure in that was better than in this van.

Have a look at the specs for the various pumps. There isn't a commonly used diaphragm pump that comes anywhere near the in tank versions in terms of flow rate and all the in-tank variety will achieve pressures higher than needed by the average pressure switch. It surprised me when I researched pumps years ago when caravanning. I'd always assumed the diaphragm pumps where technically superior as they seemed to be mainly used in high-end stuff. I even changed a drop-in pump for a diaphragm unit when it failed. It was only when that pump finally died & had been superseded so spares weren't available that I looked more closely at performance. The only advantage of the diaphragm type is that it will self prime - only important in very few situations. The other big advantage of submersibles is that they are (assuming access to the tank) very easy to swap out. Two wires & a pipe. And at a push any submersible will do in an emergency.

 

[Allanm]

Submersible pumps are also quieter. I hated the noise the Shurflo pump made in our old Swift ( even with a brand new pump) the submersible pump in our van is almost silent.

 

[maz]

Submersible pumps are also quieter. I hated the noise the Shurflo pump made in our old Swift ( even with a brand new pump) the submersible pump in our van is almost silent.

Our submersible pump is nothing like silent. Shurflo pumps can be noisy if they’re vibrating against something or not sitting on rubber pads.

 

[Mr David]

In preparation, prior to replacement of the shower mixer tap micro switch, I decided to fit a relay before the water pump. The reason for doing this was so that a relay would carry the water pump current and not the micro swiches. We now have a worthwhile increase in water pressure and amazingly also the shower micro switch works. My suspicion is that the switch wouldn't pass the water pump current but is happy with the relay activation current. How long it will continue to work, I don't know, but until it stops working I'm saved the job of removing the shower cubicle back panel in order to replace that micro switch. Fingers crossed!

 

[stuartduff]

It was the shower mixer that failed on ours. I leaked water all the way to the front of the van. Took some deciding that was the tap as it couldn't be seen behind the wall. Might be worth replacing the whole mixer once you have it exposed. How old is the van?

Hi. I have water leaking down the back of the shower /sink on my Nexxo A645. I can see water welling up around the tap base when I run the tap and if I stick my head in the toilet tank space I can see water dripping down from around the same place

Did you remove your entire tap unit? I think I can see how to do this without removing any of the panels but I probably need to pull the tap and pipe through to replace it. Wondering if there is enough slack in the pipe to do this? Any advice gratefully received. Thanks in advance.

Stuart

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[Stealaway]

I removed the shower wall. After removing all the screw's you can find the plastic wall is attached with double sided tape, peel it off slowly. The water pipes to the tap are easily disconnected as is the switch wire's. The tap tails are about 6" long. I had to replace the entire mixer tap, about £45 from eBay.