Shower head

maggie blair · February 4, 2017

I finally found an RV. It is a 2011 Class C Coachman, 32 foot. Last night was my first night to stay in it and I discovered the shower does not work as the water will not come out in a shower form from the shower head. I pushed the little button on the side that opens and closes it but that did nothing .

I also plugged into small heaters in the kitchen area that say GFI and obviously I blew a fuse or something. I checked the breaker outside and inside breakers and they were fine. There is a GFI switch sticker on the plate but no button to reset. Could anybody help me with these issues please?

WeBeFulltimers · February 4, 2017

Check all 110 outlets for a reset. A GFCI circuit can have multiple outlets but only one of them will have a reset and that one resets them all. Shower head will probably need replacing as they wear out at the on/off button you mentioned.

GlennWest · February 4, 2017

Ditto. Congratulations on your Coachman. Don't get discouraged. Lots of small items on used units, hey even new ones. Welcome

AFchap · February 4, 2017

Showers in an RV normally are not great due to water pressure and/ or flow volume, but often can be improved. If flow seems good at other faucets you can remove the shower head an check for flow restrictors or clogged screens. You might also soak the shower head in vinegar overnight to clean out mineral deposits that clog the holes over time.

On the heaters, a 50a coach should have two circuits, and a 30a perhaps only one. Each circuit will have a master gfci re-set as already mentioned. AND, note that electric heaters pull a LOT of power so you can likely safely run only one per circuit, and will have to be careful about running any other heavy load (microwave, coffee maker, hair dryer, etc) at the same time.

travelinbob · February 4, 2017

If you can unscrew the front part of the shower head you might find a small granule of calcium that could be clogging up part of the flow ???? Actually I've seen that small granule as big as a match head.

I've had to take most of my faucets apart from time to time. It all depends on how the quality of the water is where you are hooked up to.

LFDR3116 · February 4, 2017

Our shower head started leaking because the little plastic parts inside that worked with the on/off button were breaking and worn. Yours may have broken to not let it turn on. We ordered a new online. If you want the on/off (I would suggest it) pay attention to that detail when looking at (big box stores) or ordering one online. Many do not have that feature.

Chris-n-Dennis · February 4, 2017

On shower, if you want to keep that shower head: Take a ziploc bag what will fit over the whole showerhead (will probably need to take out of the holder). Now pour vinegar into the ziploc bag with the showerhead. Close up with a rubberband or tape. What you want is to have the showerhead submerged in the vinegar for a good 12 to 18 hours. Once done,remove the bag and test it. If the flow has improved then what you have is some concretions from hard water. You can keep with the vinegar routine or use a commercial product such as CLR to clean up that showerhead. Personally, I would probably go with a replacement such as an Oxygenics which may save you water while still giving you one heck of a nice shower.

GFCI - as already mentioned, you'll need to test all the outlets on that one circuit to find the reset button. Not a bad thing to do anyway so you have a better idea of what outlets are all on one circuit. You also get to find out if there are other circuits - can be revealing how the builder split up things.

Ronbo · February 4, 2017

Gfi is probably in the bathroom. Remove shower head from hose and turn on water. If you have no flow it is further up line

Kirk W · February 5, 2017

There are several good suggestions on the shower head. I would first remove the shower head by unscrewing it from the hose or pipe to it and try running water through it to see how much you get. If it flows well, the problem is in the shower head and most likely one of the suggested methods of cleaning it should work. I'd take it apart first to see what is inside of it, then use the white vinegar to clean it with. That would dissolve any calcium or other mineral buildup. Since the RV is now 6 years old there is a reasonably good possibility that it is that sort of issue. If you didn't get much water when the shower head is off, then you seem to have a plumbing problem or need to work on the faucet set that controls it.

On the outlets, heaters are not your best bet to check for power as you may well have tripped the circuit breaker to the outlets. Your class C is probably a 30a model with only one outlet circuit and it could be the GFI & if so, Rombo probably right or it might also be in the kitchen. A GFI is usually configured to protect all outlets from it on down the line in that circuit. If you find it and pushing the reset does nothing, the next place to look is for a power distribution panel that will have a circuit breaker for each 120V-ac circuit in your RV. You should find one for the outlets, one for your air conditioner, probably one for the converter, and possibly one or two others. You usually can't tell if one is tripped by looking and even if it can be seen that it has tripped, you must open it fully and then close it to make sure that it is closed. If you don't have any means of testing for power, I suggest getting and learning to use a meter and if not that one of the outlet testing devices will do the job as a minimum.

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The distribution panel may look similar to the one shown with breakers to the left for 120v-ac power and fuses for the 12v-dc to the right. You may also have separate 12V fuse and 120V circuit breaker panels, but you have one of each, somewhere.

maggie blair · February 5, 2017

Thanks to everyone for your help. You are all amazing and so helpful. I appreciate every response I get.

Thanks again,

Maggie

57becky · February 5, 2017

An excellent low flow shower head that has the shutoff button, works with low pressure at the water inlet, and gives you a shower like a much higher flow shower is made by High Sierra Showerheads. They are not cheap, but are made in the USA, and built solid. I have no financial interest in this company, but do own one of their shower heads. http://highsierra.worldsecuresystems.com/low-flow-shower-heads.html

Daveh · February 10, 2017

I have not tried the High sierra faucet. (I would like too) but if you want something a little less expensive go with the oxygenics. I switched out our factory showerhead and it makes quite a big difference. Feels like a real shower.